Analysis of the Ghana School Feeding Program (GSFP)

Abstract

In this study report home grown school feeding program (Ghana School Feeding Program (GSFP) has been analyzed in four districts in Ghana with respect to community involvement in program organization and management as well as socioeconomic impacts. From food sovereignty perspective, the study objectives were to demonstrate that improving access to market through GSFP improves household income and food access. A combination of quantitative methodological approaches has been used in data collection. A total of 360 people/households were interviewed. Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS) and Months of Adequate Household Food Provisioning were used as proxies for food sovereignty. There was significantly positive correlation between market access provided by Irrigation Company Upper Region Limited (ICOUR), which sold rice paddy to GSFP food contractors/suppliers, and household food insecurity score. Months of Adequate Household Food Provisioning (especially rice which is one of the staples) increased from 6 months to 9 months as a result of access to production resources through credit packages and market access. However, the study recommends more empirical evidence from research to support the claim that using locally produced food for school feeding actually reduces poverty and malnutrition in farming communities. Low community involvement, food quality and food safety concerns, food procurement, management and sustainability challenges have also been discussed