Mamakase Grace Sello^1,, Mahalieo Flora Motanyane¹, Nthabiseng Anna Mokhesi¹, Relebohile Ntsieane¹

Background: Lesotho is grappling with food insecurity and malnutrition. Droughts, floods, poor farming practices, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, high food prices, and the Russia-Ukraine war have all played a role in exacerbating food insecurity in the country. Despite the growing worldwide problem of food insecurity, there is a lack of documentation on the status of food insecurity and its determinants at the household level in rural areas of Lesotho. Aim: This study aimed to assess food insecurity and its determinants among rural households in the Southern region of Lesotho, with specific attention directed to Quthing, Mohale’s Hoek, and Mafeteng. Methods & Results: A community quantitative cross-sectional study was conducted, and interview schedules were administered to a sample of three hundred (n=300) rural households. The multiple regression analysis was employed to determine the predictors of household food insecurity. Food insecurity, as measured by Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS), was found in a large proportion of rural households (95.3%, n= 286). The findings of the study identified the number of children in a household (p<0.05), the marital status of the household head (p<0.05), the availability of land (p<0.05), and borrowing money from informal money lenders (p<0.05) as significant predictors of household food insecurity in the studied regions at p<0.05 significance. Conclusions and Recommendations: The study suggests that in light of the high prevalence of food insecurity in rural households in the study area, understanding the determinants of food insecurity in rural households is imperative to combat the rampant food insecurity that plagues rural households in Lesotho. Local authorities must prioritize hunger eradication by enacting practical and sustainable policies that effectively reduce household food insecurity.

food insecurity, food security, rural households, Lesotho, nutrition