HAWASSA UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE

FACULTY OF GENDER DEVELOPMENT AND

ENVIRONMENTAL STUDY DEPARTMENT OF
AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS
SENIOR RESEARCH PROPOSAL ON DETERMINANTS OF FOOD
INSECURITY AND COPING MECHANISMS INCASE OF GORCHE
WOREDA IN SIDAMA REGION

Submitted to Department of Agricultural Economics: Partial fulfillment

of the requirement for first degree in Agricultural Economics .

PREPARED BY HAILEMARIAM FETENE

OCTOBER, 2023

HAWASSA, ETHIOPIA
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
First of all I would like to provide my deepest and spatial thanks to God and his mother St. Mary
who help and guide me in right position. Next, I would also like to extend my thanks to my
advisor Mr Seleshi Fantu (Msc) who puts me in the right direction to do my research proposal in
the right way, for his polite relation with me and for his professional guidance, constructive
criticism, suggestion. All in all, I have appreciated and provided my sincere thanks to him. And
in addition, I provide my thanks to Hawassa University College of Agriculture Faculty of Gander
Development and Environmental Science workers specially Mr. Molalign who assisted me, as
friend and direct me for the good reference in all the way of my research activity.
 ABSTRACT

Agriculture is a key driver of Ethiopia’s long-term growth and food security. Most the people are
vulnerable to food insecurity and ensuring food security remains a key issue for the Government
of Ethiopia. In order to combat threats of famine and persistent poverty and there by ensure
food security for its population, the government strategy has rested on increasing the
availability of food grains through significant investments in agricultural technologies. The
impacts of these policies, however, have been shadowed as there are still millions of people who
experience extreme hunger and famine in the country. Ethiopia has experienced long periods of
food insecurity which may be ascribed to several factors which include occasional droughts and
also degradation of farm lands. These factors have limited the “physical, social and economic
access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food necessary to meet the dietary needs and food
preferences for leading an active and healthy life” for majority of the residents. The objectives
of this study was to analysis food insecurity status, determinants of food insecurity and range of
coping strategies as well as measure the responsiveness of explanatory variable to dependent
(explained) variable in the study area. Multistage sampling technique will be used to select both
Gorche woreda and 01 kebele for this study and a total of 30 households will be selected
randomly from the study area. Both qualitative and quantitative data will be employed for this
study. Primary data will be collected by direct interviewed of sample respondents; whereas,
secondary data will be collected from published and unpublished documents. Income
expenditure method will be employed to identify the food insecurity status of household. Both
descriptive and regression analysis will be also employed to analyze the collected data and I will
use binary logit model to test my hypothesis and to reveal the effect of different variables on
house hold food insecurity.

Key words: Binary Logic, Determinant, Food insecurity, 01 Kebele, Gorche woreda
 CHAPTER ONE

1. INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION
Food insecurity is increasing in the world where 925 million people are undernourished. Out of
them, about 900 million people are living in developing countries (FAO, 2010). More than 70%
of these people live in rural areas and depend, directly or indirectly, on agriculture for their
living. The majority of the developing countries invest in the agricultural sector due to which
these households are more vulnerable to price instability. The main focus of agricultural
investment remained on exportable crops to generate foreign exchange that forced countries to
rely on continued low international food prices to meet national food demand (IAASTD, 2008).
The majority of food insecure and hungry people in the global context live in Asia and the

Pacific (16%), Sub-Saharan Africa (30%), and near East and North Africa (8%), and Latin

America and the Caribbean (9%). Among this the proportion of food insecure and hungry people

in Sub-Saharan Africa is showing fast increment as compared to early 1990s (FAO, 2010). The

gap between food production and consumption in most SSA countries is induced by the

slowdown of the agricultural production growth rates. The major causes for the slow growth

rates of agriculture include various factors such as unfavorable climatic conditions, undeveloped

infrastructures, inappropriate agricultural policies and predominantly traditional production

systems (Mohamed, 1995).

Most of the world’s poorest countries are in Africa and many of these face chronic poverty and
food insecurity. Agriculture, of which 85-90 percent is rain-fed in Sub-Saharan Africa, accounts
for 35 percent of the region’s gross national product (GNP), 40 percent of exports and 70 percent
of employment Babatunde et al (2007).

Agriculture is a key driver of Ethiopia’s long-term growth and food security. Agriculture
directly supports 85 percent of the population, constitutes 43 percent of Gross Domestic Product
(GDP), and 80 percent of export value. Nearly 16 percent of Government of Ethiopia (GOE)
public expenditures are committed to the sector (Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, 2010).
Agriculture is the predominant and an important economic sector in Ethiopia.

