Multidimensional food security status of households and its determinants in Dera Woreda, North West Ethiopia

Abstract

The concept of food security and its measurement approach has evolved over time. Previously, food security was primarily viewed from the supply side (food availability). Today, however, food security is recognized as a multidimensional concept encompassing at least four components: food availability, access, utilization, and stability. Consequently, national and international food policymakers require information generated from multidimensional food security indicators. Despite this need, studies to date have often analyzed food security using a single dimension. This study employed a recently developed approach, called the Multidimensional Food Security Index (MFI), to analyze the multidimensional food security status of households and its determinants in Dera Woreda. The index was developed from 24 questions designed to address different dimensions of food security (quantity, quality/diversity, and acceptability). Data were collected from 205 randomly selected households, four focus group discussions, and eight key informant interviews. The findings show that 43.41%, 26.34%, 19.02%, and 11.22% of households fall into the categories of mildly food insecure, food secure, moderately food insecure, and severely food insecure, respectively, in terms of multidimensional food security. Using a multinomial logit model, household-level variables such as the age of respondents, family size, farm income, marital status, and total farm size were identified as determinants of multidimensional food security in the study area. The study concluded that, despite the production potential, food insecurity prevalence in the area is high. Therefore, to improve the multidimensional food security status of households, relevant stakeholders should undertake both short-and long-term actions, focusing on the variables identified as determinants of multidimensional food security.