Determinants of Food Security and Coping Mechanisms in Agropastoral Househoulds: A Case of Itang Woreda, Gambella Region, Ethiopia
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Date
2021-12
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
An understanding of the major factors of food security is an important for interventions aiming at reducing those factors. Therefore, this study was conducted to determine the food security status of agro-pastoral households. The objectives of the study are to determining the food security status of agro-pastoral household, describing the coping mechanisms of used by household during food shortage. In order to achieve these objectives, cross-sectional data on demographic and socio-economic characteristics aspects were collected from 113 randomly selected household in two kebeles based on the probability sampling through semi-structure interview schedule. Descriptive statistics, like mean, standard deviation and percentage distribution were used. Binary regressions were used to achieve the stated objectives. The result of the HFIAS show that out of the total surveyed households, 23% were food secure and 77% were food insecure. The binary log it regression result show that among the fourteen variables, six were statistically significant determinants of household food security. The variables such as family size and dependency ratio were negatively related with food security. The remaining significant variables such as age of the household, livestock ownership, cultivating of your own land and distant to the nearest market center were positively related with household food security status. Furthermore, households used different coping mechanisms against food insecurity and these include: borrowing from friends and relatives sale of livestock, sale of firewood relaying on fishing, sale milk and milk product and eat fewer meals per day/ reducing quantity of food per day. . A set of recommendation: family size is one of the major problems in the studies areas since household who was economically inactive members are greater than economically active members, so awareness creation should be the first task to tackle this problem. Improving the quality of the land through improved soil and nutrient management by promoting agricultural technologies such as the use of fertilizer, improved seed, irrigation, and post-harvest management should be made by regional government.
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determinants, food insecurity, coping mechanisms, Itang, district, Gambella region