Sierra Leone is one of the world's poorest countries, which in the last two decades has suffered from a devastating civil war and, more recently, an epidemic of the deadly Ebola disease. Both economy and livelihoods have suffered considerably, and the government and local communities are now working hard to rebuild these. Food insecurity has been a longstanding issue among Sierra Leone's rural households. This article considers some of the main parameters in the food security debate and then examines food security in the context of the country's rural development policies. Using data collected from field‐based research undertaken in two Eastern Province communities in the 1970s, and more recently in 2014, a valuable long‐term perspective is provided in relation to seasonal and intra‐household food insecurity and the impact of certain shocks in exacerbating the situation. The article concludes that further rural extension support, increasing cash crop production, and community education programmes could help to raise awareness of food insecurity issues and possibly lead to an improvement in nutritional levels in communities and within individual households.