ABSTRACT
Zimbabwe has consistently been affected by severe food problems in the past two decades. While the food challenges for rural households have been well documented, little has been written about the challenges of the urban households, particularly in the medium-sized and peri-urban centres such as Epworth. This chapter thus explores the nature and extent of food poverty in Epworth. A mixed-methods approach, consisting of 15 in-depth interviews and the administration of 483 questionnaires, was employed in the study. Study results indicate high levels of unemployment among household members in Epworth, culminating in a generally low mean household income of US$185.5 per month in an economy where the average monthly food basket was costing US$567. The food insecurity situation in Epworth was acute, with only 7.7% of the surveyed households being food secure. The major factors affecting household food poverty were high unemployment levels, low household income, high household poverty levels and low dietary diversity. This raises concerns not only about the current food poverty issues, but also about implications for health.
