Abstract

The objective of this paper is to examine the causes of food insecurity in Wolayta.  This question is of interest since it has been argued that there is no problem of underdevelopment that can be more serious than food insecurity. The study showed that the majority of the rural households (74.2%) are food insecure.  A binary logistic model is used to determine the factors, which influence households’ food security status. The results obtained from the analysis indicate those households with large family sizes, large dependents, and young heads were food insecure. Besides livestock ownerships, farm inputs, employment in off farm sectors and value own consumption were the determinants of household food security. This finding strongly supports that input access by the poor, promotion of family planning; enhancing livestock packages, facilitation of credit service, creation of off farm opportunities, delivery of food aid for emergency needy groups, can mitigate food insecurity in the study area.

Key words: Causes of food insecurity, binary logit, Wolayta, Ethiopia.