FOOD INSECURITY AND COPPING STRATEGIES OF AGRO PASTORAL HOUSEHOLDS IN AWBAR WOREDA, ETHIOPIAN SOMALI REGIONAL STATE

Abstract

An understanding of the major causes of food insecu rity is important for interventions aiming to reduce it. Therefore, this study was cond ucted to analyze food insecurity status of agro-pastoral households’, to identify determina nts of food insecurity status of agro- pastoral households, and to identify agro-pastoral households coping strategies against food insecurity in Awbare district. The analysis wa s based on household survey data gathered from140 randomly selected households. Desc riptive statistics, such as mean, standard deviation, maximum, minimum, percentage an d frequency distribution. Univariate analysis such as t-test and Chi-square ( χ 2) test and binary Logit regression were used to analyze the data. The results from des criptive statistics show that the majority (55.7 percent) total surveyed households w ere food insecure. The binary logit model outputs show that six variables were signific ant determinants of household food insecurity. These were dependency ratio, cultivated land, livestock ownership, oxen ownership, family size and age of the household hea d. Furthermore, results show that households also used different coping strategies ag ainst food insecurity and these include, borrowing food or cash from relatives or n eighbor’s’, reduced number of meals, reduced meal size, sale of livestock than usual and sale of fire wood and charcoal. The results generally suggest the need to improve agric ultural technologies enhancing land productivity and special attention should also be g iven to improving animal health services through provision of veterinary services a nd provision of training to livestock herders. Finally, limiting population size through integrate d health and education services and giving priority to old aged headed hou seholds in interventions, introduction of water harvesting technologies to practice intens ified agriculture are also suggested to improve food insecurity status of households.