Analysis of households’ vulnerability to food insecurity and its influencing factors in East Hararghe, Ethiopia

AbstractPrevious studies on food insecurity in many developing countries, including Ethiopia, have mainly focused on current food insecurity, lacking the ex-ante analysis. An understanding of household vulnerability to food insecurity is critically important to inform the formulation of policies and strategies to enhance food security and reduce vulnerability to food insecurity among smallholder farmers. This paper analyses vulnerability to food insecurity of farming households using the vulnerability as expected poverty (VEP) approach. The paper is based on cross-section data collected from a sample of 408 households in East Hararghe, Ethiopia, selected using a multi-stage sampling procedure. The factors which influenced vulnerability to food insecurity were analyzed using the Feasible General Least Squares regression model. The results of analysis indicate that vulnerability to food insecurity increased with the age of household head (P < 0.1), and family size (P < 0.01). It decreased with access to improved seeds (P < 0.01), adoption of soil and water conservation (P < 0.01), size of cultivated land (P < 0.1), and access to credits (P < 0.1). Based on the intensity of their vulnerability, households were grouped as chronic food insecure (24.27%), transient food insecure (11.77%), highly vulnerable-food secure (18.38%), and low vulnerable-food secure (45.59%). Overall, about 54% of households were categorized as vulnerable to food insecurity. These included households who were food insecure at the time of the survey (36.02%) and those who were categorized as transient food secure group (18.38%). These findings imply that food insecurity policies and interventions in developing countries should focus not only on households that are currently food insecure, but also on those categorized as transient food insecure or households that are more likely to be food insecure in the near future.

Download Full-text

The Determinants of Agricultural Crop Productivity among Smallholder Households in Haramaya Distinct, Eastern Ethiopia

Grassroots Journal of Natural Resources ◽

10.33002/nr2581.6853.040410 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 04 (04) ◽

pp. 146-153

Author(s):

Desta Bati Nuno ◽

◽

Murad Mohammed Baker ◽

Keyword(s):

Crop Production ◽

Smallholder Farmers ◽

Organic Fertilizer ◽

Household Head ◽

Crop Productivity ◽

Sampling Procedure ◽

Agricultural Crop ◽

Linear Regression Models ◽

Eastern Ethiopia ◽

Soil Fertility Status

The agricultural crop is a backbone in Ethiopia since the country's economy is mainly dependent on agriculture, which is dominated by subsistence smallholder farmers who are partially integrated into the market. The objective of this study was to identify the determinants of crop productivity among smallholder farmers in Haramaya distinct, Eastern Ethiopia. A two-stage random sampling procedure was employed to detect a sample containing 260 smallholder households in the study area. Data was collected through semi-structured questionnaire schedules administered to the selected household farmers. The features of smallholder farmers were analyzed through descriptive statistics and multiple linear regression models. The results indicated that the length of farming experience of the household head, number of economically active members in family, amount of organic fertilizer applied, irrigated land area, and soil fertility status of farmland were the significant determinants of agricultural crop productivity. To increase the production and productivity of smallholder farms, the farmers were provided with land irrigation. Based on these findings, the study recommends the provision of organic fertilizer to farmers. Policies should also target supplying improved technology and improved seed to enhance agricultural crop production in Ethiopia.

Download Full-text

Factors influencing adoption of sustainable soil and water conservation practices among smallholder farmers in Kwara State, Nigeria

Journal of Agricultural Extension ◽

10.4314/jae.v24i4.12 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 24 (4) ◽

pp. 113-121

Author(s):

Abigail Oluwatunmise Iyilade ◽

Oluwasegun Ayodeji Alalade ◽

Morenike Peju Longe ◽

Agnes Olubunmi Alokan ◽

Blessing Akinola-soji

Keyword(s):

Significant Relationship ◽

Water Conservation ◽

Smallholder Farmers ◽

Sampling Procedure ◽

Soil And Water Conservation ◽

Conservation Practices ◽

Agricultural Policies ◽

Access To Credit ◽

Factors Influencing ◽

Soil And Water

The study examined the factors influencing the adoption of soil and water conservation practices (SWCPs) among smallholder farmers in Kwara State, Nigeria. Multi-stage sampling procedure was used to select 210 farmers. Farmers were surveyed for their adoption of eleven (11) SWCPs, and risk factors and costs of production. Poisson regression model was employed to estimate soil and water conservation practices adoption. Sex, access to credit, land acquisition, technical support, ownership of livestock, distance to input/market, marital status and formal trainings had a significant relationship with the number of soil and water conservation practices adopted by smallholder farmers (P ≤0.01). Some personal and demographic factors, institutional factors, as well as socio-economic factors have a significant relationship with soils and water conservation practices adopted by farmers. Agricultural policies should be geared towards helping smallholder farmers have access to extension service for frequent dissemination of agricultural technology as this will increase the rate of adoption of soil and water conservation practices. Keywords: Adoption, Soil and water conservation techniques; smallholder farmers, Kwara State

