DETERMINANTS OF FOOD INSUFFICIENCY COPING STRATEGIES IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA: A CASE OF MALAWI

This paper examined the determinants of household food insufficiency coping strate-gies based on secondary data collected from 12,480 randomly selected households in Malawi. In response to food insufficiency, households employed the following coping strategies: relying on less preferred food options, reducing the proportion of meals, reducing the number of meals per day, restricting adult consumption for small children to eat, and borrowing food from family or friends. To assess the determinants of food insufficiency coping strategies, a multivariate probit model was employed. Education level, household size, livestock ownership and place of residence were some of the important factors that affected the choice of the coping strategies. The paper recom-mends policies that aim at strengthening the education system of the rural communities to equip them with skills they can use diversify their livelihood sources.