Impact of agricultural diversification and off-farm income on household food security in rural Ethiopia: A dose-response analysis

Abstract

In developing countries like Ethiopia, food insecurity is a widespread problem that affects about 58% of the population, especially in rural areas, where diversifying agriculture and finding off-farm employment is crucial to improve household food security. Despite previous studies investigating the relationships between farm diversification, off-farm employment, and food security, the results have been mixed, and the impact may depend on the intensity of the interventions. This study aimed to examine the effects of farm diversification and off-farm employment intensities on food security using cross-sectional data from 295 randomly selected rural households in Ethiopia. To estimate dose-response functions, we used a generalized linear model adjusted for generalized propensity score as treatments are continuous and not necessarily normally distributed. The findings revealed that diversifying crops in rainy season up to a certain level (0.3) and specializing in dry season improved food consumption and dietary diversity, which highlighted the importance of income generated from diverse farming and specialization in the respective season. Additionally, livestock diversity could improve food security, mainly from diverse food groups (0.6) may suggest that livestock husbandry is more nutrition sensitive than cropping. The study recommends that households focus on cash crop production during dry season to increase income and promote diversification up to certain level (0.3) during rainy season to improve food security through subsistence and income pathways. Off-farm employment is also suggested as a means of enhancing household resilience to withstand shocks and improve agricultural productivity.