Introduction:

Achieving food security for the population is perhaps the greatest food challenge today. Despite the efforts made, this goal is still distant, especially in rural communities. Food insecurity is considered as an element that conditions psychological affectation in the population.

Objective:

To determine the characteristics of food security in the rural population of the Chimborazo province and the presence of related psychological manifestations.

Method:

Non-experimental, field, cross-sectional and descriptive research was carried out that included a population of 410 quinoa producers from the Colta canton. The sample was made up of 210 farmers. The Latin American and Caribbean Food Safety Scale was used to determine food safety and the Hamilton Anxiety Scale to identify the presence of this condition.

Results:

Average age of 56.67 years with standard deviation of 36.38; predominance of female farmers (60.95 %) and people with no level of education (46.19 %); 56.67 % of the farmers showed food insecurity, predominantly the light level (73.95 %). Anxiety was identified in 45.24 % of farmers with a predominance of mild anxiety (82.11 %). Anxiety was present in 57.98 % of farmers with food insecurity and in 28.57 % of those with food security.

Conclusions:

High percentages of farmers with food insecurity and anxiety were identified. The latter reached the highest percentage in food insecure farmers.

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