Food insecurity from the perspective of mothers residing in Caracas

Abstract

Recent research estimates that 97% of the Venezuelan population is exposed to conditions of food insecurity. Therefore, the objective of this qualitative study was to know, through the constructivist paradigm, the perception and meaning that Venezuelan mothers give to this situation. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with seven Venezuelan mothers, residents of Caracas, whose constructions were analyzed by the constant comparison method.

It was observed that, in a complex humanitarian emergency context, the situation of food insecurity is experienced by mothers as a result of a general crisis, and not individually. Likewise, they express dissatisfaction with the social assistance programs available, since they seem to generate the same feeling of hopelessness and shame as hunger, as they are perceived as tools of political interest that generate a relationship of dependency and not as a measure to mitigate the situation of food insecurity.