Determinants of Rural Households’ Vulnerability to Food Insecurity in Gamo Gofa Zone, Southern Ethiopia

Abstract The aim of this study was to measure the level and determinants of rural households’ vulnerability to food insecurity using a sample of 574 households and feasible generalized least square method. Results showed that the mean level of food insecurity at high land, low land and middle land areas are 73.12, 77.11 and 52.24 percent respectively. But mean level of vulnerability to food insecurity at high land, low land and middle land areas are 76.87, 84.32 and 55.62 percent respectively. The overall level of food insecurity and vulnerability to food insecurity in the study area are 68.31 and 73.34 perecent respectively. Thus, vulnerability to food insecurity is more wide spread in the study areas particularly in moisture stress low land area. Logistic regression showed that age of household, family size, off farm income, safety net programs, distance from health, death of household members and death of animals significantly increase rural households’ vulnerability to food insecurity. But, farm income, irrigation use and credit uses significantly decrease rural households’ vulnerability to food insecurity. Hence, government may help rural households to gather more resources and reduce vulnerability to food insecurity via better access to credit, infrastructure, irrigation uses and population control.