The aim of the study was to investigate the diet diversity, food access and coping strategies
applied by single mothers with young children in the Northern Okavango region of Botswana.
A qualitative and quantitative survey was chosen as the research design for this study. The
study site was Gumare village in rural Ngamiland and the sample included only single female
headed households. The questionnaires used were contextualized to reflect the culture, food
patterns and specific foods commonly consumed in Botswana.
Three questionnaires were used:
1. A socio- demographic questionnaire to document household size, age, marital
status, income and water sources and the indigenous and wild foods that were
gathered
2. The international standardized Household Dietary Diversity Score (HDDS)
questionnaire to identify the variety of foods from fourteen food groups consumed by
households over the previous 24 hours
3. The international standardized Coping Strategies Index (CSI) to determine the
coping strategy behaviours of members of the household when faced with food
shortages
The socio demographic results of the study showed that female headed households had an
average 7.4 members. They were seriously affected by poverty, as 58% of the households
had registered under the Botswana Social Welfare programme as destitute. Therefore
qualifies to be assisted through provision of food baskets and cash vouchers. The overall
results obtained from the household dietary diversity questionnaire showed a diet diversity
score of 2.0. This is an extremely low diet diversity value, which indicate a high level of
vulnerability to food insecurity and inadequate food access. The foods which were mainly
consumed by households were from the cereal food group, reflecting the global situation
among the poor who rely on starch- based diets. The intake from dairy products (10%),
meats (28%) and Vitamin A rich vegetables (16%) was limited.
Given the limited food variety resulting in severe restriction to food access, coping strategies
to address food shortages were employed. These included; relying on less preferred and less
expensive food (100%), gathering wild food, hunting or harvesting immature crops (68%),
vi
limiting portion sizes (96%), reducing the number of meals eaten in the day (76%),
depending on government food baskets (58%) and reducing overall food intake when the
government food basket was not adequate (50%).
It can be concluded that, given the restricted food access and a severely limited diversity in
consumed food, extended government welfare assistance is crucial. The findings of this
study could be used to guide the Botswana government when formulating new approaches
and interventions to address food access and ultimately food security in households in this
poverty- stricken area.