The Role of Non-Agricultural Incomes in Food Security of Rural Households

Subject Areas : Microbiology

M. Charaghi ¹ , M. Ghadiri Masom ² , M. R. Rezvani ³

1 - دانشجوی دکتری جغرافیا و برنامه ریزی روستایی دانشگاه تهران، تهران، ایران
2 - استاد دانشکده جغرافیا، دانشگاه تهران، تهران، ایران
3 - استاد دانشکده جغرافیا، دانشگاه تهران، تهران، ایران

Received: 2016-08-25 Accepted : 2016-08-25 Published : 2016-09-22

Keywords: Economic Diversification, Food Insecurity, Rural Economy, Rural Development,

Abstract :

Introduction: Food security in rural society is one of the main objectives of rural development program in all the countries. Therefore development of non-agricultural incomes in rural areas can expand the rural society due to the additional source of income where a better access to resources namely food might be achieved. This study is concerned with the effects of non-agricultural incomes on food security in rural households. Materials and Methods: The population of rural area in the province of Zanjan in 2011, consisted of 97,225 people, 26,429 households scattered in 13 districts and 248 villages. 54 villages were selected according to the modified Cochran formulas. Data collection was obtained by questionnaire for statistical analysis, descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation) and inferential statistics (Jonckheere test and multiple regression) and applied to calculate the amount of food security and food insecurity scales. Results: The results indicated that 31.73% of the households have food security while 43.10% do not have the security but without hunger. The results also indicated that 15.52% of the households who do not have food security have moderate hunger while 9.65% of the households without food security have severe hunger. Conclusion: This study has concluded that the non-agricultural incomes in the rural areas can improve the food security and the quality of life.