Institute for Development Studies, University of Nairobi

This paper looks at food security trends at three different levels; national, district and household. The paper aims to go beyond the conventionalist view of food security by focusing on the dynamics that characterise the apparent differentials in access to adequate food. The central argument is that obtaining adequate food is a function of interactions, negotiations and social struggles and the extent to which some succeed (and others fail) in their search for adequate food is bound to vary even in situations that appear similar. The paper thus concludes that food security and attendant policies must be conceptualised and defined in the context of people's actual experiences. In essence, therefore, food security goes beyond numbers as it includes the existence of social networks and the capacity to juggle opportunities.