With a population projected to reach 80 million in 2010 and about 45 percent living below the
poverty line and most vulnerable to food insecurity. Ensuring food security remains a key issue
for the Government of Ethiopia. In order to combat threats of famine and pervasive poverty and
thereby ensure food security for its population, the government strategy has rested on increasing
the availability of food grains through significant investments in agricultural technologies (high
yielding varieties of seeds, fertilizer), services (extension, credit, inputs), and rural infrastructure
(roads, markets). The impacts of these policies, however, have been shadowed as there are still
millions of people who experience extreme hunger in the country (Bogale and Shimelis 2009).

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO, 2010),
reported that,41 percent of the Ethiopian population lives below the poverty line and more than
31 million people are undernourished. However, the latest undernourishment numbers show a
positive trend (1990-92: 71% of the population; 1995-97: 64%; 2000-02: 50%; 2004-06: 44%).

A report on the dynamics of poverty revealed that about 38.7% of the people in Ethiopia were
under the national poverty line in 2004/2005, and the poverty level in rural areas (39.3%) was
slightly higher than that of urban areas (35.1%)(MoFED,2012).Between 2004/2005 and
2010/2011, the average headcount of poverty decreased in both urban and rural areas of the
country with the national headcount poverty standing at 29.6% in 2010/2011.Concentrations of
food insecurity and malnutrition are prevalent in rural areas, with a population of six to seven
million chronically food insecure, and up to 13 million seasonally food insecure(Bill & Melinda
Gates Foundation, 2010).

The performance of agriculture, however, in terms of feeding the country’s population, which
is growing at about 2.9 percent per annum, is poor. Currently in Ethiopia, there are more than 10
million people who have been affected by drought. Some 4.6 million people are threatened by
hunger and malnutrition and require urgent food assistance. The deteriorating situation is
compounded by high food prices, the cost of cereals has more than doubled in many markets
since the beginning of the year, hampering the ability of many people to meet their most basic
food needs and impoverishing them further (WFP2009).

1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Several studies in the past have indicated that people of Ethiopia have experienced long periods
of food insecurity which may be ascribed to several factors which include occasional droughts
and also degradation of farm lands. These factors have limited the “physical, social and
economic access to sufficient ,safe and nutritious food necessary to meet the dietary needs and
food preferences for leading an active and healthy life” for majority of the residents(Gilligan et
al, 2008).

According to (WFP, the 2011) Horn of Africa drought left 4.5 million Ethiopians in need of

emergency food assistance. Pastoralist areas in southern and southeastern Ethiopia were the

worst affected. In addition, cereal markets experienced a supply shock and food prices were rose

and resulting in high food insecurity among poor people. By the beginning of 2012, the overall

food security situation had stabilized thanks to the start of the harvest season and sustained

humanitarian assistance. Still, even the Humanitarian Requirements Document issued by the

government in early 2012 estimates that 3.2 million people will require relief food assistance

from January to June 2012. This number is likely to increase following the extended dry

conditions and erratic start of the rain season.

Both transitory and chronic food insecurity are severe in Ethiopia. Moreover, food

insecurity is one of the defining features of rural poverty affecting millions of people

particularly in moisture- deficit and pastoral areas. Even in years of adequate rainfall and

good harvests, these people remain in need of food assistance (FDRE, 2001).

Land degradation coupled with unpredictable rainfall, drought causes a serious threat on
households’ food security in Ethiopia. Besides, overgrazing, improper cultivation practices,
mismanagement of land resource are the main causes for land degradation (Bill & Melinda Gates
Foundation, 2010). Poor soil fertility, land shortage, frost attack, chronic shortage of cash
income, poor farming technologies, weak extension services, high labor wastage, and poor social
and infrastructural situation have caused the problem of food insecurity. Hence, a combination of
factors has resulted in serious and growing problem of food insecurity in Ethiopia (Hussein,
2006). These will have cumulative effects on household level food security status.

Through time, poor and hungry populations become less flexible to stress and disasters as
they rely a great deal on the natural environment and lack the capacity and the resources required
recovering from disasters (Oluoko et al, 2011). For Ethiopia to achieve middle-income status by
2025 and to found solution for food insecurity, concentrated and strategic investment and
strategic choices in the agricultural sector are vital. Over 90 percent of agricultural output is
driven by smallholder farmers. Without expanding cultivated land, and given forecast population
growth, the average land holding size in highland areas will be reduced to 0.7 hectares by 2020,
placing further pressure on rural incomes and food security. Agriculture contributes substantially
to the overall Ethiopian economy. On a nominal GDP of USD 25.6 billion 43 percent was driven
by the agricultural sector; crop production accounts for 29 percent, with livestock at 12 percent,
followed by the forestry sector with 4 percent.

