When poverty meets hunger: household vulnerability and coping responses to food insecurity in Torghar, Pakistan

Food insecurity in Pakistan is a persistent crisis driven by systemic failures rather than a mere scarcity of food. This is particularly acute in remote, marginalized districts like Torghar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where poverty, market fragility, and weak governance intersect to undermine household food entitlements. This study aims to investigate the socio-economic determinants of food insecurity in Torghar and empirically tests the mediating role of coping strategies in the pathway between structural vulnerabilities and food security outcomes. A cross-sectional survey of 379 households was conducted. Data were analyzed using binary logistic regression to identify key determinants of food insecurity, and mediation analysis was employed to unpack the causal pathways through which coping mechanisms translate structural deprivation into lived hunger. Logistic regression identified price sensitivity and food shortages as the most potent risk factors for food insecurity. The mediation analysis revealed that coping measures are a critical pathway, mediating 55% of the effect of entitlement failures. This indicates that behaviors like borrowing and meal-skipping are not just symptoms but central mechanisms that transmit the impact of poverty into household food insecurity, thereby eroding long-term resilience. The findings demonstrate that food insecurity in Torghar is fundamentally a failure of entitlements, exacerbated by market oligopolies and institutional neglect. Policy must move beyond temporary relief and address the root causes by stabilizing food prices, rebuilding sustainable livelihoods, and integrating these efforts to break the cycle where coping strategies deepen chronic privation.