Download Full-text

Determinants of Smallholder Farmers’ Participation in Zambian Dairy Sector’s Interlocked Contractual Arrangements

Journal of Sustainable Development ◽

10.5539/jsd.v9n2p230 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 9 (2) ◽

pp. 230 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Rebecca N. L. Kiwanuka ◽

Charles Machethe

Keyword(s):

Smallholder Farmers ◽

Household Head ◽

Market Price ◽

Value Chains ◽

Exchange Relationship ◽

Group Discussions ◽

Contractual Arrangements ◽

Multi Stage ◽

Marketing Information ◽

Cattle Rearing

<p>Linking smallholder farmers to modern value chains through contract agriculture (CA) is one of the rural development strategies being promoted to address the challenge of smallholders’ integration in markets. However, the conditions under which CA enhances smallholders’ prospects for inclusion in modern value chains is still debatable. This paper examines the determinants of smallholders’ participation in Zambian dairy markets through interlocked contractual arrangements (ICAs). A multi-stage sampling design was used to select 266 households from milk shed areas from three districts in Lusaka and Central provinces of Zambia. A double-hurdle model was estimated from data collected through semi-structured questionnaires, key informant interviews and focus group discussions. Key determinants of smallholders’ participation in ICAs included ownership of improved breed animals, MCC milk price, access to dairy marketing information, income from other sources and landholding size. While most of these factors also affected the proportion of milk sold, the following were also important: household head education level, cattle rearing culture, extent of supplier’s dependency on buyer and trust in the exchange relationship. To enhance smallholders’ market participation, there is need to facilitate their access to extension services, infrastructure (breeding centres, MCCs and water) and affordable stock feed, and to offer them an effective milk price that is higher than the spot market price. Promotion efforts should target smallholders that are literate, from a cattle rearing culture, and particularly encourage youth and women participation. There is also need for building trust in the exchange relationship and judicious use of power by processors.</p>

Download Full-text

Vulnerability of Smallholder Farmers to Climate Change-Induced Shocks in East Hararghe Zone, Ethiopia

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13042162 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (4) ◽

pp. 2162

Author(s):

Titay Zeleke ◽

Fekadu Beyene ◽

Temesgen Deressa ◽

Jemal Yousuf ◽

Temesgen Kebede

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Smallholder Farmers ◽

Safety Net ◽

Sampling Procedure ◽

Farm Income ◽

Access To Credit ◽

Minimum Income ◽

Household Level ◽

Multi Stage ◽

Vulnerability To Climate Change

Vulnerability assessment varies widely across households, countries, and regions. Though many previous studies assessed vulnerability to climate change, their unit of analysis was aggregate. Therefore, the objective of this study was to measure the vulnerability of smallholder farmers to climate change at the household level and identify its determinant factors in east Hararghe zone. A multi-stage sampling procedure was used to select districts, kebeles, and sample respondents. Vulnerability as expected poverty approach was used to measure household-level vulnerability. Logit model was also used to assess factors contributing to households’ vulnerability. The study revealed that 73% of households were vulnerable to climate-induced shocks. Households with better farm experience, land size, livestock ownership, access to credit, access to extension service, social capital, access to climate information, non-farm income, and headed by a male were not vulnerable to climate change; whereas households who were living in low and midland agro-ecologies, far from the market, and participating in productive safety-net programs were vulnerable to climate change. The study indicated that the vulnerability of smallholder farmers was sensitive to the minimum income required to maintain daily life. Income-generating activities that supplement farm income should be well designed in policy to reduce the vulnerability of smallholder farmers.

Download Full-text

Assessment of Rural Households’ Food Insecurity in Ekiti State, Nigeria

Asian Journal of Agricultural Extension Economics & Sociology ◽

10.9734/ajaees/2020/v38i630360 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 40-49

Author(s):

