Determinants of Urban food security status at household level: The case of Bahir Dar and Gondar Cities of the Amhara Region, Ethiopia

Abstract

Despite its growing relevance and far-reaching implications, urban food security has received little attention from the government of Ethiopia. Culturally, food insecurity is commonly expected in rural households. However, it is considerable in urban settings too, which has been hardly recognized in the study area. The general objective of this study was to identify factors determining household food security in urban areas. The study relied on survey data from 365 systematically selected urban household heads. Key informant interviews and FGDs were employed to supplement the structured questionnaire. The binary logistic regression model was used to identify determinants of household food security. The study revealed that only 31% of married households were food insecure, contrary to 80% of single-headed ones. Besides, food insecurity is most prevalent among private house renters, 83%, as opposed to 28% who own their houses. The Foster-Gordon-Thorbecke model revealed that food insecurity’s incident, depth, and severity were 54%, 15%, and 5.6%, respectively. This implies that if the regional government can mobilize to cover 15% of the caloric needs of food-insecure households, it can bring them up to the recommended daily caloric requirement so that food insecurity can be eradicated. At P < 0.05, the binary logistic regression model indicated that sex, house ownership, income, marital status, remittances, and credit services were significant drivers of household food insecurity. The particular characteristics and drivers of urban food security and the vast inequalities within metropolitan regions necessitate customized programs and policies that address the needs of the urban poor. The study recommended that private, government, and NGOs be actively involved and provide top and urgent priority to increase the income-generating capability, stabilize skyrocketing prices, build communal housing, and provide loans with affordable interest rates.