Determinants of food insecurity among rural households of South Western Ethiopia

This study seeks to determine households’ determinants of food insecurity among rural households in Woliso district, South Western Ethiopia. The main objective of this study is to identify factors influencing food insecurity in the study area. The study used household-level survey data collected from 122 sample households in Woliso district, and systematic random sampling technique was employed to select the sample households. Calorie acquisition by households was used to categorize the sample households into food secure and food insecure. Accordingly, results of descriptive analysis show that about 25.4 % and 74.6 % of the sample households were found to be food insecure and food secure, respectively. Comparison of percentage of food insecurity was also conducted between two-groups for some discrete variables, and results revealed that food insecurity significantly varies between the two groups. Results of the logit model showed that household’s education level, dependency ratio, amount of amount of land and amount of fertilize have significantly influenced the level of food insecurity in the study area. Policy interventions aimed to change food security situation in the study area need to be diversified by focusing on enhancing family planning programs, promoting access to basic education to rural households and efficient functioning of land markets. Key words: Food insecurity, calorie acquisition, logit model, Woliso district.