Livelihood Diversification Research Articles

INCOME DIVERSIFICATION: A STRATEGY FOR MANAGING POVERTY AMONG WET SEASON SMALL-HOLDER RICE PRODUCERS IN JIGAWA STATE, NIGERIA

This study was conducted to assess income diversification as a strategy for managing poverty among wet season smallholder rice producers in Jigawa State, Nigeria. The justification for the research hinges on the fact that more knowledge about the extent and nature of livelihood diversification and poverty status among rural farming household is required for effective designing and implementation of poverty reduction policy and strategies. Multi-stage sampling techniques consisting purposive and random sampling were used in selecting 292 wet season smallholder rice producers who were interviewed using structured questionnaires by trained enumerators. The analytical tools employed include descriptive statistic, Simpson diversification index, FGT model and Probit regression models. The result shows that the mean age of 40 years and mean household size was 12 persons. Wet season rice production was the major occupation for the farmers with most of them having a farming experience of more than 24 years on the average. However, the average farm size was 2 hectares. The average annual income from rice production is ₦166119, while the average annual income from dry season production was ₦159704. The result of SID of the farming household shows that 51.6% had high income diversity and 48.4% had low-income diversity scores. The FGT model revealed the poverty level of the farming household which shows that 60.3% of the smallholder wet season rice producers were poor while 39.7% were non poor. The poverty depth was -0.35 for the poor and 0.53 for non-poor. The severity of poverty index for the poor is 0.78. Farming household income diversification also significantly influence poverty status. It is therefore recommended that since the study observed that the incidence of poverty had slightly drop from 64.1% to 54% as a result of diversification among the non-poor farming household. Therefore, farmers should be encouraged to diversify their economic activities to earn more income to be able to increase their income base so as to cover their expenditure on consumption and social obligation. This can be achieved through creation of enabling socio-economic environment that will generate employment opportunity for the farming household.

Vulnerability management practices for sustainable livelihood security in drought-prone Gamo lowlands: An empirical insight from southwest Ethiopia

Vulnerable people do not always absorb the occurring shocks instead they react to disasters employing multiple strategies. This study mainly aims to explore households' vulnerability management practices and their linkages with sustainable livelihood security in the drought-prone Gamo lowland setup. Through the multistage sampling technique, a total of 285 respondents were selected from the four sample kebeles. Primary data were collected using a survey questionnaire, key informant interviews, focus group discussions, and field observations. Secondary data were drawn from published and unpublished materials. A mix of the qualitative dominant mixed methods of data analysis was employed. The newly formulated Vulnerability Management for Survival (VMS) framework is used to schematize people's survival strategies and challenges. It was found that the Gamo lowland households pursue multiple vulnerability management practices like liquidation, adopting drought-resistant crops, livelihood diversification, destocking, engagements in off-farm activities, remittance, and reciprocity. These practices are linked with households' livelihood security wherein effective management of vulnerabilities yields secured and sustained livelihoods among the implications. To sustainably enhance rural invulnerability, strengthening people's survival strategies like reciprocity, participation in financial institutions, water harvesting, area closure, afforestation and reforestation, and access to information are recommended.

Response Mechanism of Farmers’ Livelihood Capital to the Compensation for Rural Homestead Withdrawal—Empirical Evidence from Xuzhou City, China

The Chinese government has implemented a homestead withdrawal policy to improve the efficiency of rural construction land use. The compensation for rural homestead withdrawal (CRHW) is crucial to the reconstruction and sustainable development of farmers’ livelihoods. This paper analyzed the response mechanisms of farmers’ livelihoods to the CRHW with the combined application of the logistic regression, the mediation effect model, and the moderating effect model. The results indicated that CRHW had a significant positive impact on the sustainable livelihoods of rural households, mainly by improving the physical capital and social capital. In addition, adaptability and livelihood diversity played intermediary and regulatory roles in the positive impacts of the CRHW on sustainable livelihoods, respectively. The conclusions may provide insight into the demand for more reasonable compensation policies to ensure the sustainability of farmers’ livelihoods.

