Food security status of households in a cassava-growing village in southeast Sulawesi, Indonesia

Abstract

The study assessed the food security status of poor households and contribution of cassava in their diets. Sixty-four cassava growers were selected from a Southeast Sulawesi cassava growing village using simple random sampling method. The United States Adult Food Security Survey Module was adopted in assessing the food security status of selected households. Data were analyzed qualitatively and using descriptive statistics. Results showed that a great majority (81.3%) of households were food secure. Average consumption of cassava based foods of 4.1 days a week compared to only 2.9 days for rice clearly confirmed that cassava was a dominant source of food and thus had contributed positively to the high food security status of households in the area. In view of its suitability with the farming and local food system as well as its importance in strengthening food security, efforts should be exerted to promote production, processing, marketing and consumption of cassava as staple food.