Dimensions of Food Security and Livelihood Strategies among Rural Households: The Case of Jarso Worada of Eastern Hararghe Zone; Oromia Regional State
No Thumbnail Available
Date
2011-06
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Addis Ababa University
Abstract
The mailer of dimension of food security in rural areas is of immense nature and needs to be
investigated. A number of factors are responsible for the situation. This paper examines the
determinants of three aspects of food security in rural areas of Jarso Woreda, i.e. food
availability, accessibility and absorption.
In light of this, examination of the socio-economic characteristics of the food secure and
insecure; identification of factors influencing food security; estimation of the extent of food
insecurity; and assessment of livelihood strategies and coping mechanisms of the rural
households were undertaken in the study.
Two stage stratified random sampling procedure was used to select 3 rural kebeles and 122
sample respondents from a total of 19 rural kebeles. For the purpose, survey questionnaire,
FGD and KII were used to collect the primary data from the sample households.
To analyze the data, descriptive statistics like mean, standard deviation, percentage, and
frequency distribution, household food balance model and Household Food Insecurity Access
Scale (HF1AS) for Measurement of Food Access were used to describe the socio-economic
characteristics of the sample households. In addition al/empts were also made to look in to the
specific characteristics of the food secure and food insecure groups using univariate analysis
(T-test and chi-square (x2) tests of significance), with respect to the explanatory variables.
The results of the study revealed that the rural households in the study area were food insecure.
It was checked by using recommended minimum calorie requirement (i.e., 2100 kca/). Based on
the results about 60.7% of the rural households were food insecure
A multivariate regression model was used to identifY the determinants of food insecurity. A total
of twelve explanatory variables, 6 continuous and 6 discrete, were included in the empirical
model. Out of these, 6 were found to be statistically significant. These variables include family
size, type of household head, and status of education, cultivated land size, livestock ownership
and agro-ecology.
To estimate the extent of food insecurity FGT index was used. Accordingly, the incidence of food
insecurity, food insecurity gap and severity of food insecurity were found to be 60.7 percent, 14
percent and 228 percent, respectively, when we see the household food insecurity access
prevalence (HFIAP), ' it classifies the sample households in to food secure and mild, moderately
and severely food insecure. Accordingly result shows only 13.1% of the population was
categorized under food secure, while 17.2%, 45.1%, and 24.1% of the population was classified
as mildly, moderately and severely food insecure respectively. The livelihood strategies of the
rural households were also found to be diversification and integration of activities.
Therefore, consideration of dimensions and determinants of food security; and the livelihood and
coping mechanisms' of the rural households is important because it provides information that
would enable to undertake effective measures with the aim of improving rural livelihoods in
general and food security in particular.
Key Words: food availability, access & utilization; Livelihood strategies and coping mechanism
Description
Keywords
Food availability;