Sociology

Business

Archaeology

Poverty

Qualitative research

Population

Social science

Economic growth

Nonprobability sampling

Agriculture

Political science

Health care

Negotiation

Economics

Geography

Rationing

Begging

Tanzania

Socioeconomics

Thematic analysis

Food insecurity

Food security

Medicine

Environmental health

Canadian Geographies / Géographies canadiennes

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development commits to ending hunger and achieving food security for all. However, little is known about the food access experiences of older adults in Ghana. This paper explores if there are barriers to accessing food and if there are, what strategies have been adopted to negotiate these barriers. Through purposive sampling, a total of 123 older adults were recruited in Ghana to participate in sharing circles (n = 10) and semi‐structured interviews (n = 42). Data analyses were done in NVivo using a thematic analytical approach. Functional impairment and poor health, poverty, inadequate social support, lack of control over household resources, policy neglect, low crop yields, and sociocultural values were found to hinder older people's access to food. They navigate these barriers by rationing meals, engaging in income‐earning activities, seeking support from social networks, and begging. Our findings contribute to discourses on food security and highlight the need for a multilevel, comprehensive approach that targets both the individual and the broader human environment in addressing the food needs of older people .

An ecological systems analysis of food access barriers and coping strategies adopted by older adults in Ghana