Climate Variability, Adaptation Strategies and Determinants of House Hold Food Security in Humbo Woreda, Wolaita Zone, Ethiopia
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Date
2022-01
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
Climate variability is predicted to adversely affect agricultural yields, particularly in African countries such as Ethiopia, where crop production relies heavily on environmental factors. This study was designed to understand local rainfall and temperature situations and its perceived impact on household food security. Accordingly, relevant data were collected from 200 sample households using simple random sampling and interviewed, together with focus groups supplemented. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected concurrently. The quantitative data includes long-term climatic data (1981-2018. Data were analyzed using the descriptive and inferential statistics such as mean, percentage and standard deviation together with the logit regression model. Climate change over the last three decades was found to have a negative impact on the food security status of households. The unpredictability of rainfall, pests, and diseases were also contributing factors. The unpredictability of rainfall, pests, and diseases were also contributing factors. The study shows that more than eighty percent of farmers perceived the various manifestations and effects of climate variability on their food security status. Using HFIAS, 69% of sampled respondents were found to be food insecure. Analysis using the logistic regression model showed that sex and family size, as well as the amount of cultivated land and total livestock holding and occurrence of crop failure were the significant (p < .05) factors influencing household food security status. A large proportion (69.8%) of farmers were incorporating adapting strategies into farm management including improved use of crop varieties and livestock production, in addition to income diversification.
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Food security, adaptation, households, climate variability