Assessment of food security situation of the rural households: the case of Boricha Woreda of Sidama Zone, Ethiopia

Abstract

Identifying food security situation of a population or its subgroup that pursue its livelihoods under ongoing climatic change is of paramount policy importance. Since recent past, Boricha Woreda has been repeatedly facing climate related problems such as drought and irregular rainfall. This study was undertaken with the objective of assessing food security situation of rural households and understanding the distribution of the same across livelihood zones in Boricha Woreda. The analysis of household food insecurity access scale showed that 62.4% of the surveyed households were food insecure. On the other hand, the analysis of food consumption score, measure of food consumption in terms of food variety, revealed that 42.4% of the surveyed households had less than acceptable threshold consumption level. According to key informants’ assessment, a combination of factors (irregular rain, land fragmentation, and population pressure) contributed to the food insecurity problem of the Woreda. The analysis of variance, which was meant to see if food security/insecurity situation is the same across livelihood zones, consistently showed existence of statistically significant differences in mean food security scores. The findings of the study point out the need for coordinated policy actions including providing access to food through public transfer mechanisms, providing crop insurance, supporting income diversification efforts, and reducing the youths’ demand for already fragmented land holdings by wisely designing alternative job options.