Counter Measures Used by Pastoralist in Arid Areas on Environmental Hazards. A Critical Literature Review

Purpose: Climate variability, population explosion, and poverty have lowered the adaptive capacity to climate variability of pastoralists in arid and semi-arid areas. The overall objective of this study was to examine counter measures used by pastoralist in arid areas on environmental hazards. A critical literature review
 Methodology: The paper used a desk study review methodology where relevant empirical literature was reviewed to identify main themes and to extract knowledge gaps.
 Findings: The study concluded that about 14.8% of the residents in arid and semi-arid areas depend on relatives for economic support, while 3.3% depend on friends, 0.7% on loans for women groups, and 1.3% on government projects for support. About 73.0% do not have other sources of livelihood. Dependence on relatives and friends for economic support increases vulnerability to climate variability because it does not provide a consistent income source. Moreover, a lack of livelihood diversification increases vulnerability to climate variability. About 94.70% of the residents do not benefit from cash transfer programs. The 5.30% who receive cash transfers receive it from the government and NGOs. However, most residents do not benefit from cash transfers, which is a sign of poor coordination between the government and NGOs.
 Unique Contribution to Theory, Policy and Practice: This study recommended that the relevant governments in arid and semi-arid areas should formulate and implement appropriate policies and strategies to improve adaptive capacity of women to climate variability in arid and semi-arid areas because most of the taboos in arid and semi-arid target women and reduce their ability to cope with climate variability. Programs to strengthen their adaptation strategies should also be introduced because most of their livelihood diversification methods such as charcoal burning contribute to environmental degradation and consequently to global warming.

RURAL FARMERS’ LIVELIHOOD VULNERABILITY TO CLIMATE CHANGE EFFECTS: THE CASE OF DODOTA DISTRICT, ARSI ZONE, OROMIA, ETHIOPIA

Climate change has wide-reaching effects on the agrarian communities like Ethiopia since its dominant economy, agriculture, is vulnerable to climate extreme events. The conditions largely undermine the life system of the rural farming communities. Thus, this study examines livelihood vulnerability of rural farming communities to climate change effects in Dodota District, Arsi Zone, Oromia, Ethiopia. Data for this study was acquired from households of 360 selected using systematic random sampling. Key informant interviews, group discussion, and semi-structured household interviews were used for generating primary data relevant to this study. Vulnerability indices, descriptive statistics and ordinal logistic regression were applied for analysis of generated data. The results of vulnerability indices have shown that the vulnerability of farmers’ livelihoods to the effects of climate change was moderate. At household level, it has been revealed that about three fourth of the respondents participated in the study were classified as highly (50%) and moderately (24%) vulnerable to effects of climate change while for the remaining 18% and 8% of respondents, the vulnerability was low and very high respectively. Similarly, the ordinal logistic regression analysis result revealed that access to forage, occurrence of natural hazards, access to water bodies, land cultivation, oxen to plow, access to irrigation, access to adequate extension service and access to agricultural inputs have a significant relationship with climate change effects on farmers’ livelihood. Thus, it has been suggested that livelihood diversification is feasible strategy to reduce vulnerability of the households as there are rivers in the local areas.

Gender Perspectives of Responses to Climate Variability and Change among Farm Households in Southeast Nigeria.

It has been argued that gender affects climate change response especially among farming communities yet literature is scant on gender perspectives of response. In recognition of this, the study examined responses with the associated challenges and opportunities across gender in the South East (SE) Nigeria. A mixed research approach including a participatory research approach (PRA), field observation and household questionnaire survey was used to collect data. The survey sample included 300 (150 men and women each) farm household heads from six villages in the region. Data were analyzed and presented using principal component analysis (PCA), non-parametric and descriptive statistics. The study found that men and women-headed households differed in their use of strategies like migration from affected areas and livelihood diversification (p < 0.05). Women have more challenges of insufficient improved farming knowledge than men. The challenges for men were majorly insufficient technologies like mechanization. Components of these challenges include technology, environmental-related challenges among others. Response opportunities for men and women include digital/mobile telecommunications and learning by doing respectively. Compared to men, women had less participation in opportunities for the development of human capital through training (p < 0.05). The study recommends that more opportunities should be provided for the training of farmers especially women on climate change response.

