Impact of Climate-Smart Crop Intensification on Rural Household Food Security in North Wollo Zone, Ethiopia

Abstract

Land degradation and climate change are interconnected environmental pressing challenges that significantly contribute to declining agricultural productivity and worsening food insecurity in Ethiopia. To address these challenges, the Ethiopian government introduces climate-smart agricultural practices, including drought-tolerant and early-maturing crop varieties, small-scale irrigation practices, and efficient fertilizer use. This study examined the impact of climate-resilient crop intensification strategies on household food security, measured by household food consumption score (HFCS), household dietary diversity score (HDDS), and household food insecurity access scale (HFIAS). The data were collected from 411 smallholder farmers using structured questionnaires, focus group discussions, and key informant interviews. The multistage sampling technique was employed to select study participants. Analysis techniques involved descriptive statistics, the food security index, the ordered probit model, and an endogenous switching regression model. The study reveals the multidimensional nature of household food security: 87.83% of households have better food access (HFCS), 56.45% have moderate dietary quality (HDDS), yet 70.8% experience food insecurity (HFIAS), highlighting persistent access challenges. Adopting all three climate-smart crop intensification strategies considered in this study, including maturing crop varieties, small-scale irrigation practices, and efficient fertilizer use, significantly improves household food consumption and dietary diversity while reducing food insecurity. Joint adoption of these strategies increases food variety by 90.5% and decreases food insecurity by 69.9%. Effective extension services, irrigation infrastructure, and viable crop varieties are crucial for enhancing adoption rates and improving food security. The findings of this study emphasized the importance of integrating multiple climate-smart agricultural practices to enhance food security in Ethiopia. By adopting a combination of drought-tolerant crops, small-scale irrigation, and efficient fertilizer use, smallholder farmers can significantly improve their household food consumption and dietary diversity while reducing food insecurity. It is recommended that smallholder farmers adopt a combination of climate-smart strategies to enhance crop productivity and food security, supported by strengthened extension services that provide implementation guidance.