The Links Between Community-Based Financial Inclusion and Household Food Availability: Evidence from Mozambique
Financial inclusion can boost wealth, health, and quality of life. However, few studies have examined how women’s participation in community-based financial inclusion opportunities, such as village saving and loan groups (VSLGs), relates to household food security. Using program data from central Mo...
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| Format: | Article |
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MDPI AG
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Foods |
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| author | Aweke Tadesse Kenan Li Jesse Helton Jin Huang David Ansong |
| author_facet | Aweke Tadesse Kenan Li Jesse Helton Jin Huang David Ansong |
| author_sort | Aweke Tadesse |
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| description | Financial inclusion can boost wealth, health, and quality of life. However, few studies have examined how women’s participation in community-based financial inclusion opportunities, such as village saving and loan groups (VSLGs), relates to household food security. Using program data from central Mozambique, this study examined whether low-income women’s participation in VSLGs directly increases household food availability, as well as indirectly through increased asset ownership. Employing a post-test-only comparison group quasi-experimental design, the study sampled 205 female VSLG participants and non-participants from three sub-villages in Mozambique’s Sofala province. Structural equation modeling (SEM) results indicated that low-income women’s participation in VSLGs is directly associated with a reduction in household hunger score (β = −0.21, <i>p</i> < 0.01), as well as indirectly associated through the mediating role of household assets ([Sobel indirect effect] = −0.06, <i>p</i> = 0.05). The VSLG participants showed a significant increase in household asset ownership compared to non-VSLG participants (β = 0.15, <i>p</i> < 0.05). Further, increased asset ownership significantly correlated with a lower probability of household hunger (β = −0.30, <i>p</i> < 0.01). The results suggest that community-based financial inclusion approaches could improve the availability of food through asset building among Mozambique’s low-income women. The study offers a potential strategy for policymakers and development experts to utilize community approaches to financial inclusion to improve rural and low-income women’s livelihoods. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-83299c882c0e4492a0eb67bc33b6b079 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2304-8158 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
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| spelling | doaj-art-83299c882c0e4492a0eb67bc33b6b0792025-01-24T13:32:53ZengMDPI AGFoods2304-81582025-01-0114221210.3390/foods14020212The Links Between Community-Based Financial Inclusion and Household Food Availability: Evidence from MozambiqueAweke Tadesse0Kenan Li1Jesse Helton2Jin Huang3David Ansong4School of Social Work, Saint Louis University, St. Louis, MO 63103, USADepartment of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Saint Louis University, St. Louis, MO 63103, USASchool of Social Work, Saint Louis University, St. Louis, MO 63103, USASchool of Social Work, Saint Louis University, St. Louis, MO 63103, USASchool of Social Work, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27516, USAFinancial inclusion can boost wealth, health, and quality of life. However, few studies have examined how women’s participation in community-based financial inclusion opportunities, such as village saving and loan groups (VSLGs), relates to household food security. Using program data from central Mozambique, this study examined whether low-income women’s participation in VSLGs directly increases household food availability, as well as indirectly through increased asset ownership. Employing a post-test-only comparison group quasi-experimental design, the study sampled 205 female VSLG participants and non-participants from three sub-villages in Mozambique’s Sofala province. Structural equation modeling (SEM) results indicated that low-income women’s participation in VSLGs is directly associated with a reduction in household hunger score (β = −0.21, <i>p</i> < 0.01), as well as indirectly associated through the mediating role of household assets ([Sobel indirect effect] = −0.06, <i>p</i> = 0.05). The VSLG participants showed a significant increase in household asset ownership compared to non-VSLG participants (β = 0.15, <i>p</i> < 0.05). Further, increased asset ownership significantly correlated with a lower probability of household hunger (β = −0.30, <i>p</i> < 0.01). The results suggest that community-based financial inclusion approaches could improve the availability of food through asset building among Mozambique’s low-income women. The study offers a potential strategy for policymakers and development experts to utilize community approaches to financial inclusion to improve rural and low-income women’s livelihoods.https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/14/2/212financial inclusionvillage saving and loan groupfood insecurityhousehold hungerhousehold assets |
| spellingShingle | Aweke Tadesse Kenan Li Jesse Helton Jin Huang David Ansong The Links Between Community-Based Financial Inclusion and Household Food Availability: Evidence from Mozambique Foods financial inclusion village saving and loan group food insecurity household hunger household assets |
| title | The Links Between Community-Based Financial Inclusion and Household Food Availability: Evidence from Mozambique |
| title_full | The Links Between Community-Based Financial Inclusion and Household Food Availability: Evidence from Mozambique |
| title_fullStr | The Links Between Community-Based Financial Inclusion and Household Food Availability: Evidence from Mozambique |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Links Between Community-Based Financial Inclusion and Household Food Availability: Evidence from Mozambique |
| title_short | The Links Between Community-Based Financial Inclusion and Household Food Availability: Evidence from Mozambique |
| title_sort | links between community based financial inclusion and household food availability evidence from mozambique |
| topic | financial inclusion village saving and loan group food insecurity household hunger household assets |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/14/2/212 |
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