In Ethiopia, the seriousness of food shortage problem varies from one area to another,
depending on the state of the natural resources and the extent of development of food shortage
(Webb etal, 1994) as cited in (Amsalu et al, 2012). Different factors aggravated the growing
problem of food security in this country. Among the major challenges of food security in
Ethiopia are backward agriculture, unstable weather recurrent drought, pests and disease,
population pressure, weak institutional capacity, and inadequate infrastructures and social
services (FSB, 2007).

Few case studies have been conducted at household levels and food insecurity studies at the
national level fails to articulate household’s availability and access to needed food (Hart,
2009).The majority of Ethiopians lives in rural areas tackle similar challenges in securing
sufficient food at household level due to the topographic and biophysical variation throughout
Ethiopia, transitory food insecurity varies across geographic space and time.

Rationales to undertake my research on food insecurity are the issue of food insecurity in
today’s world, to address food security issue in the study area, my desire to know about food
security concept and measurement practically, to know the analyses of food insecurity and its
determinant in my study area (01 Kebele), and to share experience from food insecurity
researcher to apply in the future since my career is mostly involved in this issue.

1.3 OBJECTIVE
1.3.1 GENERAL OBJECTIVE
The overall objective of the study is to analyze food insecurity and its determinant in 01 kebele.

This study is to comprehensively analyze the multifaceted issue of food insecurity and its
determinants within the 01 kebele.
factors contributing to food insecurity, identify the underlying causes, and propose effective
strategies for addressing this pressing challenge
1.3.2 SPECIFIC OBJECTIVE
The specific objectives of the study are
 Assess food security status in 01 Kebele
 Identify major determinants of food insecurity in the study area
 To analysis coping strategies of food insecurity; and
 To measure the responsiveness of the determinants of food insecurity in the study
area.
 This study assesses the current state of food security in the study area by examining factors
such as availability, access, and utilization of food resources.

The study identifies key factors that contribute to food insecurity in the 01 Kebele. By
examining socioeconomic, environmental, and cultural variables,

This study investigates the various coping strategies employed by individuals and
households in the study area to mitigate the effects of food insecurity

This study investigates the various coping strategies employed by individuals and
households in the study area to mitigate the effects of food insecurity.

1.4 BASIC RESEARCH QUESTION

This study will answer basic research questions like

1. What does looks like food insecurity status in 01 kebele?
2. What are the major determinants of food insecurity in the study area?
3. What are the coping strategies of food insecurity?

Additional General remark on objective part:

 Focus on a specific population group: For example, you could focus on food insecurity
among children, women, or the elderly.
 Compare different kebele: For example, you could compare food insecurity in 01 kebele
to food insecurity in other kebeles in the same woreda or region.
 Analyze the impact of a specific intervention: For example, you could analyze the
impact of a food security program on food insecurity in 01 kebele.

 Make the objective more specific: What specific aspects of food insecurity and its
determinants do you want to analyze? For example, you could focus on the prevalence
of food insecurity, the types of food insecurity experienced, or the factors that contribute
to food insecurity.
 Make the objective measurable: How will you measure food insecurity and its
determinants? For example, you could use household surveys, anthropometric data, or
food price data.
 Make the objective time-bound: When do you plan to complete the study? For example,
you could say "by the end of 2023" or "within one year of funding."

1.5 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

This study provides information that will enable effective measures to be undertaken so
as to improve food security status in the study area. And it provides information about the
study area in relation to food security status, location, farming system and other
demographic data. This research is not only essential for the society of that kebele but
also for me to understand food insecurity determinant, concept and measurement clearly
in addition to the course rural development and food security.
1.6 SCOPE AND LIMITATION OF THE STUDY

The study will be conducted in 01 kebele of Gorche wereda in Hawassa Zuria zone. This study
will focused on identifying food insecurity status, determinants of food insecurity and coping
strategies practiced by food insecure households will also assess at different levels at the time of
food shortage. This study will be conducted in only one kebel of 01 kebele because of lack of
budget, time and other opportunity costs (resource) to accomplish the study. Moreover, the
study deals with a limited number of households and will focus on the status and
determinants of food insecurity.