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Socioeconomic determinants of household food security in the Red Sea state of Sudan: insights from a cross-sectional survey

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Abstract

Food insecurity remains a major challenge for many households in Sudan. This study aimed to investigate the factors affecting household food security status in Red Sea state, Sudan. By a cross-sectional survey, data from 720 households were collected and analyzed using descriptive statistics and logistic regression. The results showed that only 23.8% of households were food secure, while 76.2% were considered food insecure based on the Food Consumption Score (FCS). The logistic regression model reveals several important determinants of household food security. Living in urban areas, older age of the household head, male leadership, paid employment, and reliance on multiple sources of income were positively associated with food security. By contrast, reliance on limited livelihoods, such as agriculture alone, had a negative impact on food security. The findings suggest that promoting livelihood diversification, increasing agricultural production, expanding employment opportunities, and targeting female-headed households could improve access to food in this region. This study provides valuable empirical evidence on the socioeconomic factors that affect household food security in the Red Sea. These findings have important implications for policies and programs aimed at improving food security and resilience in Sudan.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank the study participants for their time and cooperation. We also gratefully acknowledge the support of Northeast Forestry University.

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This research received no specific grants from public, commercial, or nonprofit entities.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Economics and Management, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, 150040, China

    Ahmed A. A. Fadol, Guanggji Tong & Ali Raza

  2. College of Wildlife Resource, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, 150040, China

    Wlaa Mohamed

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  1. Ahmed A. A. Fadol
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  2. Guanggji Tong
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  3. Ali Raza
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  4. Wlaa Mohamed
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Correspondence to Guanggji Tong.

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Appendix

Appendix

Table 10

Table 10 IPC Analysis Acute food security for Red sea state of Sudan in June–September, 2023
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Figure 2

Fig. 2
figure 2

IPC Acute food insecurity projections of Sudan for July 2023 – September 2023. https://www.ipcinfo.org/ipcinfo-website/alerts-archive/issue-23/en/

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Fadol, A.A.A., Tong, G., Raza, A. et al. Socioeconomic determinants of household food security in the Red Sea state of Sudan: insights from a cross-sectional survey. GeoJournal 89, 69 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10708-024-11038-1

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