Determinants of Food Security and its Role of Market Access in Enhancing Food Security in Rural Ethiopia: A Case Study Among Rural Smallholder Farm Households of Gombora Woreda in Hadiya Zone, Ethiopia

The study was conducted in SNNPR; Hadiya Zone in Gombora Woreda to assess the status of smallholder farming household’s food security, and its determinants including the role of market accessibility factors in increasing food security at smallholder farm households level. The data used for the study were obtained from 364 randomly selected sample households in the study area. The data for the study was collected from both primary and secondary sources. For the primary data collection, questionnaires was designed and pre-tested based on the objective of the study in the study area. The questionnaires schedule was tested at the farm level on 10 randomly selected farm households. The study was employed both descriptive and econometric data analysis methods. Binary logistic regression model was employed to analyze the market accessibility factors in enhancing food security at smallholder farm household’s level. Results of econometric model showed that the age of household, education level, use of credit, monthly income, and distance to road, distance to market, extension services and crop diseases were significantly determining rural smallholder farm household’s food security. The results suggest that local food security can be enhanced by creating off-farm employment opportunities, improved transportation facilities and road infrastructure. So, government should exhaustively work on promoting irrigation, providing credit, enhancing extension service and subsidize the farmers in the area of agricultural sector to solve the problem of food insecurity and should give due emphasis to female headed households to empower economically. Keywords: Econometric Analysis, Food Security, Binary logistic regression model DOI: 10.7176/FSQM/100-05 Publication date:August 31st 2020