Rural households’ vulnerability to food insecurity in Boset District, central Ethiopia

Abstract

Rural households in Ethiopia are vulnerable to food insecurity due to the unprecedented climate variability and the incidence of poverty. This study examines the levels of vulnerability to food insecurity in Boset District of East Shewa Zone, Central Ethiopia. Food insecurity is recurrent in this area and the social vulnerability aspect of the society has received little attention from researchers. The study was conducted by adopting the mixed methods approach, in which 397 household were surveyed, key informants were interviewed, focus group discussions were held, and observations were made. The levels of vulnerability were measured through the Integrated Vulnerability Assessment Approach and weights were applied for each of the indicator variables via a Principal Component Analysis (PCA). More than half (52.6%) of the total respondents were found to be highly vulnerable, i.e., with negative potential impact, followed by 28.5% being vulnerable, and 18.9% less vulnerable. The results also showed a statistically significant difference (p<1%) in levels of vulnerability to food insecurity across the sample kebeles. Hence, to lessen the resulting potential impact of exposure and sensitivity, interventions should focus on enhancing the adaptive capacities of households, and need to prioritize those kebeles with high levels of vulnerability. Furthermore, results of the study suggest that future research should take into account the time dimension of vulnerability to food insecurity.

Keywords: adaptive capacity; climate variability; exposure; food insecurity; integrated vulnerability assessment; sensitivity