Food insecurity

Purpose- Food security (FS) is defined as sustainable access to safe and nutritious food for a healthy and active life. The present study was designed to investigate and determine FS status of rural households and the relevant influential factors. It was conducted on 432 rural households in six subdistricts of two districts of Sarpolzahab, West of Iran, in 2016. Design/methodology/approach- The samples were selected using random cluster sampling, and FS status was assessed using United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) household FS questionnaire. Therefore, both socio-economic questionnaire and the household FS questionnaire were completed during a face to face interview. Data were analyzed using the statistical software package SPSS-22. Chi-square, Mann-Whitney, Kruskal-Wallis, and forward multiple logistic regression were used for data analysis. Findings- Prevalence of food insecurity (FI) in all of the surveyed households was 65.3%, and household FS status between the subdistricts had a significant difference (P< 0.01). The results of the study showed that the prevalence of FI in the subdistricts of Posht-Tang and Sarab (83.3% and 76.4%, respectively) was higher than other subdistricts. Number of household’s members, land ownership, education of household’s head, activity status, and household’s income had significantly relationship with household FI (P< 0.01). Practical implications- The high prevalence of FI is a major threat to the abnormal utilization of environmental resources in this realm. Therefore, given the impact of horticultural activities and diverse cultivation on household FS, macro and regional policies should be provided to increase the diversity of products through agroforestry and intercropping. Original/value- This research presents the basic information on the FS status of rural households in Sarpolzahab and some related socio-economic factors the results of which can help planners and managers to implement interventions to improve the FS and welfare of rural households.

A suitable marketing strategy is essential for increasing sales and profitability at different stages of the product life cycle. The main objective of this study was to assess the factors that affect the choice of marketing strategy at various stages of the product life cycle in the food industry in Mashhad, Iran. Data were collected in 2017 through a survey which 88 marketing managers in the food production industry completed the questionnaires. To reach the goal of the study, the multinomial logit model was applied to determine the effects of explanatory variables on the probability of choosing a special marketing strategy at the various stages of the product life cycle. Results showed that the manager’s experience, education, type of product, competitiveness, reputable brand, and market share had a significant effect on the chosen strategy at different stages of the product life cycle. Therefore, a company’s profitability in a market could be improved by the implementation of a marketing strategy based on product type and in relation to the specific stage of the product life cycle.

Objectives: The goal of the current study is to analyze the urban poor’s food insecurity and coping mechanisms. Methodology: As a result, both primary and secondary data are used to support the current research. A well-structured questionnaire was used in a field survey to gather the primary data. The secondary sources include studies, journals, business publications, and published literature. For the current study, FGD has also been conducted to gather further details. The data collecting method has been stratified random sampling. A sophisticated statistical method was used to determine the sampling size for the current investigation (i.e., the Yamane formula, 1967). Furthermore, 396 houses have been chosen based on the sampling size calculation in order to conduct in-person interviews to gather responses. Simple descriptive statistics, such as frequency, percentage, and mean, as well as the coping strategy index (CSI) and FGT food insecurity index have all been employed in the study of the data. Results: As a result, households experience food insecurity 77.35% of the time, with a depth and severity of food insecurity of 21.45% and 9.42%, respectively. Additionally, food-insecure households consume an average of 1222.93 kcal per day, with a maximum and minimum intake of 1948.15 kcal and 497.70 kcal, respectively. Conclusion: Furthermore, the findings show that the top five coping strategies used by the households to combat food insecurity and food shortages were reliance on less preferred or less expensive foods, reduction in meal frequency and size per day, food purchases made on credit, and food obtained from family and friends.