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Article Title:
The Coping Strategies Adapted by Urban Poor to Food Insecurity in Eldoret Municipality, Kenya
by James O. Owino, Grace J. Cheserek, Christopher K. Saina, Florence. A. Murgor

Abstract:
This study addressed the coping strategies to food insecurity among the urban poor in Eldoret Municipality, Kenya. Urbanization is increasing in Kenya at a rapid pace. According to the Government of Kenya statistics, urban centres which stood at 15.1% of the total population in 1979 rose to 34.8% in 2000. The specific objectives of the study were: to establish food insecurity status at household level; to determine causes of food insecurity and to evaluate coping strategies adopted to minimize stress and shocks emanating from food insecurity. A total of 303 households were targeted. The selection of the households was done using stratified random sampling. The study utilized both primary and secondary methods of data collection. Primary sources of data included participant and non-participant observation, structured questionnaires administered to household heads and key informant interviews. Statistical Package for Social Sciences was used to analyze the data. Results are presented in form of tables and graphs. The major cause of food insecurity is poverty, which was attributed to lack of a stable income and high food prices. The findings show food insecurity coping strategies are; skipping meals, school dropouts, purchase of street food, early marriages, eating less preferred food, engaging in prostitution and sending children on streets to beg. The study recommends educating the residents on the importance of household food security for improved education of their children and household livelihoods. As urban population increases there is need to provide a diversified form of livelihoods for the urban poor such as: ?kazi kwa vijana? (work for the youth) and food for work programmes. The Kenya government should consider providing food rations for the poor; school feeding programmes and cash handouts to the most vulnerable groups within the Municipality.

Keywords: food crisis, urban resilience, kitchen gardening, food for work

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