| dc.description.abstract | Food insecurity elimination is a major focus of the Sustainable Development Goals and addresses one of the most pressing
needs in developing countries. With the increasing incidence of food insecurity, poverty, and inequalities, there is a need
for realignment of agriculture that aims to empower especially the rural poor smallholders by increasing productivity to
improving food security conditions. Repositioning the agricultural sector should avoid general statements about production
improvement, instead, it should tailor to location-specifc recommendations that fully acknowledge the local spatial diversity
of the natural resource base that largely determines production potentials under current low input agriculture. This paper
aims to deconstruct the complex and multidimensional aspect of food insecurity and provides policymakers with an approach
for mapping the spatial dimension of food insecurity. Using a set of GIS-based indicators, and a small-area approach, we
combine Principal Component Analysis and GIS spatial analysis to construct one composite index and four individual indices
based on the four dimensions of food security (access, availability, stability, and utilization) to map the spatial dimension
of food insecurity in Vihiga County, Kenya. Data were collected by the use of a geocoded household survey questionnaire.
The results reveal the existence of a clear and profound spatial disparity of food insecurity. Mapping food insecurity using
individual dimension indices provides a more detailed picture of food insecurity as compared to the single composite index.
Spatially disaggregated data, a small area approach, and GIS-based indicators prove valuable for mapping local-level causative factors of household food insecurity. Efective policy approaches to combat food insecurity inequalities should integrate
spatially targeted interventions for each dimension of food insecurity. | en_US |
