Household food security, determinants and coping strategies among small-scale farmers in Kedida Gamela district, Southern Ethiopia

Abstract

Food security issues have become a critical concern and top priority for developing countries, particularly Ethiopia. To this end, the main objective of this study was to analyze the food security situation of households and their coping strategies among rural households in the Kembata Tembaro Zone, Kedida Gamela district. A systematic random sampling technique was used to collect data from 150 randomly selected sample households in the study area. This study used primary and secondary data collected through interview schedules, focus group discussions (FGD), key informant interviews (KII), and a review of various documents. Descriptive statistics and data analysis econometric methods were employed. Descriptive statistics revealed that 43.33% of the households had food security, while the remaining 56.67% were food-insecure. In addition to this, the results of this study revealed that households in the study area used different coping strategies in the time of food shortages, including the sale of livestock, the sale of productive assets, the receipt of remittances or food aid, the participation in small trade, the reduction in the number of meals, temporary migration, etc. Furthermore, the results of the binary logit model indicated that education level, sex of the household, age of the household head, cultivable land size, access to extension services, livestock ownership, and credit services were found to positively and significantly determine the food security of the household in the study area. To strengthen their resilience to food insecurity, households should be encouraged to diversify their income sources and generate both capital and social assets.

Keywords

• Binary logit model
• Calorie intake
• Climate change
• Drought
• Food shortages