Abstract
BackgroundOver 960 million people in the world are hungry and undernourished. The majority of these people are found in Asia and Africa. Approximately one-third of the people in sub-Saharan Africa are undernourished. The mechanisms pursued by households differ in several aspects within and between households. Coping strategies are short-term, location-specific actions and adjustments against hazard and activities that take place within existing structures. Before coming to the modernization time, every society around the world has attempted to overcome food shortages at household levels. They practice activities to escape them from food insecurity.MethodsThe study was aimed at coping strategies among food-insecure smallholder farmer households in Ilu Gelan District, West Shoa Zone, Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia. A cross-sectional study design and mixed data collection methods were employed. Multistage random sampling technique was employed to select 100 sample households for quantitative data and key informant interview, focused group discussion and observation for qualitative data. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics.ResultsA coping strategy index at household level had been calculated, and inferential statistics was used to test the variability of the index by gender of the household head. The mean coping index was 88.54 and 119.14 for males and females, respectively. Using inferential statistics, equality of means was tested. The t value was − 5.173 for 98° of freedom, and the mean difference was significant (p < 0.001). The study revealed that female-headed households were higher in coping measures and mean of coping strategy index than male-headed households.ConclusionsIn the study districts, smallholder farmer households rely on less preferred and less expensive food items. Coping strategy adopted by poor rural households is a shift to poor, and nutritionally lacking diet leads to health-related problems.
Highlights
Over 960 million people in the world are hungry and undernourished
Households with daily calorie consumption greater than or equal to 2100 kcal per day were categorized as food secure and those households whose calorie intake fell below this food security threshold grouped as “food-insecure” based on Ethiopian Health and Nutrition Research Institute (EHNRI) recommendation [56]
Smallholder farming households in Ilu Gelan pursued a host of short-term coping strategies to overcome the problem of food shortages
Summary
Over 960 million people in the world are hungry and undernourished. The majority of these people are found in Asia and Africa. Before coming to the modernization time, every society around the world has attempted to overcome food shortages at household levels They practice activities to escape them from food insecurity. Global estimates of food-insecure populations stand at 825 million [1] to 850 million [2]. Regional estimates of the food-insecure population include 263 million in South Asia, 268 million in China and Southeast Asia, 2012 million in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), 60 million in South and Central America and the Caribbean, and 50 million in other regions of the world. Share of family income spent on food is estimated at 10% in the USA, 20% in Brazil, 30% in China, 50% in Kenya and 65% in Bangladesh [8], and 9.7 million people foodinsecure Ethiopians require relief assistance to meet basic food needs [9]. The world poor are under great stress, and an increase in food prices is a threat to global peace and stability [3]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
