Abstract:
Drought is among the leading causes of vulnerability within resource poor households and
affects humanity in a number of ways such as causing loss of life, crop failures, food
shortages, malnutrition, health issues and mass migration in Sub-Saharan Africa. The study
examined drought, food insecurity and livelihood strategies by smallholder farmers in Dire
Dawa Administration, Ethiopia. The general objective of the study was to explore drought,
food insecurity and livelihood strategies by smallholder farmers at Dire Dawa
Administration, Ethiopia. Cross sectional survey research design, quantitative and qualitative
approaches and purposive sampling technique was used. Primary data were collected from
selected 314 HHs, whereas, secondary data were collected from published, unpublished and
web sources. Both descriptive and econometric data analysis techniques were applied using
SPSS software. The study revealed that 70.4% households were found to be food insecure and
crop failure was reported to be the worst immediate impact by 79% of the respondents;
moreover, 70.8% of them referred it to be the main cause of food shortages. The Standardized
Precipitation Index result indicated that rainfall scarcity had occurred for nineteen years
from the total of thirty years; furthermore, sixteen different livelihood strategies have been
identified and work for food (98%), sold livestock (96%) and borrowing cash (83%) were
ranked as effective livelihood strategies whereas rented land (27%) and withdraw children
from school (27%)were identified as a least option. The multiple logistic regression model
result for determinants revealed that, the choice of participated in off-farm activities was
determined by age, farm size and access to credit service whereas the choice of soil and water
conservation activities was determined by age and annual expense. In designing strategies
and interventions aimed at enhancing the livelihood of farm households, it is therefore
imperative that different income generating activities and moisture conservation technologies
are taken in to consideration.
