Analysis of food security using various indicators for policy implications: Empirical evidence from the two large cities of Bahir Dar and Gondar, the Amhara region, Ethiopia

Abstract

Abstract Sustainable urbanisation assumes the maintenance of nearby wetlands and farms from an environmental standpoint. With rare exceptions, Third World cities are systematically urbanising, polluting and destroying their vital environmental support systems. For instance, uncollected trash frequently covers open areas in cities, creating mini‐utopias for rodents and mosquito‐borne disease carriers. The persistent gaps in the rates of waste production and disposal are frequently startling. Urban migration, unemployment, food prices, and growing rental housing costs have emerged as major urban problems in many Ethiopian cities. The study's primary objective was to analyse the status of food security indicators experienced by urban households and their coping mechanisms for policy implications using empirical data. The study used a mixed method research strategy that combines quantitative and qualitative research methods. Focus groups, key informant interviews, and questionnaire surveys were used to collect the data. Descriptive and inferential statistics were employed to assess the data gathered. In development studies, establishing exact, accurate, trustworthy and meaningful indicators of urban food security continue to be difficult. Despite the developing world's significant incidence of food insecurity being acknowledged, the precise number of people who lack access to food and the extent to which they are impacted remain unknown. Food security measures, such as the dietary energy supply (DES), household dietary diversity score (HDDS), and reduced coping strategy index (rCSI), were used to identify households that were food insecure. The survey found that 54% of households consumed less than 2100 kcal per adult daily and experienced food insecurity. A baseline of 2100 kcal per adult equivalent per day revealed that 56.7% of families in Bahir Dar and 52.7% of households in Gondar experienced food insecurity. Less than four food groups were consumed by 64% of households, which is far below the FAO's recommendation. The findings also showed that eating fewer meals per day, choosing fewer quality foods, and limiting portion sizes at times were the most often used coping mechanisms during food shocks. The overall findings of the study highlight an urgent need for actions that might increase the food security of the urban poor, such as price stability, the building of communal housing, enabling micro‐finance and providing starting money.

Keywords

• coping strategies
• dietary diversity score
• dietary energy supply
• food insecurity
• urban household