Climate Change and Food Security: The Coping Strategies

Food security is associated with a vulnerability to various factors, such as climate change. The study aims to analyze poor household food security and their strategies to cope with the vulnerability that arises from climate change. Also, to examine the food security dynamic between El Niño and La Niña. We used cross-section primary data of poor households. The location of the study is Gunungkidul, Yogyakarta. Food security indicators use Coping Strategies Index (CSI). We use descriptive statistics, K-Mean Cluster, and paired sample t-test. Based on the K-Mean Cluster and sample t-test results, Household experiences food security dynamics. Households were facing food security when El Niño more secure than La Niña. It is possible that because the study location is a kart area, the Household has become accustomed to facing dryness. Households perform coping adaptation in the form of consumption-based and non-consumption based. We found that households prefer a consumption-based strategy. They often chose a food coping strategy relying on less preferred food and less expensive, purchasing food on credit and borrowing food from a relative. Moreover, households perform food diversification to cope with vulnerability using local habits. Another strategy is income-based, where heads of households and wives diversify their work. The findings provide information to households and the government to cope with food insecurity, especially from Climate Change.