Seasonal variation of food security among the Batwa of Kanungu, Uganda

• Published in: Public health nutrition Vol. 20; no. 1; pp. 1 - 11
• Main Authors: Patterson, Kaitlin, Berrang-Ford, Lea, Lwasa, Shuaib, Namanya, Didacus B, Ford, James, Twebaze, Fortunate, Clark, Sierra, Donnelly, Blánaid, Harper, Sherilee L
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge, UK Cambridge University Press 01-01-2017
• Subjects: Accumulators; Adaptation; Aggression; Agricultural practices; Agriculture; Agronomy; Children; Chronic infection; Cleaners; Climate; Climate Change; Climatology; Community involvement; Computer networks; Crops, Agricultural; Cross-Sectional Studies; Cultivation; Data acquisition; Developing countries; Discrimination; Dry season; Early warning systems; Emergency communications systems; Environmental impact; Environmental monitoring; Ethnic factors; Evaluation Studies as Topic; Family Characteristics; Famine; Farms; Feedback; Female; Food; Food quality; Food security; Food sources; Food Supply; Geography; Harvesting; Households; Humans; Indicators; Indigenous peoples; Information systems; LDCs; Male; Malnutrition; Medical personnel; Mixed methods research; Monitoring and Surveillance; NGOs; Nongovernmental organizations; Planting; Positive feedback; Precipitation; Psychological stress; Public health; Rain; Rainfall; Research Papers; Retrospective Studies; Risk; Rural Population; Sanitation; Seasonal variations; Seasons; Socioeconomic Factors; Studies; Subsistence agriculture; Surveys and Questionnaires; Sustainable development; Tourism; Uganda; Vector-borne diseases; Weather; Indigenous populations; Social determinants of health; Seasonal variation; Mixed methods; Food security
• ISSN: 1368-9800; 1475-2727
• DOI: 10.1017/S1368980016002494

Climate change is projected to increase the burden of food insecurity (FI) globally, particularly among populations that depend on subsistence agriculture. The impacts of climate change will have disproportionate effects on populations with higher existing vulnerability. Indigenous people consistently experience higher levels of FI than their non-Indigenous counterparts and are more likely to be dependent upon land-based resources. The present study aimed to understand the sensitivity of the food system of an Indigenous African population, the Batwa of Kanungu District, Uganda, to seasonal variation.
A concurrent, mixed methods (quantitative and qualitative) design was used. Six cross-sectional retrospective surveys, conducted between January 2013 and April 2014, provided quantitative data to examine the seasonal variation of self-reported household FI. This was complemented by qualitative data from focus group discussions and semi-structured interviews collected between June and August 2014.
Ten rural Indigenous communities in Kanungu District, Uganda.
FI data were collected from 130 Indigenous Batwa Pygmy households. Qualitative methods involved Batwa community members, local key informants, health workers and governmental representatives.
The dry season was associated with increased FI among the Batwa in the quantitative surveys and in the qualitative interviews. During the dry season, the majority of Batwa households reported greater difficulty in acquiring sufficient quantities and quality of food. However, the qualitative data indicated that the effect of seasonal variation on FI was modified by employment, wealth and community location.
These findings highlight the role social factors play in mediating seasonal impacts on FI and support calls to treat climate associations with health outcomes as non-stationary and mediated by social sensitivity.