CONTRIBUTION OF HOT PEPPER PRODUCTION TO HOUSEHOLD FOOD SECURITY: THE CASE OF GURSUM DISTRICT, OROMIA REGIONAL STATE, ETHIOPIA

Abstract

Food insecurity is the key policy challenge for Ethiopia in general and Gursum district in particular. To combat this problem diversifying the smallholders’ farming systems and income sources is an option. In this regards, the production of cash crops like hot pepper, groundnut and other market-oriented crops is indispensable. Although hot pepper production is important source of income of households, systematic and rigors analysis of its contribution to households’ food security has not been done in Gursum district. Thus, this research was undertaken in Gursum district of Oromia regional state in two kebeles with the objectives of examining food security status of household, analyzing the contribution of hot pepper in household food security and identifying the factors affecting household food security and hot pepper production. The research used primary data generated from 150 randomly selected sample households and secondary data from secondary sources. Household calorie consumption method was used to identify food security status of the sample household. The collected data were analyzed by using descriptive statistics like mean, standard deviation, frequency and percentage. The chi-square(X2) test for systematic association of discrete/dummy variables with food security status and t-test for mean difference of continuous variables for food secure and food insecure households were used. Binary logit model was used to identify the factors affecting household food security in the study area. Among twelve hypothesized variables five were significantly affect food security status of the household those were household size at p<5%, land size at p<1%, level of education at p<5%, non-farm participation and income from hot pepper at p<1% probability level. In general from the empirical analysis, similar to other studies on income from cash crop has contribution for food security, thus, this study also confirms that income from hot pepper has significant contribution in improving food security status of the household. But low price, lack of improved and other constraints challenges the production of hot pepper. Therefore, local government, both local and international Non-government Organizations and other stakeholders should jointly work on hot pepper production and its income to improve food security of household.