A Case Study on Selected Kebeles of Chewaka Resettlement Area
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Date
2008-07
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
The agricultural sector in Ethiopia is characterized by its poor performance to attain
self-sufficiency. One of the consequences of the poor performance of Ethiopian
agriculture is the rampant problem of food insecurity. The problem of food insecurity in
the country is a complex combination of factors, which increase the extent and level of
vulnerability to food insecurity for a great number of Ethiopians. Aiming to address this
problem through its Sustainable Development and Poverty Reduction Program
(SDPRP), the government of Ethiopia selected resettlement program as to move food
insecure people from severely degraded areas to fertile ones.
To answer the major objective, assessing the role of resettlement in alleviating the
problem of food insecurity, this study employed both quantitative and qualitative
approaches of data collection. Quantitative approach was used to collect data and
analyze the food security situation of resettlers. On the other hand, qualitative sources
were used to assess problems resettlers face and their coping strategies. Household
surveys, Focus Group Discussions, Key Informants Interviews, and Direct Field
Observation were the primary sources of data collection.
Even if the level differs, according to the findings, resettlers in Chewaka are food
insecure. The resettlement program undertaken in Chewaka can be concluded as
neither successful nor a failure. This is because resettlers' total production has increased
than before and they have better access to land than before. On the contrary, problems
related to means of production, market and marketing, credit and saving,
infrastructural and social amenities, and other problems related to socia-economic and
environment hindered addressing food insecurity in Chewaka resettlement area.
Resettlement program can be taken as one component of rural development and
addressing food insecurity. This is because the cause offood insecurity in Ethiopia is not
only limited to shortage of land. As a result, both short and long term interventions are
needed concerning means of production; food availability, access, and utilization;
market and marketing activities; and infrastructural and institutional arrangements.
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Regional and Local Development