Influence of land tenure security on household food security among small holder farmers in Narok County, Kenya

Abstract

Access to secure land rights is crucial to improving the livelihoods of rural people. However, empirical studies to validate this statement are still limited especially in Sub-Saharan Africa. The study uses endogenous switching regression (ESR) model on cross-sectional primary data to analyze the role of land tenure on household food security among small-scale farmers in Kenya. Data were collected from 366 respondents obtained from a multistage sampling procedure. Descriptive statics results show that, household heads from land tenure secure households were significantly older, had fewer household members and more land as well reported higher food consumption scores and maize productivity levels as compared to insecure land tenure households. Household food security was measured by food consumption scores and ESR model results show that, key determinants of land tenure security were household size, acquisition of land through purchase, land concentration, land fertility, number of years the household stayed on the land and the time taken from homestead to the parcel. Household food security status was influenced by marital status, education level, and age of the household head as well as household size, household income, maize productivity, number of contacts with extension agents, access to credit, and ownership of an ox. Land tenure security had a positive and significant effect on household food security. Findings call for the enactment of policies and strategies that would facilitate access to secure ownership and transfer land rights by rural farming households thereby encouraging farm investments for improvement of household food security.