Estimating the effects of income on food consumption expenditure in the Volta Region of Ghana

This study examined the effect of disaggregated income and other socioeconomic factors on per capita food consumption expenditure of households in the Volta region of Ghana. This involved a total of 1,574 households obtained from the Ghana Living Standard Survey round six data (GLSS6 data). A quantile regression and Ordinary Least Square regression were fitted to the data. The results showed that, income from agricultural activities, non-farm activities, remittances and wage activities had positive and significant effect on per capita food consumption expenditure of the selected households. The study concluded that although income from all sources led to an increase in food consumption expenditure, a larger share of agricultural income is used for households’ food consumption purposes. To reduce households’ vulnerability to food insecurity, price incentives to increase the real income from agriculture in particular should be promoted. Also, dietary education should be encouraged among households in the region. Keywords: Food expenditure; income; quantile regression; Volta region