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Research article - Peer-reviewed, 2021

Determinants of pastoral household resilience to food insecurity in Afar region, northeast Ethiopia

Melketo, Tagesse; Schmidt, Martin; Bonatti, Michelle; Sieber, Stefan; Mueller, Klaus; Lana, Marcos

Abstract

Pastoralism in Ethiopia is under increasing pressure, caught in a downward spiral of resource depletion and diminishing resilience against shocks and stresses. This article identifies determinants of pastoral household resilience to food insecurity in Mille, Afar, Ethiopia. A cross-sectional survey using structured interviews of 99 randomly selected households was conducted. The data analysis consists of principal component analysis and general linear model regression. It finds that the resilience capacity of households in the study area is very weak to food insecurity shocks. Family size, age, wealth, distance to the market, irrigation access, utilization of soil and water conservation techniques, credit access, as well as the livestock diversification index significantly explain the variations in the resilience status of households. Intervention options in terms of support toward engagement of family labor for pastoral productivity, strengthening rural finance institutions, market infrastructure creation, extension support toward soil and water conservation, and utilization of irrigation for environment friendly agricultural production are key for resilience development.

Keywords

General linear model; Pastoralism; Principal component analysis; Resilience; Food insecurity

Published in

Journal of Arid Environments
2021, Volume: 188, article number: 104454
Publisher: ACADEMIC PRESS LTD- ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD

    Sustainable Development Goals

    SDG2 Zero hunger
    SDG9 Industry, innovation and infrastructure

    UKÄ Subject classification

    Ecology

    Publication identifier

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaridenv.2021.104454

    Permanent link to this page (URI)

    https://res.slu.se/id/publ/111436