Impact of Conflict and Displacement on Food Security in Rural Area of District North Waziristan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Abstract

This study conducted with major objective to investigate the impact of conflict and displacement on household food security in rural areas, of district North Waziristan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. For this purpose, a total of 128 sample households were selected through a multistage sampling technique, and primary data were collected using interviews schedule method and questionnaires. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics (percentage and graphs), Food Security Index (FSI), and a binary logit regression model. The study results indicated that most sampled household heads were middle-aged (41–50 years), with high (43%) illiteracy rates and large family sizes, alongside predominantly low incomes. The overall Food Security Index (FSI) was (0.70), representing moderate food security, but with unfavorably low food availability (0.09) due to interrupted agriculture production and supply chains. The results of binary logit model indicated the co-efficient and significant values of independent variables such as age of the respondents (β = 0.150, p = 0.006), family size (β = 0.353, p = 0.008), and losses of market infrastructure (β = 2.854, p = 0.056) had positively and significantly increased vulnerability to food insecurity in the study area while, respondents education (β = −0.211, p = 0.010), food received from aid organization (β = −2.121, p = 0.039), and involvements in non-farm activities (β = −4.298, p = 0.003) had statistical significantly abridged the adverse effects of conflict and displacement on food security. The model overall explained 79% of variation in food security outcomes, emphasizing the strong effect of socio-economic factors. Based on the study findings it is recommended that improving education and infrastructure, restoring livelihoods, and ensuring timely humanitarian support are essential to enhancing resilience in conflict affected rural sites.