Water insecurity, food insecurity and social capital associated with a group-led microfinance programme in semi-rural Kenya

Michael L. Goodman, Aleisha Elliott, Peter C. Melby, Stanley Gitari

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Social capital predicts many positive health outcomes, including food and water access and sufficiency. Hence, increasing social capital has emerged as one potential strategy to improve food and water security. In this study, we investigate whether social capital generated through participation in a community-based microlending programme based in semi-rural Kenya is associated with water and food insecurity, and explore the interconnectedness of water and food insecurity through mediation analysis. Randomly-selected women participants of the community-based programme (n = 400) were interviewed in June 2018 and again in June 2019. Survey measures included water insecurity, food insecurity and an index of social capital constructs, namely group cohesion, trust, expectations of mutual support, sense of belonging and frequency of attendance in the programme. Random effects linear regression showed that an increase the social capital index was associated with lower water and food insecurity. The mediation analysis indicated that the association between social capital and food insecurity was completely mediated by water insecurity. This study demonstrates the need for further investigation into how social capital-generating programmes can contribute to systems approaches for collaborative food and water security programmes, especially among rural communities in low- and middle-income countries.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)3399-3411
Number of pages13
JournalGlobal Public Health
Volume17
Issue number12
DOIs
StatePublished - 2022

Keywords

  • Social capital
  • food security
  • microfinance
  • sub-Saharan Africa
  • water security

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Water insecurity, food insecurity and social capital associated with a group-led microfinance programme in semi-rural Kenya'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this