Is Internal Migration Associated with Food Security among Farming Households in Rural Ghana?

Wilson Abeti, Design Thinking Ghana Hub

The study examines the relationship between migration and food security among farming households in four agroecological zones in Ghana. The study utilised data on 477 households from the 2016 Climate Change, Women in Agriculture and Food and Security survey. The study employed the Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES) to measure food security and recategorize households as food secure or food insecure. The preliminary result revealed that 72% of selected households were food secure, 23% were headed by migrants, while 22% had sent out migrants. Among the migrant-headed households, a higher proportion (76%) of them are food secure than non-migrant-headed households (71%). Also, a lower proportion (68%) of migrant-sending households are food secure compared to non-migrant-sending households (73%). The binary logistic regression results revealed no significant relationship between migration status and household food security. However, the household head’s age, education, and wealth status significantly influence household food security.