Analysis of the Food System Drivers, Food Security, and Resilience Situations in the Majang Zone, Southwestern Ethiopia
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Date
2024-08
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
Food security has always been a pressing issue, especially in developing nations like Ethiopia. Despite ongoing efforts, Ethiopia continues to face numerous challenges in ensuring food security. The objective of this study was investigating the food system drivers, the status of food security, and the resilience situation of households in the Majang zone of Ethiopia. The study involved 320 randomly chosen households from 10 villages in the two districts. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected from the primary and secondary sources. . Analytical measures such as Framework-based assessment, descriptive statistics, binary and ordered logistic regression, principal components, and Chi-square test analytical methods were utilized to generate the results. The framework based assessment results revealed that unproductive agriculture, population increase, natural resource misuse, less productive health and education sectors, ineffective policies, and poor infrastructural and service institutions were the major factors driving impairing productivity of the food system in the area. Additionally, the study found that family size, education, landholding, livestock ownership, income, and possession of beehives positively determined the food security status of households. Conversely, the use of chemical pesticides and the age of the household head had an inverse relationship with food security. Furthermore, the study examined the resilience of households and found that 40% were resilient, while 60% were non-resilient. Regarding food insecurity, 14.76% of household were food secure, while 36.87%, 37.11%, and 11.26% were mildly, moderately, and severely food insecure households, respectively. The coping strategy index revealed that 2.81%, 38.75%, 31.56%, and 26.87% of the households adopted less severe, mildly severe, moderately severe, and highly severe coping strategies, respectively. The finding of the study revealed various drivers and pressures that strain the local food system and security, leading to high level of food insecurity and weak resilience capacity. Consequently, the households forced to adopt diverse coping strategies. The study suggested that it is crucial to implement programs and policies that promote sustainable use and management of natural resources, improve the service sectors, support agriculture with improved technologies and practices, strengthen income diversification to enhance resilience capacity, and reduce severe coping practices.
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Ethiopia, Majang, Food security, Households, food systems, Resilience, Coping strategies, Regression