Comparing the importance of farming resource endowments and agricultural livelihood diversification for agricultural sustainability from the perspective of the food–energy–water nexus

Sustainable agricultural development, which aims to optimize income and minimize resource consumption and environmental impacts, is strongly influenced by farming resource endowments and agricultural livelihood strategies. However, quantifying the impacts of these factors on agricultural sustainability remains a challenge. Here, we proposed a framework that incorporated the agricultural food–energy–water (FEW) nexus into a sustainable livelihood framework, to explore agricultural sustainability. We then applied a partial least squares–structural equation model (PLS-SEM), based on household survey data from MiYun Reservoir watershed, China, to identify the complex pathways of the impact of household farming resource endowments and livelihood diversification on agricultural sustainability. Our study indicated that diversified farming achieved a better performance in the FEW nexus via the mediating factor of farming inputs (β = 0.335, p < 0.01). Meanwhile, diversified farming had positive effects on economic profits and environmental sustainability (β = 0.531, p < 0.01). Increasing farming resource endowments also had a better performance in the FEW nexus (β = 0.211, p < 0.01); however, that may lead to economic and environmental costs (β = −0.445, p < 0.01). The framework can be used to identify the relationship between household livelihoods and the FEW nexus to better achieve resource security and sustainable development goals.

An Analysis of Livelihood-Diversification Strategies among Farmworker Households: A Case Study of the Tshiombo Irrigation Scheme, Vhembe District, South Africa

Rural livelihood diversification has become a central policy in rural development and poverty alleviation. Farmworkers in irrigation schemes are a typical poor sub-group that has received little attention in research regarding their livelihood status and the contribution of diversification. This paper provides evidence derived from a study that was carried out to examine whether farmworkers in the study area diversify their livelihoods and identify their choices of livelihood-diversification strategies and the determinants thereof. Data were collected from 191 randomly selected farmworkers and analyzed using the binary probit model and the multinomial logistic model. Variables considered in the binary probit model—gender, number of dependents, employment type, farming experience, land leasing, and market access—influenced livelihood diversification among irrigation farmworkers in a statistically significant way. The multinomial logistic model analysis considered age, marital status, household dependents, leasing land from employer, farming experience, agricultural training, and access to markets as the statistically significant factors that influence the choice of livelihood-diversification strategies in the study area. The study concluded that rural development policies should consider leasing land to irrigation farmworkers that is adequate to reduce poverty, achieve food security, and sustain the livelihoods of farmworkers in the study area, as it boosts the generation of income.

The Triple Challenge: Food Security and Vulnerabilities of Fishing and Farming Households in Situations Characterized by Increasing Conflict, Climate Shock, and Environmental Degradation

As conflict, climate shocks, and land/water degradation—the “triple challenge”—continue to exert increasing pressure upon fishing and farming livelihoods in many developing countries, a need exists to better understand how differential vulnerabilities undermine or amplify food security outcomes. In this study, we investigate how vulnerability to the “triple challenge” affect food security using an in-depth case study approach that merges social statistics and quantitative data analysis. We frame vulnerability using a combination of sensitivity, exposure, and adaptive capacity, and operationalize food security using the FAO Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES), which is an experience-based measure capturing the food access dimension of food security. We draw on survey data from 252 fishing and 251 farming households in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria and quantify the different components of vulnerability, deriving specific livelihood-related vulnerability scores. By merging and analyzing differential food security variables and vulnerability scores using ordered logistic models, we find that vulnerability to the “triple challenge” increases the probability of being in a severe food insecure state, particularly for households with a high dependency ratio. Parallel to this finding, we note that access to social capital and opportunities for livelihood diversification could drive gains in income, enhancing the capacity of households to attain a food-secure status in the face of recurrent instabilities. This study advances vulnerability literacy in food-insecure contexts and reveals ways to support populations on the frontline of interacting conflict, climate, and environmental crises.

