Diversification of Livelihood Activities as a Strategy of Promoting Household Food Security: A Case ofDaro Lebu Woreda of West Hararghe Zone of Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia
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Date
2011-06
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
Currently diversification of livelihood activities has got special attention in terms of its contribution to
household's food security. However, in our country little attention has been given to livelihood
diversification and the numerous factors that determine the abilities of rural household's choice of
different livelihood activities. Thus, this particular research was carried out with the aim of generating
location specific data regarding the livelihood diversification and its role in attaining household's food
security. A livelihood frame work has been adopted to see how the relationsh ip between different
characteristics of households and their livelihood resources affect the household's choice .of diversif'ying
livelihood activities which would in turn have a significant impact on household food security. A multi
stage sampling procedure was employed to select 120 households of which 25% of them are female
headed households. Household survey, case study, key informant interview, focus group discussion and
observation were the principal method used to generate data. Descriptive stat istics, income portfolio
analysis, diversity index, multi-variant regression model and binary logit model was used to analyze
quantitative data.
The income portfolio analysis revealed that agriculture still plays a pivotal role by contributing 61.7% of
the total income of studied households and followed by nonfarm income which accounts for 30% of the
total income of sampled households. Similarly the diversity index reveals that there is a difference in
participation of nonfarm activity both among the sex and wealth status of households. Male headed
households were highly diversif'ying their livelihood activities than female headed households. Likewise
the better off households were more diversif'y their livelihood activities than poor and medium
households.
The binary logit model result for determinants of livelihood diversification reveals that, from the 9
explanatory variables used in the model 6 of them were found to be significant to affect the household's
engagement in diverse livelihood activities. Similarly multi-variant regression model was used to test the
main determinants of household food security and the results of the model shows that, out of the 12
explanatory variables used in the model 4 of them are found to be the main determinants of household
food security in the study area. In tandem to this, the relationship between the household's participation in
diverse livelihood activities and their food security situation were analyzed through different statistical
techniques and it was found that there is strong positive relationship between livelihood diversification
and household food security. Those households who are diversif'ying their livelihood activities were better
in terms of per capita calorie than those who are entirely depend on agriculture
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Keywords
diversification of livelihood activities