Land size and landlessness as connotations for food security in rural low-income farmers: A case of Gedeo Zone, Southern Ethiopia

Abstract

Food insecurity and rural vulnerability is a major problem for landless and low-income farmers. However, identifying the main causes and consequence of food insecurity in rural low-income farmers is not very well understood by policy makers to design and implement more effective policies and programs to seek solution. The study examines the cause and consequences of food insecurity for rural low-income farmers. Analytical tools used include descriptive statistics and causal-chain analysis connecting problems on the local level with regional dimensions. The study revealed that households in the area were vulnerable to food insecurity primarily due to landless and land fragmentation. The result of survey indicates that from the sampled 468 households, 32.1, 14.98 and 52.89% are landless, have land <0.1 ha and 0.1 to 0.5 ha respectively which is a critical factor for food insecurity and rural vulnerability of the area. Besides, population density, low income, lack of education, access to health is also responsible factor for rural vulnerability. Based on the result of this study 47, 26, 14 and 13% of children and lactating mothers, disabled, landless and elders respectively were the most vulnerable group to food insecurity in the area. It is also confirmed that poverty (69.4%: p<0.001) is one of the major social aspect for food insecurity. Household food security should be improved in the region by focusing on education, creation of income generating opportunities, livestock and accesses to different productive assets affecting low income and food insecurity. The findings also imply that even though Ethiopian agricultural strategy has ambitious policy commitment, the agricultural extension problem has not been solved. To address this, Ethiopia has to invest in national level collective agricultural research and development, timely access to high quality agricultural inputs with optimum price, intensive irrigated agriculture, and expanded knowledge dissemination network to smallholder farmers.