Rural Livelihood Strategies and Food Security: The Case of Bensa Woreda, Sidama National Regional State, Ethiopia

Livelihood diversification by rural households is expected to contribute significantly to household living standard and food security. Nevertheless, a livelihood strategy plays a crucial role for household income and food security, and still empirically its contribution is unidentified in Bensa woreda. The study addressed three objectives: these are assessing livelihood strategies pursued by rural households based on their wealth status in achieving food security, determining the status of food security as an outcome of different livelihood strategies pursued by rural households and identifying the determinants of rural households` choice of livelihood strategies. A multistage sampling technique was employed to select 190 household heads. The data were collected through a semi-structured questionnaire, key informant interviews and focus group discussions. To achieve the first and second objectives, descriptive statistics such as percentage, mean, chi-square, t and F-tests were used to analyze the socio-economic characteristics of households by wealth status, livelihood diversification strategies, and food security status. The third objective was achieved by using a multinomial regression model (MNL) using data collected through a semi-structured questionnaire involving 190 respondents. The study found that 12.6% of better of (rich) households had diversify their livelihoods by combining from all sources (on-farm+ off farm+ non-farm), 16.2, 13.8 % and 7.5 % of medium farmers diversify their livelihoods mainly from on-farm, combining on-farm and off farm, and from combining on-farm and non-farm, respectively. The result briefly indicates that, more proportion 32.20 % of food secure households was attaining their food from combining on-farm, off farm and non-farm. The study found that 62.11 % and 37.89 % of households were food secure and food insecure respectively in the study area. Furthermore, the result indicated that the mean Kcal of food secure and insecure households is 1210.75, and 4266.241AE. Based on diet quantity analysis, the mean household calorie consumption was 2655.49kcal per AE. The MNL model of marginal effect reveals that age, access to education, land size, livestock holding, extension contact, credit, distance from market, target for Productive Safety Net Program (PSNP) and dependency ratio of household were significantly affecting choice the of livelihood strategies. The study, therefore recommends that investing in natural assets such as farm land and livestock ownership by networking valuable extension contact and market access, needs consideration in promoting rural livelihood diversification. Local government should intervene help educate and train rural households by supporting credit access for profitable diversification to off farm, and non-farm besides on farm to sustain their livelihood and ensure food security. Keywords: Livelihood/on farm, off farm, non-farm/: Food security, Multinomial logit models DOI: 10.7176/RHSS/12-22-01 Publication date: November 30 th 2022

SOCIOECONOMIC DETERMINANTS OF LIVELIHOOD DIVERSIFICATION AMONG ARABLE CROP FARMERS IN SHENDAM, PLATEAU STATE, NIGERIA

Livelihood diversification is an integral component of household income. Diversification determinants were estimated. Multistage sampling was adopted, and primary data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Logit regression. Socioeconomic factors affected livelihoods. Several diversification activities and derivable benefits are indicated. Variations in diversification decisions were attributable to the regression variables. Policy modifications and strategies that improve livelihoods are recommended.

Agricultural Indebtedness and Livelihood Diversification in Uttar Pradesh: A Study of the Eastern and Bundelkhand Regions

The study aims to address the issue of indebtedness among agrarian households and the associated livelihood diversification using the cases of the Eastern and Bundelkhand regions of Uttar Pradesh. It raises the following broad questions: What is the nature and extent of the debt burden experienced by the farmer households of the study areas? How do these households diversify their livelihood strategies? And what explains the livelihood outcomes of these households? It is argued that the skewed distribution of productive resources in the study regions leads to various kinds of interlinked transactions among agrarian classes in the context of production and exchange. Such interlinkages are essentially exploitative, resulting in lower crop productivity and lower returns from cultivation. In the face of lower returns from cultivation, farmers are compelled to take recourse to borrowing. The majority of these borrowings, especially by the poorer classes, are from informal sources, exposing them to usurious extortions at the hands of money lenders, traders and rich peasants/farmers, leading to difficulties in meeting payment obligations and, finally, to indebtedness. The higher debt burden has resulted in an increased livelihood diversification by agrarian households in recent years, mostly to the informal sector. We term it forced livelihood diversification, because such diversification is not the natural outcome of a development process but is forced upon the peasantry because of the non-viability of cultivation.

