Income, Time and Labor Nexus Household Food Security in Burundi

Food insecurity is among the major challenges especially in rural areas of developing countries. This study analyzed the major determinants of food security in the rural area of Burundi. The analysis focused on the farm household characteristics, agricultural investments and income. The findings show that landholding has decreased due to demographic pressure. Thus, households diversify income sources in order to cope with risk linked to seasonality and complement the meager agricultural income. Landless and nearly landless households rely mainly on labor income for survival. However, in this agriculture based economy, the rural wages depend on agricultural production and its patterns which imply that 66% of the population live in food insecurity situation. While rural wages are set by farmers with considerations of the low agricultural income, underemployment is very common especially during the dry season.Keywords: Income; Labor; Land; Seasonality; Agricultural growth; Productivity; Food security; Burundi

ISBN:9780128126875

Publication year:2019