Effects of Livelihood Diversification on Rural Households’ Food Security in Lemo Woreda of Hadiya Zone, Southern Ethiopia

Abdirazak Abdala Ulisido; Adugna Eneye

Abstract

In Ethiopia, particularly in Hadiya Zone, rural households combine diverse portfolios of activities in their pursuit of improving food security. The aim of the present study was to examine the impact of diversifying livelihoods on the food security of rural households in the southern region of Ethiopia. The present study utilized a sample of 194 respondents, from whom both qualitative and quantitative data were collected and analyzed. Focus group discussions, key informants and interview schedule were used to collect the data. Descriptive statistics and multinomial logit were employed to analyze the data.The descriptive analysis showed that, age, education, land size, livestock holding, input use, leadership position, membership to the cooperatives, credit use, remittance, extension contact, and food aid significantly differentiated food insecure and food secure households and tend to enhance food securitywhile, sex and family size significantly reduced food security. Moreover, distance to near markets was significant but did not enhance or reduce food security at different probability levels. Livelihood diversification positively and significantly influenced food security at less than 1% level of probability. The study concluded that livelihood diversification had a favorable effect on food security of ruralhouseholds. Therefore, supporting rural households’ participation in diverse livelihood portfolio need to be emphasized by policymakers and other concerned bodies enhancing food security.

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