The urge for just transition: Evidence from understanding of wood fuel producers' livelihoods and vulnerability in the drylands of Ethiopia

Wood fuel is not only the main source of energy for both rural and urban households but also a vital means of livelihood diversification for rural households to improve livelihood capital in developing countries like Ethiopia. However, the status of wood fuel producers' livelihood capital and their vulnerability is poorly understood in the drylands of Ethiopia. The main purpose of the research is to characterize the livelihoods of firewood and charcoal producers as well as identify sources of livelihoods' vulnerability in the dryland areas of the country. These urge to transit for sustainable energy use. The study used survey data collected from 857 sampled wood fuel producer households and Focus Group Discussions. The data were analyzed descriptively using livelihood measurement indicators and livelihood vulnerability indexes (exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity indicators) in the context of farming, agro-pastoralist, and pastoralist communities. Results indicated that generally financial, human, and social capital of wood fuel producers were low whereas natural and physical capital were better. Results also indicated engagement in the production of wood fuel strengthened the producers' livelihood capital and delivered other benefits such as opportunities for livelihood diversification as well as reducing vulnerability and improved livelihoods. The pastoral and agro-pastoral communities' livelihood capital sources were more vulnerable than farming communities. The study has also identified that wood fuel production was one of the major coping strategies employed by the sampled households to mitigate the effects of different shocks. Finally, the study results implied that wood fuel production is the highest priority area of intervention to improve the livelihoods of communities in the dry lands. It is also worthwhile to establish sustainable approaches for wood fuel production keeping the dry land forest and environment safe. This calls policy for a just transition toward an equitable wood fuel production system with the potential to deliver sustainable energy and rural development through the incorporation of wood fuel importance to rural livelihoods.

Change in Structural Components Due to Seasonal Flooding Governs Provisioning Ecosystem Service Delivery and Livelihood Diversification: A Case Study from a Tropical Floodplain Wetland in Barak Valley Region of India

Annual flood events lead to periodic changes in structural components within seasonal floodplain wetlands. Such change in structural components may determine the type and quantity of provisioning ecosystem services (ES) that offer resident communities opportunities for diverse livelihood activities. We elucidate this hypothesis using the case study of a seasonal floodplain wetland—Chatla—located in Assam, northeast India, by integrating spatially explicit data of structural components of the wetland with social-ecological information following standard methods. The structural components of Chatla during dry and wet seasons were mapped using LANDSAT 8 satellite data. The provisioning ES was quantified and the corresponding economic value was estimated through household- and market surveys. About 51% of Chatla remained inundated during the wet season, which served as a capture fishery source for the riparian communities. Only 6% of the wetland area retained water during the dry season, supporting culture fishery, while a substantial area was brought under paddy cultivation. Both fishery and paddy cultivation served as the major source of income for riparian households. In addition, various non-timber forest products (NTFPs) harvested from the wetland were used for subsistence during both seasons. The total annual value of provisioning ES in harvesting paddy, fish, NTFPs, and soil extraction was estimated as USD 387,487. Our study confirms that the change in structural components of the wetland driven by the annual flooding ensures the delivery of provisioning ES that facilitates livelihood sustainability. We suggest that national and international policies focus on the conservation and wise use of such seasonal wetlands to ensure a sustainable future for the wetland-dependent population in the tropics.

