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This article investigated household-level food security for Ghana, Liberia, and Senegal. Different agroclimatic, ecological, social, and farming conditions in West Africa were represented. Using data-driven Random Forest and Chi-Square Automatic Interaction Detection (CHAID) decision tree methodology, this study classified 644 Ghanaian, 323 Liberian, and 510 Senegalese households for comparison and interpretation on food security. The predictors growing Liberian and Senegalese decision trees imply community support, diverse selling channels outside villages, resolving the dispute over farmland, and increasing community-level investment for food availability and access demonstrate household food security. Predictor importance on food security for Ghana highlighted the role of independent producers and food suppliers toward stability. Household food security or insecurity was distinguished by location-specific and gender-led households in Liberia and Senegal. Practically, the results presented a need to step-up agricultural education and extension based on an empirical field survey and its interpretations. The results can add considerations to the role of farming households as independent and individual suppliers and consumers to long-standing dimensions of food security, i.e., food availability, access, and stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study explores female-headed households in Grand Bassa, Lofa and Nimba counties to discern Liberia's smallholding, subsistence agriculture. Amid environmental and communal dynamics, addressing factors causing challenges of farming is imperative. Methodology: Using explanatory sequential methods this study collects, explains, and organizes farming and household situations qualitatively through field notes, observations, and extensive communications with 44 female farmers. Subsequently and quantitatively, Chi-Square Automatic Interaction Detection (CHAID) verifies aforementioned information, accompanied by 112 observations. Findings: Stories encapsulate female farmers in Grand Bassa, Lofa, and Nimba counties. They provide evidence of marginalized, progressive, and emerging farming in order. Children (n > 3) and inadequate support of Kuu (informal labor) and of community make food stability, availability and access insecure. Insufficient crop revenue further exacerbates the issues. Moderate- and mild food-insecure households need not worry about the problems above. However, their earnings notwithstanding, new challenges appear in credit practices and land conflict. Practical Implications: Extension agents should provide timely services for each community, with special attention to women-headed households. Findings imply ex-post evaluations to ex-ante extension services should be cyclical. Theoretical Implications: A gender-inclusive, gender-sensitive framework is vital to enhance food security and community resilience, transform subsistence agriculture into agribusiness and achieve fairness, gender equity and social justice for agrarian Liberians – especially women and children. Originality/Value: This study captures distinctive phases of farming and family life – yielding qualitative and subsequent quantitative validation of predictors of food insecurity in rural, women-headed farming households/operations. It should guide us to tailor ex-ante extension services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article compares and examines the relationships among agricultural assets, incomes and food security in rural communities of Ghana, Senegal, and Liberia. A total of 1483 rural households were surveyed and data on agricultural endeavors, incomes and food security were collected. The analyses of incomes and agricultural assets show signs of high inequality of resource distribution. In addition, facets of food insecurity were observed among the surveyed households. The study used a multivariate logistic model, then evaluated how agricultural assets affect the food security status of rural households in Ghana, Senegal and Liberia distinctly. Overall, the results show several similarities at country level, but disparities were also noted. In particular, the study outlined significant relationships between technology assets and the food security status of rural households in Ghana and Senegal. However, the logistic model did not show any statistically significant relationship with the rural households surveyed in Liberia. This paradigm suggests critical inter-regional dissimilarities which the study discussed by emphasizing relevant socio-economic features at the country level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]