Introduction
The population growth and the increase in human nutritional needs have led to an increased demand for agricultural food products. In fact, food security is a goal behind which there are hidden social and economic objectives, each of which is of great importance. Attention to food security in Iran has always been one of the main goals of rural and agricultural development programs. Studies show that in rural societies, the lack of provision for basic needs, including food insecurity in part of the rural population, is one of the most significant problems in rural areas. Therefore, considering the role of food security in human health and development, the aim of the present study was to explore the components of food security in rural households in Shiraz County.
Materials and Methods
This research is descriptive, using a survey technique, and in terms of the amount and degree of control, this research was field-based. The collection of information has been investigated through library studies. The face validity of the questionnaire was also confirmed by the professors of the agricultural extension and education department. The reliability of the questionnaire was done by conducting a guide study and calculating Cronbach's alpha coefficient, which for all three variables of food security, social capital and social health, Cronbach's alpha coefficient was 0.68, 0.72 and 0.79, respectively. The data was analyzed using SPSS version 21 software and statistical methods. The statistical population of this research included all rural households in Shiraz city. This city consists of three main parts: Central, Dasht Arjan and Zarghan. According to Morgan's table, 384 households were selected and after determining the sample size according to each village and the population of each village, sampling was done.
Results and Discussion
The results of the survey of the food security situation of the villagers of Shiraz show that 24.7% of the studied people are in very food safe conditions, 21.9% are in food safe conditions, 30.5% are in moderate conditions, and 13.5% are in food insecure conditions and 9.4% are in very food insecure conditions. According to the findings of the research, four components for food security include availability, benefit, accessibility and sustainability. Among the four components of food security, according to the average, availability (23.23), utility (16.30), accessibility (13.57) and sustainability (10.96) have the greatest effect. Also, the findings of the research showed that there is no significant relationship between age, the number of breadwinners in the household and food security. But there is a significant relationship between the number of family members, the level of education, the amount of land (hectares) and the number of training courses attended in the past year. This issue can help policy makers and other related institutions to improve the food security situation in rural communities.
Conclusions
In the studied area, the food security situation had worsened compared to the past, and the households had no hope that this situation would be improved in the future. Financial problems, rising food prices, seasonal fluctuations and temporary job loss caused this component to be low in the studied areas. The results showed that in the studied villages, the prices of the agricultural products of the villagers are low and they are not supported, the jobs are seasonal, the lack of job variety and the unemployment of the villagers or unstable employment has caused the villagers to not have the ability to prepare high-quality food as before, and to use only the foods that only satisfy them and to ignore the consumption of foods that have a high price. The weakness of the price control system and also the weak monitoring of the prices is one of the weak points that affect their food security through various ways such as increasing the cost and reducing the liquidity of the household.