Livelihood diversification choices of forest dwellers in Onigambari Forest Reserve, Oyo State, Nigeria

The study assessed the livelihood diversification choices of forest dwellers in Onigambari Forest Reserve, Oyo State, Nigeria. A multi-staged sampling technique was used to select ninety-five (95) respondents while data was collected using structured questionnaires. The data generated from the survey were analysed using descriptive statistics and a multinomial logistic regression model. The descriptive result revealed that a slight majority (52.63%) of the households were headed by males and that the average age of the respondents stood at 54.4 years with 86.32% of them having a formal education. Farming is the predominant occupation in the study area with the majority (54.74%) of the household engaged in a combination of farm and non-farm activities, 30.53% of them engaged in only non-farm activities. The factors influencing the choice of non-farm strategy are: having at least secondary education (p&lt;0.01) which was positive and significant while the gender of household head (p&lt;0.01) was negative and significant. Concerning the choice of the combination of farm and non-farm strategy as a livelihood option, marital status (p&lt;0.01) and having at least secondary education (p&lt;0.05) were positive and significant while age of household head (p&lt;0.01) was negative and significant. The study, therefore, recommended the promotion and intensification of technical and financial capacity of the dwellers to undertake conservation-friendly diversification approaches as an alternative strategy to minimize forest exploitation and dependence.

Socioeconomic and livelihood impacts within Bangkok’s expanding metropolitan region

Recent national development plans in Thailand have incorporated concepts of sustainability, livelihood rights, and human dignity. Yet, development and urban expansion have unfolded in unexpected ways, complicating the socioeconomic and ecological integrity of peri-urban and rural spaces. This paper explores the ways in which urban expansion and state development within rural peripheries reshape political economies and, in so doing, the nature of vulnerability and precarity. Using ethnographic data collected among agrarian households in Samut Prakan province and among domestic migrant laborers in the Bangkok Metropolitan Region (BMR), the research considers the socioeconomic and ecological effects of peripheral areas’ tighter integration into expanding urban geographies. In effect, to what degree does urban development unfolding in the BMR improve people’s lives and, simultaneously, rework the dynamics of vulnerability and precarity experienced among those laboring in marginal spaces of the economy? A broad array of ethnographic and Landsat data demonstrates that families and individuals must renegotiate livelihood strategies to mitigate the sociopolitical, economic, and environmental outcomes of development. The findings demonstrate how agrarian families manage the structural and stochastic shocks and pressures of development in urbanizing landscapes and what this means for the future of smallholders situated within changing national economies. <em><strong>Policy relevance</strong></em> Bangkok’s urban expansion into peri-urban and rural areas is found to change the lives of existing residents. This outward movement of urbanization has negatively impacted smallholder agrarian families’ livelihoods and created new dynamics of vulnerability and precarity. Bangkok’s urban development into its peripheral greenfield areas has shifted political, economic, and environmental conditions that have led to a gradual but irreversible process of livelihood alteration. Agrarian families must pursue diversified livelihood portfolios in response to current policies that dispossess households of land and resources. To assist local people with this transformation, policymakers must address the fundamental transformations of agrarian economies within urbanizing landscapes. Positive actions could include the creation of productive high-paying jobs, training and education pathways into new labor markets, strengthening social safety nets, and considering alternative food production strategies.

Determinants of Livelihood Diversification of Farm Households in Rural India: Evidence From National Sample Survey

The lives of rural households are predominantly based on agriculture and its allied activities. However, there are signs of an agricultural crisis resulting in dependence on alternative sources of income. This paper analyzes the factors that influence the decision of farm households to participate in non-farm activities for alternative income. The official data for two years on the Situation Assessment Survey of Agricultural Households are explored and a pooled probit regression model is run to examine the determinants of income diversification. Our findings reveal that farm income and irrigated land negatively influence diversification. However, diversification of those having lower access to farm holdings, socioeconomic deprivation, and improved access to education, informal credit, and crop insurance point out positive participation in non-farm enterprises. In addition, the population belonging to hilly and coastal plain regions and the age group 30–64 years are more likely to diversify.

