HOUSEHOLD FOOD INSECURITY SITUATION AND THEIR COPING STRATEGIES IN URBAN SETTING: THE CASE OF GIMBICHU TOWN, HADIYA ZONE, SNNPR, ETHIOPIA.

Abstract

Now a day food insecurity issues become one of the serious concern and top priority area for developing countries. Urban areas are faced with the problem of increasing population and c onsequently inadequate supply of food items. With the current progressing urbanization , increasing urban poverty trends, and rapid run-up in prices of food, the question of urban food insecurity could become one of the greatest challenge for many urban households, and the concern of food insecurity are progressively shifting from rural to urban. Hence, this study was conducted to assess household’s food insecurity situation, to identify the factors affecting food insecurity on the households as well as their coping strategies. In order to achieve these objectives demographic and as socio-economic data were collected, the researcher has used 125 respondents for questionnaire, and 13 FGD respondents, 12 key info rmant interview respondents. Households were selected using systematic random sampling pr ocedure proportional to size from the selected three kebele of the study area. Totally 150 individuals were involved during data collection in the study area. Both qualitative and quantitative methodologies were applied. The triangulation of structured interview of sample households, in-depth interview with key informants, focus group discussions, observations, published and unpublished materials were employed as sources of data. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics such as table, figure, percentage, and frequency distribution. HH size, HHHs income, HHHs age, HHHs education, owning bank account, marital status, and income from remittance and gift were found to influence the HHs food insecurity in the study area. The finding of the study on the types of coping strategies used by households in the study area has shown that HHs implement various coping strategies at the food shortages. On the other hand, reduction of the size of meals; reduction in number of meals per day, barrowing cash, received food aid and become daily labor were found to be more frequently practiced coping strategies. From the coping strategies of households 69(55.2%) respondents told cheaper foods, 43(34.4%) respondents used reduced meal frequencies and 13(10.4%) respondents used smaller quantities to eat. The major copin g strategies against food shortags were the purchase of less preferred food and reduction in t he quantity of meals. Moreover, the study recommended the capacity building for elderly and female headed household, provision of better family planning to reduce HH size ; getting be tter urban infrastructure and social services, promoting urban agriculture and strengthen HH asset building programs to strengthen the link between urban development and food security programs and rural development as strategies t o enhance the accessibility of food for urban HHs. The study recommends that efforts at reducing food insecurity among urban HHs should focus on increasing urban HH income and food supply.