Exposure to climate and vulnerability to food insecurity in Ethiopia

Food insecurity is increasing in severity, with more than two billion people experiencing a lack of nutritious and affordable food. Research in climate change and food systems has generally emphasized crop production and child anthropometric outcomes, with limited focus on the complex linkages between climate variability, household food security, and gender. This paper examines the impacts of climate on diet diversity and coping mechanisms by drawing on nationally representative longitudinal data from Ethiopia through the Living Standards Measurement Surveys – Intensive Surveys on Agriculture (LSMS-ISA) and multiple measures of food insecurity to address vulnerability and resilience. To measure climate exposures, high- resolution data on rainfall and heat shocks from UCSB’s CHIRPS and CHIRTSmax will be used at a 5km climate grid (0.05o). A regression of food security outcomes as a function of climate anomalies, gender, controls, and interactions will be used to directly measure inequities across households and vulnerability to food insecurity.Master of Art