The Nexus Between Women’s Access to Training and Household Food Security in Tharaka Nithi County, Kenya

Abstract

Food insecurity continues to pose a significant challenge in Kenya, particularly within the Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASALs) such as Tharaka Nithi County. Women’s access to training is widely recognised as a critical determinant of agricultural productivity and household food security, particularly in developing regions. Women are disproportionately affected due to limited access to training services. This study examined how women’s access to training (WAT) influences HFS in Tharaka Nithi County, Kenya. The study sample comprised 341 women participating in the Uwezo Fund and the Women Enterprise Fund (WEF), across three constituencies: Chuka Igamba Ng’ombe (143), Tharaka (99), and Maara (99). WAT was proxied by an 8-item scale, rated on a 5-point Likert scale from strongly disagree to agree strongly. Household food security had four outcomes, namely: Food accessibility proxied by the 18-item Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS), food utilisation and dietary quality proxied by the Household Dietary Diversity Score (HDDS) scale, and food coping behaviour under food stress was proxied by a 9-item Coping Strategies Index (CSI). The HDDS and CSI were rated on a 5-point Likert scale from never to always. The HFIAS scale was rescaled into a 4-point food security classification of food secure, mildly food insecure, moderately food insecure, and severely food insecure groups. Data analysis was done using STATA Version 16. All the scales showed a strong internal consistency reliability, with Cronbach’s Alpha coefficients ranging from 0.864 to 0.939. The study adopted a correlational research design to establish how women’s access to training influences household food security. The simple linear regression results revealed that women’s access to training had a positive and statistically significant effect on HDDS, b = 0.097, p =0.025, and CSI, b = 0.089, p = 0.005. Qualitative insights revealed that training enhanced women’s financial literacy, agricultural skills, and household nutrition, better budgeting, production, and meal planning. The study concludes that women’s access to training improves household food utilisation and stability by strengthening knowledge and adaptive capacities rather than directly increasing food access. The study recommends integrating WEF and Uwezo Fund programs with county agricultural extension and local governance frameworks, decentralising training to community levels, tailoring content to women’s needs, and enhancing outreach through local centres and regular field visits to improve participation and sustain household food security in arid and semi-arid regions