Community Clustering of Food Insecurity and Malnutrition Associated With Systemic Drivers in Chad.

Plain language titleUnderstanding Linkages Between Household Food Insecurity, Child Malnutrition, and Their Respective Clustered Drivers in ChadPlain language summaryChad experiences emergency levels of household food insecurity and child malnutrition. To address this issue, the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization has undertaken a collaborative effort to enhance cooperation among humanitarian, development, and peace-building actors. The objective of this study was to examine how child malnutrition, food insecurity, and their drivers cluster across communities in Kanem and Bahr El Ghazal to improve response planning and targeting. The study collected data in August 2021 on malnutrition, food security, livelihoods, vegetation, and conflict and carried out interviews with local informants. In total, the research covers 86 villages, 7,002 households, and 6,136 children. The research shows that the 2 measures of hunger, child malnutrition and food insecurity, are highly clustered, affecting some communities more than others. However, villages with a high prevalence of child acute malnutrition did not have the highest levels of food insecurity, suggesting different community-level drivers. The clustering of food insecurity and malnutrition at the village level was linked to the diversity of livelihoods, the experience of conflict, health, and seasonal limitations in accessing natural resources. These findings are crucial for informing the targeting and design of integrated humanitarian, development, and peace programs. Taking a systemic approach and fostering strong coordination across interventions to address the drivers of food insecurity and malnutrition holds great potential for tackling hunger in Chad.