Browsing by Author "Molapo, Relebohile"
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- ItemExploring the experiences of food insecurity among urban poor households in Maseru : a case study of Thibella settlement(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2022-04) Molapo, Relebohile; Kelly, Candice; Coetzee, Angela; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences. School of Public Leadership.ENGLISH SUMMARY: Lesotho is faced with pressing food insecurity challenges. The challenges are addressed with geographical bias, responses to food insecurity are directed to rural communities. This is fostered by the misconception that poverty and food insecurity are rural challenges. Evidence suggests that this is not true since there is a widened food gap also observed among urban poor households and not much is done by the government to address the challenges. Urban food insecurity in Lesotho, especially in the city of Maseru has been fostered by escalating rural-urban migration. Rural dwellers generally migrate to the city with the hope for greater economic opportunities, social change and therefore a better life. The opposite is, however, often true. Most migrants have low levels of education and are not appropriately skilled to secure decent employment. They are then forced into casual and odd jobs that do not provide consistent or enough income to live a decent and dignified life. Income insecurity results in other socio-economic challenges such as inequality, lack of access to proper housing and basic services. Urban poverty trials and the resultant food insecurity challenges in Lesotho are under-researched and therefore inadequately addressed in policy and planning by relevant authorities. The main objective of this study is to explore the experiences of food insecurity among poor urban households in Maseru. It aims to also understand how the urban poor access food and what the determinants of their food choices are. This qualitative, case study, approached via a social constructivist paradigm, uses focus groups and semi-structured interviews through the purposive sampling of households to collect primary data to explore and understand food insecurity experiences. In order to frame and understand food insecurity experiences, The study focuses on the four dimensions of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) food security indicators: i) food availability, ii) food access, iii) food utilisation, and iv) food stability. According to the FAO, in order for households to be food secure, all the four dimensions should be met simultaneously. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data and the following five themes emerged: i) no food and we starve, ii) limited access to money prohibits access to food, iii) unhealthy food choices, iv) inconsistent income and work in urban areas means we eat and survive on day to day basis and v) government does not care for our needs. The study established that all sampled households were severely food insecure because they failed to meet the four aspects of security. Based on the study findings, there is still a lot of research that needs to be done to come up with more action-based solutions to escalating food insecurity among urban poor households in Maseru. I want to challenge future researchers to research deeper on urban food insecurity in Maseru. I plead with the government of Lesotho and relevant authorities to pay significant attention to the findings of this study in order to address food insecurity in Maseru.