S. O. W. Toluwase ◽

A. Ajiboye ◽

A. O. Adekunmi ◽

F. O. Osundare ◽

F. M. Oluwatusin ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Food Insecurity ◽

Rating Scale ◽

Rural Households ◽

Research Work ◽

Sampling Procedure ◽

Probit Regression ◽

Access To Credit ◽

Non Governmental Organizations ◽

Multi Stage ◽

Study Results

Attaining food security is one of the targets of the Sustainable Development Goals. Despite the various efforts made by governments, food insecurity continues to be a major developmental problem across the globe. Research shows that food production in Nigeria is increasing at a rate of less than 2.0% while the population growth rate is estimated to be increasing at 2.5% per annum. Therefore, this study was carried out to assess rural households’ food insecurity in Ekiti state, Nigeria. Descriptive statistics, Per-capita Food Consumption Expenditure, Probit Regression Analysis, Likert Rating Scale, and Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS) were used to achieve the objectives. A multi-stage sampling procedure was used to select 240 respondents used for the study. Results show that the respondents were in their active working age with an average age of about 46 years and marital status, educational qualification, primary occupation, access to credit, and age were significant drivers of food insecurity in the study area. Also, 68.33% of the respondents were food insecure while only 31.67% of the respondents were food secure. Seven out of ten generated perception statements developed were rated ‘agreed’ while the remaining three statements were rated disagreed. The results of HFIAS show that 31.7% of the respondents were least food insecure and 48.2% were moderately food insecure while the remaining 20.1% were most food insecure. Recommendations were made based on the findings of the research work that governmental and non-governmental organizations should make credit facilities available to the people in the study area in other to augment income inconsistency and policy measures that will enhance increase scale of production should be encouraged.

Download Full-text

Vulnerability of rural households to climate-induced shocks in Lokka Abaya district, Sidama zone, southern Ethiopia

Jàmbá Journal of Disaster Risk Studies ◽

10.4102/jamba.v13i1.1051 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Muluken Mekuyie

Keyword(s):

Rural Communities ◽

Water Conservation ◽

Smallholder Farmers ◽

Household Head ◽

Credit Market ◽

Environmental Indicators ◽

Southern Ethiopia ◽

Climate Information ◽

Male And Female ◽

Female Headed Households

This study was conducted in rural communities of Lokka Abaya district, Sidama zone, southern Ethiopia to assess vulnerability status of men and women households to climate-induced shocks and stress. This article is based on household survey, focus group discussion and key informant interviews. A total of 258 smallholder farmers were selected from three villages using stratified random sampling. A combination of social, economic and environmental indicators was employed to develop the vulnerability index of each household head and estimate quantitatively that is vulnerability is estimated as a function of adaptive capacity, exposure and sensitivity of households. The results indicated that farmers had poor access to public services including access to affordable credit, market, health services and climate information. The survey revealed that droughts, floods, soil erosion, pests and diseases were climate-related challenges in the study area. Regarding vulnerability of households to climate variability, results indicated that around 8.5% and 18.2% of male- and female-headed households, respectively, were highly vulnerable whilst 41% and 45.5% of male- and female-headed households, respectively, were moderately vulnerable. The results confirmed that 37.7% and 27.3% of male- and female-headed households, respectively, were less vulnerable. The rest 12.8% men and 9% women were not vulnerable. Therefore, there is a need to enhance access to affordable credit, market, climate information, health, income diversification of farmers, soil and water conservation and afforestation of hilly areas if farmers need to be climate resilient.

Download Full-text

Factors Affecting Adoption of Integrated Pest Management Technologies by Smallholder Common Bean Farmers in Kenya: A Case Study of Machakos and Bungoma Counties

Asian Journal of Agricultural Extension Economics & Sociology ◽

10.9734/ajaees/2019/v36i130236 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 1-12

Author(s):

Rosemary Akhungu Emongor ◽

Roselyne Juma Uside

Keyword(s):

Logistic Regression ◽

Common Bean ◽

Smallholder Farmers ◽

Household Head ◽

Sampling Procedure ◽

Descriptive Statistics ◽

Primary Data ◽

Household Food Security ◽

Significance Level ◽

Pests And Diseases

Common Bean is an important pulse crop in Kenya. The yields of common beans in Kenya have been low and declining. The decline in Common Bean yields has been due to biotic and abiotic stresses. Research was carried out to determine factors that influenced the adoption of Integrated Pests and Disease Management technologies in Bungoma and Machakos counties, Kenya. A multi-stage sampling procedure was used to randomly sample 502 smallholder farmers in Bungoma and Machakos counties. Primary data were collected from sampled farmers by carrying out face to face interviews using a structured questionnaire. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Logistic regression using Statistical Package for Social Scientists (SPSS) version 20 Software. Descriptive statistics results showed that farmers in the two study sites used both modern and indigenous technical knowledge (ITK) to control pests and diseases on their bean crops and produce. The Logistic regression results showed that five factors significantly influenced the choice of IPM technologies by farmers. These were: region, level of education of the household head, access to extension services, household food security status and availability of markets for beans. Access to extension and region were highly significant at 1% significance level. To achieve high yields the factor that significantly increased adoption of IPM in bean production such as access to extension should be enhanced.

