USING A BIOCULTURAL APPROACH TO EXAMINE FOOD INSECURITY IN THE CONTEXT OF ECONOMIC TRANSFORMATIONS IN RURAL COSTA RICA

Abstract

This article outlines a biocultural approach that employs a mixed-methods research design to the study of food insecurity in the context of economic transformations in the Monteverde Zone (MVZ), Costa Rica. Using structured survey data related to household (n = 200) and individual level variables as well as on anthropometric measurements, linear regression analyses were run in order to try to predict food insecurity based on biological and cultural data. Additionally, 100 in-depth, qualitative interviews were carried out with heads of households in order to situate the quantitative findings ethnographically. A multiple linear regression model accounting for 36 percent of the variation in food insecurity was constructed with two predictors: an aggregate index of reported illness symptoms and a categorical variable concerning the strategies employed for the purchase of basic grocery items. Data on reported illness frequency and purchasing strategies predict a sizeable proportion of the variation of food insecurity in the study sample. This highlights the complex, biocultural nature of food insecurity processes.