CHAPTER ONE
1. INTRODUTION
1.1Backgrount of study
Ethiopia, Africa's second most populated country, is nevertheless experiencing rapid
economic growth. Ethiopia's real GDP (gross domestic product) increased by 6.2% in 2023
(International Monetary Fund, 2024). In fiscal year 2022/2023, the real GDP grew by 7.2%,
according to government figures (Ethiopian News Agency, 2024), which is higher than the
sub-Saharan African average of 3.3% (United Nations Development Programme, 2024).
Ethiopia's gross national income per capita is $1,020, making it one of the continent's poorest
nations despite this steady rise (World Bank, 2024). Youth unemployment and rising inflation
are major issues. Ethiopia's general inflation rate rose from 33.5% in May 2023 to 30.8% in
May 2023 (Ethiopian Statistical Service, 2023). Urban and rural youth unemployment rates
are 23% and 12%, respectively, and the majority of migrants departing the country in search
of better economic prospects are young people between the ages of 15 and 29 (Ethiopian
Statistical).
Food insecurity is still a problem, though, as the population grows and becomes more
demanding. One of the nations most impacted by famine and food insecurity is Ethiopia.
Both temporary and long-term food insecurity have impacted a sizable section of the
populace. People who experience chronic food insecurity are facing an increasingly dire
scenario. It has a strong correlation with the nation's frequent food shortages and famines,
which are brought on by drought. Over 13 million Ethiopians experience food insecurity, and
over 68% of the country's population lives in MPL, according to FAO (2024).
In Ethiopia, the second most populous country in Africa after Nigeria, food insecurity is a
serious and persistent problem. Living in rural areas and relying primarily on rain-fed
agriculture, more than 80% of Ethiopians are particularly sensitive to weather fluctuations
(Christensen et al., 2007; Andersen et al., 2009; World Bank, 2010; Oxfam International,
2010). The current El Niño drought conditions caused food security to drastically worsen; at
the end of the same year, the estimated number of people experiencing food insecurity had
more than doubled from 4.5 million in August 2015 (FAO, 2015).
In order to address the issues of hunger and food insecurity in developing nations like
Ethiopia, governments, donors, international assistance organizations, and multilateral
development bodies have distributed millions of dollars. To attain food self-sufficiency and
less reliance on food aid, the Ethiopian government and foreign donors implement various
approaches to food insecurity. Particularly after the Productive Safety Net Program (PSNP)
was put into place in 2005, the government and its partners committed significant annual
expenditures to reducing the issues of both temporary and chronic food insecurity. They then
assert that, while taking into consideration the diversity of the national economy, they handle
the supply and demand side at the household and national levels. The strategy's three main
pillars were: ensuring food-deficit households had access to food (demand-based responses;
i.e., improving income, making productive assets available to vulnerable groups, and other
market and non-market transfers); boosting emergency response capability; and increasing
food availability (supply side responses) through domestic (own) production (i.e., increasing
the level and stability of production, increasing food reserve, and influencing international
food markets). There are still millions of people experiencing food insecurity worldwide,
many of whom reside in developing nations, especially in Africa, despite the numerous
initiatives and programs pertaining to food security (FAO, 2013).
those who reside in underdeveloped nations, especially those in Africa (FAO, 2013).
1.2 Statement of the problem
A large portion of the Ethiopian population has been affected by chronic and transitory food
insecurity. The situation of chronically food insecure people is more and more severe. Food
security situation in Ethiopia is highly linked up to severe, recurring food shortage and
Famine, which is associated with recurrent drought. Cur-rently, there is a growing consensus
that food insecurity and poverty problems are closely related in the Ethiopian context. More
than 50% of the total population, of whom the majority reside in rural areas, does not have
access to the medically recommended minimum average daily intake of 2100 cal per person
per day [3].Mostly food insecure households are concentrated in part of southern Ethiopia,
generally described as drought- and famine-prone areas. One of these is the mixed farming
production system area which is konso zone. Most of the land resources (mainly the soils and
vegetation) of this part of the country have been highly degraded because of the interplay
between some environ-mental and human factors such as relief, climate, population pressure
and the resultant over-cultivation of the land, deforestation of vegetation and overgrazing.
The area is generally considered as resource poor with limited or no potential and hence
highly vulnerable to drought.The present study area, Kenna Woreda, is one of the food
insecure Woreda of Southern region because the number of chronically food insecure
population aided by productive safety net program (PSNP) for the past years was about 8,300
beneficiaries].The area is vulnerable for child and maternal malnutrition (stunting, wasting
and underweight),infection of malaria, starvation, dependency, drop out of education,
migration and need of emergency food aid. This implies the existence of socioeconomic,
demographic and other factors underlying the poverty and food insecurity problem in the
study area. Having this background, this study has been done to investigate the food
insecurity and its determinants in rural households in kenna Wored.
1.3 Objectives of the study
The general objective of this research paper is to investigate the factors affecting
rural household food security in the Konso Zone, Kenna Woreda.
1.4 Specific Objectives:
To assess how socioeconomic determinants affect food insecurity in Kenna Woreda
households.
To investigate how the study area's rural households' food security is affected by
environmental conditions.
To examine how household food security levels in Konso Zone, Kenna Woreda, are
influenced by demographic parameters.
To evaluate coping mechanisms, such as cutting back on meals, selling animals, and
depending on humanitarian assistance, that households have used in response to food
insecurity.
1.4. Significance of the Study
This study was focused on evaluating factor affecting the rural household food security in
Kenna woread ;konso zone; south Ethiopia. Evaluation of factors related to food insecurity is
relevant as it helps to provide empirical evidence to either validate or deny the existing
arguments in relation to the factors bringing food insecurity. The results of the study will help
policymakers and other stakeholders to design appropriate policies and interventions at
district ,zonal, regional and national level and used as a reference for further study on related
topics.
1.5. Scope and Limitation of the Study
The study was focused on factor affecting the rural households’ food security in Kenna
woread ;konso zone; south Ethiopia . This could be seen as the foremost scope and limitation
ofthis study. Other districts of the zone were beyond the scope of the study. The study also
focused on rural households, while urban households were beyond the scope of this study.
Absence of reliable data in the district office was also presented limitation to this study. To
Overcome this problem, primary data was collected from targeted households.
1.6. Organization of the Paper
The rest of the paper has organized as follows. Chapter two presents a review of past
literature on food insecurity and related issue. Chapter three outlines the research
methodology, chapter four the proposal budet and time plan.
