Analysis of Livelihood Strategies of Farming House Holds in Bako Tibe Distict West Zone, Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia

Abstract

Gaining insight into the livelihood strategies adopted by Farming Households is crucial for the success of interventions aiming at improving livelihood in rural areas. This study Analysed the livelihood strategies adopted by farming households in Bako Tibe District, West Shoa Zone, Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia. A total of 167 farming households were randomly sampled and data were collected through interview with a structured questionnaire. The sample t-test was used to compare sources of household income in terms of the livelihood strategies adopted by Farming House Holds in the study area. The multinomial logit model was applied to investigate the factors influencing the households ‘choice of livelihood strategies. The Livelihood Vulnerability Index (LVI) was used to estimate the vulnerability level in the study district. The results revealed that in the study area, farming activities(71.30%) produce increasingly higher share of household income. Household age, gender of household, total farm size, membership in cooperative organization, marital status, the use of improved varieties and participation in social leadership were the determinants that significantly influence the adoption of alternative livelihood strategies. The LVI in the study area was (0.31) with a very critical social network component (0.48). This implied that farm households in Bako Tibe District were less vulnerable but vulnerable with respect to the social network component. Due to the fact that farming households in district mainly derived their income sources from farming activities, and were also vulnerable with respect to the social network component. The study recommends that livelihood interventions protection and promotion should be considered by all actors; national and international government, NGOs and local institutions.