Food security and resilience: An experimental study of household food consumption in the central region of Mali

Abstract

Mali is a Sahelian country and structurally vulnerable to food insecurity and malnutrition caused by the recent humanitarian crises the country has faced. The aim of the present study was to assess household food consumption and identify the essential determinants for increasing household dietary diversity and improving one of the pillars of food security for local populations in the locality of Bankass and Koro. The data from the household survey around 1396 households was subjected to an ordinal probit model to perform the econometric analysis. The results showed that the evaluation of household consumption was necessary to properly guide the household food basket in decision making. Our analysis showed a statistically significant relationship for households in Koro at 1% for households that consume fruit, meat and dairy products at Bankass, leaves, sour foods, oil and fats are also consumed by very few households, but only fruit at the 5% and 10% thresholds. However, households in the study area have access to five food groups to ensure their household food consumption. A total demand for cereals, tubers and vegetables was observed to be unavailable to households. About 90% are not able to satisfy the essential food needs of their household. In conclusion the base of daily meals is essentially composed of cereals, fats, sugars and condiments and complemented by the consumption of animal proteins and leafy vegetables. Opportunities for diversifying household diets in a crisis or shock situation in a community still remains an issue despite the humanitarian response households need to support their socio-economic reintegration.