The Role of Combined Community Resilience Capacity on the Performance of Food Security Projects in Loima Sub County, Turkana County, Kenya
EkiruN. Mark, Prof. Dorothy N. Kyalo, Dr. Angeline S. Mulwa

Abstract
In spite of efforts by state and non-state agencies to respond to crisis in the horn of Africa, underlying vulnerabilities and low resilience capacities have resulted into chronic food insecurity among majority of the populations in the region. The goal of this paper was to examine the role of community resilience capacity on food security in Loima within Turkana County. The study used descriptive research design to examine the food security situation and existing resilience capacity in the community and correlational design to measure the relationship between the variables on the performance of food security projects. The main instruments of data collection for the study were semi-structured questionnaires, interview guides and observation check lists. The sample size for the study was 491 households administered across 11 sub locations of the sub county. Community resilience variables included: social capital, social safety nets, disaster management skills, resource capacity and external environmental factors. Performance of food security projects was measured in relation to the four standard dimensions and elements of food security. The results of the study highlighted that performance of food security projects has a moderate positive correlation with community resilience capacity of r value = 0.458, R2=0.1633. Disaster management skills had the highest correlation coefficient with social safety net having a relatively weak correlation coefficient. Majority of the households were vulnerable, partly due to their over-reliance on relief food, frequency of disasters, and lack of livelihood diversification. Other cause of vulnerabilities is the inadequate strategic and policy instruments for the long term, sustained support. Social safety net programs were not robust enough to enhance resilience against the impacts of severe shocks. The study concludes that households with combined resilience capacity were less likely to be trapped in food insecurity than those who didn’t adopt the strategies.

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