Download Full-text

Technical Efficiency of Smallholder Agriculture in Developing Countries: The Case of Ethiopia

Economies ◽

10.3390/economies8020034 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 8 (2) ◽

pp. 34

Author(s):

Anbes Tenaye

Keyword(s):

Developing Countries ◽

Technical Efficiency ◽

Production Function ◽

Fixed Effects ◽

Unobserved Heterogeneity ◽

Smallholder Farmers ◽

Stochastic Frontier ◽

Household Head ◽

Farm Size ◽

Average Output

The efficient use of inputs is indispensable in many developing countries, such as Ethiopia. This study assesses the level and determinants of technical efficiency of smallholder farmers using the true fixed effects (TFE) model. The TFE model separates inefficiency from unobserved heterogeneity. Empirical data come from four rounds of panel data (1994–2009) from the Ethiopian rural household survey (ERHS). A one-step maximum likelihood estimator was employed to estimate the Cobb-Douglas stochastic frontier production function and factors influencing technical efficiency. The results indicated that the major variables affecting technical efficiency are policy responsive, albeit to varying degrees: education of the household head, family size, farm size, land fragmentation, land quality, credit use, extension service, off-farm employment, and crop share. The analyses also identify variables amenable to policy changes in the production function: labor, traction power, farm size, seeds, and fertilizer. The mean household-level efficiency for the surveyed farmers is 0.59, indicating that farmers could improve technical efficiency. This implies that smallholder farms in Ethiopia can reduce the input requirement of producing the average output by 41% if their operations become technically efficient. This study recommends that the above policy variables be considered to make Ethiopian smallholder farmers more efficient.

Download Full-text

Assessing Food Insecurity and Its Drivers among Smallholder Farming Households in Rural Oyo State, Nigeria: The HFIAS Approach

Agriculture ◽

10.3390/agriculture11121189 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (12) ◽

pp. 1189

Author(s):

Olutosin A. Otekunrin ◽

Oluwaseun A. Otekunrin ◽

Barbara Sawicka ◽

Piotr Pszczółkowski

Keyword(s):

Food Insecurity ◽

Sampling Procedure ◽

Farm Size ◽

Farm Income ◽

Smallholder Farming ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Piped Water ◽

Multi Stage ◽

Food Security Status ◽

Farming Households

Hunger and food insecurity take center stage in most debates in Africa, and in recent times with serious concerns about Nigeria. This study assessed food insecurity among farming households in rural Oyo State, Nigeria, using cross-sectional datasets from 211 farming households through a multi-stage sampling procedure. The Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS) module was employed in assessing food insecurity status of farming households, and the ordered logit model (OLM) was used to analyze factors influencing food insecurity among farming households. The results revealed that 12.8% of the farming households were food secure while 87.2% had varying levels of food insecurity. The OLM results indicated that age, household head’s years of schooling, gender, farm size, farm experience, non-farm income, food expenditure, and access to extension service significantly influenced food insecurity among farming households. Based on the findings, efforts should be geared towards promoting households’ education-related intervention programs in order to improve their nutrition-related knowledge that can enhance their food security status. Additionally, there should be provision of rural infrastructural facilities such as piped water, rural electrification, and healthcare service that promote healthy living and enhance households’ agricultural productivity.

Download Full-text

Smallholder Farmers’ Decision to Participate in Vegetable Marketing and the Volume of Sales in West Shewa Zone of Oromia National Regional State, Ethiopia

Sustainable Agriculture Research ◽

10.5539/sar.v8n4p48 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 8 (4) ◽

pp. 48

Author(s):

Aman Rikitu ◽

Bezabih Emana ◽

Jema Haji ◽

Ketema Bekele

Keyword(s):

Smallholder Farmers ◽

Household Head ◽

Ordinary Least Squares ◽

Vegetable Production ◽

Sales Volume ◽

Least Squares Regression ◽

Market Participation ◽

Training Centre ◽

Civic Organization ◽

Education Participation

This study examines vegetable producers’ market participation and sales volume using cross-sectional data obtained from 385 randomly and proportionately sampled households from West Shewa zone, Oromia region of Ethiopia. Heckman two-step procedure was used to analyse the determinants of participation in vegetables markets and volume of sales during the study period. Probit model shows that education level, distance to nearest market, access to irrigation, use of pesticide and participation in any civic organization significantly affect market participation decision. Further, results from ordinary least squares regression show that sex of household head, land size, distance to farmer training centre, access to irrigation, use of pesticide and participation in civic organization significantly affect the level of market participation of the farm households in vegetable markets. The findings imply that support for female households, improving adult based education, participation in civic organization, infrastructure, access to irrigation and improved inputs are a means to increase vegetable production market participation and sales volume in West Shewa, Ethiopia.

Download Full-text