hold Food Security, Constraints and Strategies Among Borana Pastoral Communities of Ethiopia
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Date
2011-06
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Addis Abeba University
Abstract
The main objective of this study was to examine the food security situation, the various
constraints of food security and the coping strategies of Borana Pastoral communities.
Eighty six households were taken as samples from two communities using stratified
sampling techniques. Qualitative and quantitative research approaches were employed to
extract the necessary information needed for the study. Data were gathered both from
primary and secondary sources through specific research methods such as key informant
interview, focus group discussion, case studies, observation and household survey. Data
were organized, analyzed and presented using frequency table, percentages, graphs and
template box. The study uses livelihood frame work for analysis.
The finding of the research shows that the livelihood of Borana pastoralist depends on
livestock production by merging pasture and water resources. This is supported with dry
land crop farming and non- farm activities. The income from livestock and crop
production is the highest for the rich and the medium and the smallest for the poor and
the destitute households. The poor and destitute households also engage in non-farm
activities such as FFW, charcoal and firewood sell to raise income. Adverse ecological
trend on the rangeland resources over many decades has inflicted a remarkable decline
in livestock resources and crop yield and eventually put households into food insecurity.
The finding also reveals that the majority of households are non self-sufficient in food
and food insecure and poorly nourished. The rich and some medium income households
are food self sufficient and food secured on regular bases while the poor and the destitute
households faced food shortage for most of the years. The meal composition of all wealth
classes is very poor and mainly dominated by maize and black tea for most of the year
except the wealth classes who have the capacity to diversify the meal composition. The
recurring of drought which cause the shortage of pasture, water and decline in yield and
crop failure is the main constraints responsible for food insecurity .Poor input provision
and absence of credit and extension service have discouraged expansion of crop farm.
The poor socio-economic development and absence of clear land use practices and policy
and low income/low opportunities of job for the poor further deepen household food
insecurity through hindering households’ access to assets.
Therefore, it is suggested that there is an urgent need to improve the livelihood of the
people through protecting the existing household resources from further depletion, asset
creation and provision of input and financial credit service and socio-economic
infrastructure development. Above all, the implementation of disaster risk reduction and
mitigation measures in line with indigenous drought coping response of pastoralists and conservation of environmental resources is quite relevant strategies to achieve
sustainable livelihood and food security
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Keywords
Food Security