Determinants Of Smallholder Farming Households‟ Food Security Status And Coping Strategies: The Case Of Selected Rural Villages Of Ambo Districts, West Shoa Zone Oromia, Ethiopia

Abstract

Food security is a critical issue and a top priority in the policies of developing countries. The objectives of this study were to analyze the status of rural food security, determine the factors affecting rural family food security, and identify the coping strategies used by rural households in the Ambo Districts of West Shewa Zone, Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia. A cross-sectional study design was used in the present study. Both primary and secondary data were gathered. The study used a multistage sampling procedure to select 289 sample households. Data were collected using a household survey, a focus group discussion (FGD), and key informant interviews. Descriptive statistics and economic regression models were used. To identify the determinants of household food security status in the study area, a binary logistic regression model was applied. The majority (65.05%) of the households were found to be food secure, while 34.95% of them were food insecure. Food security was significantly determined by household size, a lack of farm income, education level, and livestock land income, access to credit, and distance from the market centre of the households. To assure food security, the farmers should consider every rainy season in their farming activities, and the availability of income-generating activities on the farm should be enhanced. Finally, the government and relevant parties need to work together to address the issues of food security by disseminating current data on the irrigation industry to boost agricultural products, enhance irrigation facilities, and provide extension agents with training to increase the level of food security in the country.