Investigating the Effects of Microcredit on Food Security of Rural Households: Evidence from Zehak County, Iran

Microcredit plays a vital role in rural households’ food security. However, the effects of microcredit on improving the food security of households have not yet been well studied and understood in Iran. Thus, the purposes of this research was to analyze the success of microcredit programs on enhancing the food security of rural households in Zehak County, Iran, using the propensity score matching method and bootstrap algorithm. Therefore, two food security indices, including Food Consumption Score (FCS) and Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS) were used. The results revealed that ۱۰۰% of the households faced food insecurity. The prevalence of food insecurity was ۲۰.۰, ۴۲.۵, and ۳۷.۵% for mild, moderate, and severe food insecurity, respectively. In addition, ۳۰% of households were in poor status of food consumption. Our findings emphasize the positive and significant role of microcredit in improving food security and demonstrated that microcredit decreased the HFIAS index of the recipient households by ۲۴.۳-۲۷.۸% and increased the FCS index by ۲۵.۸-۳۱.۴%. Therefore, policy- and decision-makers should promote and strengthen governmental and non-governmental organizations providing microcredit. It is also recommended to provide information and reduce collateral restrictions to increase households' access to microcredit.

کلیدواژه ها:

Bootstrap algorithm ، Food consumption score ، Household food insecurity access scale ، Propensity score matching