Linkage between migration and household food security among scheduled tribe households in Paschim Medinipur district, West Bengal

Migration and food security (FS) are complex phenomena among Scheduled Tribe (ST) households in India, where migration can be a survival strategy for food-insecure households. Hence, this study deciphers the relationship between migration and household FS among ST households in India. Using 450 households, we employed dietary diversity scores (DDS), household food security scales, and chi-square tests for baseline analysis. Further, ordered and multinomial logistic regression models were used to assess the association between migration and household food security. Results show that migrant households had a significantly (ꭓ 2 = 21.303, p < 0.01) higher FS rate (63.3%) compared to non-migrant households (36.7%). The ordered logistic model shows that migrant households are less likely to be food insecure (AOR = 0.584, p < 0.05), whereas the multinomial model shows that migration is a strong predictor of household food security (RRR = 3.182, p < 0.05). Similarly, households with lower HDDS and those who availed of loans were more likely to experience severe hunger with food insecurity (SHFI) than households with medium HDDS and those who did not avail of any loan. Households with higher incomes were 66% (RRR: 0.339; p < 0.01) less likely to be SHFI than households with low incomes. Findings highlight the importance of migration as a livelihood strategy for household FS, while also emphasising the need for complementary policies and structural reforms to address persistent tribal food insecurity in India.