Factors that influence small-scale Fishers’ readiness to exit a declining fishery in Davao Gulf, Philippines

Excessive fishing pressure and overexploitation in the fishing grounds are common reasons of catch decline. This study assessed the small-scale fisheries in Davao Gulf regarding their dwindling catch by examining their motivations to exit the fisheries when presented with cash incentives. Given the catch declines experienced by fishers, it is vital to address and determine which socioeconomic and fisheries factors influence their exit behavior. The study used a semi-structured survey questionnaire to collect socioeconomic and fisheries data using face-to-face interviews in landing sites and fishers' homes. Fishers were asked regarding their exit from the fisheries in various study sites: Governor Generoso, Lupon, Davao City, Sta. Maria, Don Marcelino, and Malita (N = 229). The results showed that most fishers would not exit from the fisheries unless they were given a monthly subsidy of Php 15,000 (∼289 U$). More than 75% of the fishers were willing to leave the fisheries if given Php 15,000 as a cash subsidy. Fishers considered both fisheries and economic factors in their decision to exit. Further analysis showed that the fishers' revenue was primarily affected by the number of fishing trips, fish price, and fishing costs which significantly impacted their operations (df = 10, MS = 0.67, F = 4.95, p = .001). The results show a strong economic motivation for fishers ready to exit from the fisheries. It supports the need for livelihood diversification, skills upgrading, financial grants and assistance for those who want to exit the fisheries to reduce fishing effort and sustainably manage the fisheries.

Resiliensi Ekonomi Kelompok Nelayan Perikanan Tangkap Kawasan Perkotaan Studi di Kelurahan Keramasan Kota Palembang

This article is motivated by a decline in the sales of fishery catches for fishermen in urban areas, and it poses challenges in meeting aspects of meeting daily needs. The purpose of this study is to see how fishermen adapt to resilience and face challenges from problems that arise during the pandemic and have an impact on decreasing capture fisheries marketing results. This study uses the Buheji Economic Resilience approach (2018), namely the ability to understand a problem faced by the community from uncontrolled conditions. The research method uses qualitative data analysis unit, namely the fishermen group. Data collection techniques through observation, interviews, and documentation. The results of the study show that the economic resilience of fishermen groups shows that there are differences in the process of carrying out their resilience, depending on the capacity of each fisherman. With this, they have different forms of resilience strategies in fulfilling their needs, so they have diverse livelihood activities to meet their needs such as changing livelihoods, managing catches and adding livelihoods.

Livelihood Diversification as a Strategy to Overcome Food Insecurity Challenges in North Central Ethiopia: The Case of Borena District

Food insecurity remains a major challenge for millions of rural people in Ethiopia despite the government has given more emphasis to foster agricultural productivity rather than livelihood diversification. Thus, the main purpose of this study was to investigate whether livelihood diversification strategy is an antidote to food insecurity or not in Borena district, north-central Ethiopia. The required data were drawn both from primary and secondary sources. The study used a multistage sampling procedure, involving a combination of purposive and random sampling techniques to select 358 sample household heads. Household sample surveys, key informant interviews, and focus group discussions were the principal means used to acquire primary data. In analyzing and interpreting the primary data, both quantitative and qualitative research techniques were employed. Quantitatively, statistical tools such as chi-square, one-way ANOVA, and binary and multinomial logistic regressions were employed. SPSS version 24 was used to analyze the quantitative data while a narrative technique was used to analyze the qualitative data. The study found that nearly two-thirds (66.2%) of the investigated households diversified their livelihood. Out of this, 39.6%, 16.5%, and 10.1% of the respondents were engaged in on-farm plus non-farm, on-farm plus off-farm, and on-farm plus off-farm plus non-farm activities, respectively. Analyses of food security showed that 71.7% of the respondents were food insecure. The findings of this study confirmed that livelihood diversification is a key made for way out of food insecurity. This suggests that policymakers need to identify and focus on the most suitable strategies for supporting the diversification of livelihoods for food security.