Agrarian transition and food security in the village of Khreibet El Jundi, Akkar, Lebanon.

Abstract

Background: Lebanon has witnessed an agrarian transition since the 1960s. The transition was manifested by the decline in agricultural share to GDP, as well as, the decrease in Lebanese agrarians. Drivers of agrarian transition varies between Lebanese rural villages. Some common drivers include climate change and rapid urbanization. Residents in rural areas rely on agriculture as their primary source of income. Therefore, decline in agricultural productivity or income put them at risk of food insecurity. Agrarians turn to mitigation strategies like livelihood diversification and migration to reduce food and nutrition insecurity. Limited studies explore the role of livelihood diversification on household food and nutrition security. Objectives: This study aimed to explore the interplay between agrarian transition, manifested by livelihood diversification, on household food and nutrition security of Khreibet El Jundi residents in Akkar, North of Lebanon. In addition, the study highlighted how livelihood changes can impact the food security of households with a focus on the role of home gardens, gender of the household head and geographical location on food and nutrition security. Methods: A sample of 160 head of households, whose consent was secured, were surveyed. The sample size represented 40percent of the local population and was randomly selected. Each participant was interviewed using four questionnaires: a qualitative questionnaire targeting the agrarian transition, its drivers and changes in livelihoods during the period of 1960-2018, the food insecurity experience scale (FIES) to study food security, the food consumption score to address diet diversity and quality, and the household expenditure module to understand the household expenditure on food. The data was coded and analyzed using Stata-SE version 14.2. Results: Interviewees adopting a full-time agrarian livelihood constituted most of the studied sample. However, their presence has decreased from 66percent in the 1960s to 45percent in 2018. The proportion of resid