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Cultural Food Practices, Socioeconomic Status and Food Insecurity among Marachi Smallholder Farmers in Butula Sub-County

Author

Listed:
  • Gladys Nangila Hopillo

    (School of Education and Social Sciences, St Paul’s University, Kenya)

  • Charity Iruma Irungu

    (School of Education and Social Sciences, St Paul’s University, Kenya)

  • Dr. Precious Joan Wapukha

    (Department of Education, Kibabii University, Kenya)

Abstract

Food insecurity persists as a critical human rights concern, particularly among smallholder farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa, where established cultural norms and socioeconomic limitations influence household access to sufficient nourishment. This study investigated the mediating effect of socioeconomic status on the relationship between cultural food practices and food insecurity among 394 proportionately stratified smallholder farmers from the Marachi community in Butula Sub-County, Kenya. This study was grounded on symbolic interaction theory, social capital theory and capability approach. The resulting data was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences using descriptive, Pearson correlation and regression analysis along with Sobel testing and bootstrapping. Correlation analysis results revealed that cultural food practices (r = 0.977, p = 0.000) and socioeconomic status (r = 0.975, p = 0.000) exhibited statistically significant strong positive correlation with food insecurity. Moreover, mediation analysis indicated that cultural food practices significantly predicted socioeconomic status (β = .8600, p < .0001; R² = .9502) and had a substantial direct impact on food insecurity (β = .9676, p < .0001; R² = .9545). In contrast, the direct effect of socioeconomic status on food insecurity was not significant (β = .0093, p = .8704), and the indirect effect of cultural practices through socioeconomic status was minimal. Consequently, cultural food practices rather than socioeconomic status dictated disparities in food insecurity, prompting us to assert that interventions should emphasize culturally attuned nutrition education and fair food distribution methods in conjunction with conventional economic assistance. This study recommends that policymakers collaboratively design community-driven initiatives with local elders to confront restrictive taboos and reinforce beneficial traditions, incorporate credit and market connections consistent with local customs, and undertake longitudinal mixed-methods research on intergenerational changes in cultural food norms, the gendered dynamics of food distribution, and the potential mediating effects of social capital and agricultural extension services. Key Words: Culture, Cultural Food Practices, socioeconomic status, Food Insecurity, Smallholder Farmers

Suggested Citation

  • Gladys Nangila Hopillo & Charity Iruma Irungu & Dr. Precious Joan Wapukha, 2025. "Cultural Food Practices, Socioeconomic Status and Food Insecurity among Marachi Smallholder Farmers in Butula Sub-County," International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS), vol. 9(9), pages 210-223, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:bcp:journl:v:9:y:2025:issue-9:p:210-223
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Masamha, B. & Uzokwe, V. N. E. & Thebe, V., 2024. "Conceptualizing Intra-Household Gender Roles and Power Dynamics within the Cassava Food Value Chains: Lessons from Qualitative Evidence Among Tanzanian Smallholder Farmers," African Journal of Food, Agriculture, Nutrition and Development (AJFAND), African Journal of Food, Agriculture, Nutrition and Development (AJFAND), vol. 24(9), September.
    2. Brenda Gannon & Jennifer Roberts, 2020. "Social capital: exploring the theory and empirical divide," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 58(3), pages 899-919, March.
    3. Arlette Saint Ville & June Yee Tsun Po & Akankasha Sen & Anh Bui & Hugo Melgar-Quiñonez, 2019. "Food security and the Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES): ensuring progress by 2030," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 11(3), pages 483-491, June.
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