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Effects of Inflation on Household Food Consumption Pattern: A Case Study of Mongu Town, Zambia

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Abstract

Inflation is a macroeconomic goal which makes up a focus for most countries as it affects household welfare, especially in developing countries like Zambia. This study aimed at assessing the effects of inflation on household food consumption patterns in Mongu town of Zambia. Using a mixed method design, 90 households randomly selected constituted a sample and data collected were analyzed in Megastat. The results showed that while consumption is adjusted during inflation, the households reallocate resources towards food expenditure to replace other goods. The chi-square test reveals a statistically significant association between inflation effects and household food expenditure (χ² = 21.8417, p = 0.000). The regression analysis confirmed a positive correlation between household size and average monthly household food expenditure (p = 0.0003, F-value = 14.21), indicating that larger households tend to have higher food expenditure. The chi-square tests also revealed statistically significant associations between inflation and household nutritional intake (χ² = 75.09, p =0.00), household income and changes in food consumption patterns (χ² =15.38, p =0.0175), and changes in food quantity and diversity (χ² = 28.36, p =0.00). indicating that inflation had a significant impact on household food consumption patterns. Households used coping strategies like reducing non-essential expenses, substituting expensive food with cheaper options, and diversifying income to combat food price inflation. A chi-square test (χ² = 9.01, p = 0.1732) showed no significant link between education level and perceived effectiveness of these strategies, suggesting similar perceptions across education levels. The study concludes that while inflation affects economic welfare, households decide to assign resources to food and replace other basic commodities. The study recommends that government should implement policies to stabilize food prices and improve food security, such as price controls, subsidies, and food assistance programs.

Keywords:

Coping Strategies Food Price Inflation Household Food Consumption Inflation

Article information

Journal

Journal of Economics, Business, and Commerce

Volume (Issue)

2(2), (2025)

Pages

216-233

Published

05-11-2025

How to Cite

Munyeke, E., & Silwimba, P. (2025). Effects of Inflation on Household Food Consumption Pattern: A Case Study of Mongu Town, Zambia. Journal of Economics, Business, and Commerce, 2(2), 216-233. https://doi.org/10.69739/jebc.v2i2.1095

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