Household Splitting Process and Food Security in Malawi

Abstract

Despite the frequent changes in household composition in Sub-Saharan Africa, the literature on the household division process is sparse, with no evidence of its effect on food security. This paper addresses the topic in Malawi, where the fission process is evident and malnutrition is a severe problem. Using the Integrated Household Panel Dataset, this study applies the difference-in-difference model with the propensity score matching technique to compare matched groups of households that did and did not split between 2010 and 2013. The results suggest that coping strategies adopted by poor households and life course events determine household fission in Malawi, a process that benefits household food security in the short term. On average, the food consumption score is 3.74 units higher among households that split between 2010 and 2013 compared to the matched households that did not. However, the household division might have long-run adverse effects on food insecurity, especially for poor households due to the adoption of coping strategies that might compromise their human capital and income-generating activities. Therefore, this process warrants attention for the more accurate understanding, design, and evaluation of food security interventions.