A recent survey by Statistics Botswana has unveiled a grim reality: a significant portion of the nation’s population is grappling with the daily struggle to secure basic food essentials, largely due to insufficient financial resources.
The survey, conducted by the state-owned statistical entity, found that 49.4% of Botswana’s population across cities, towns, and villages are experiencing difficulties in obtaining basic food items. Within this segment, 20.2% suffer from hunger, occasionally going days without eating, while the remaining 29.2% have to compromise both the quality and quantity of their diets due to financial constraints.
Statistics Botswana highlighted that, among the 50.6% who can afford basic food and other commodities of their choice, some households still occasionally struggle to obtain sufficient amounts or variety of food. The survey categorizes the population into two groups: those who are food secure to mildly food insecure, and those experiencing moderate to severe food insecurity.
For households identified as food secure to mildly food insecure, there are occasional difficulties in obtaining sufficient or varied food. In contrast, those experiencing moderate or severe food insecurity face limited or uncertain access to adequate and nutritious food due to financial or other constraints. As food insecurity becomes more severe, individuals may reduce portion sizes, eat less, and skip meals altogether. At the most extreme levels, some households endure entire days without food, leading to widespread hunger.
The survey results also reveal that food insecurity in Botswana is often characterized by uncertainty and anxiety about food access, leading to compromised diet quality and less balanced, more monotonous meals.
“The results showed that 50.6% of the population in Botswana were food secure to mildly food insecure at the national level in 2022/23, with 29.2% experiencing moderate food insecurity, and 20.2% experiencing severe food insecurity. As a result of financial or other constraints, people may have to compromise the quality and quantity of their diets, but they do not necessarily suffer from extreme hunger or starvation. People experiencing severe food insecurity are called the hungry; they have run out of food and, at the most extreme, they go for days without eating,” the survey noted.
Rural areas recorded the highest proportion of the population experiencing severe food insecurity at 28.4%, followed by urban villages at 18.0%, and cities and towns at 12.5%.
The survey assessed the severity of food insecurity using eight questions regarding households’ experiences with food access, answered with a simple yes or no. The responses were then analyzed to estimate the proportion of the population facing moderate and severe difficulties in accessing food, as well as those who were food secure to mildly food insecure.