Unpacking regional variations of multidimensional food security in rural Ethiopia: insights for policy

Purpose - This study aims to measure the status of rural household food security across regions using multidimensional indicators. It also aims to identify the determinants of rural household food security in Ethiopia. Design/methodology/approach - The study adopted descriptive and explanatory designs. It used data from the fourth wave of the Ethiopian socioeconomic survey that has 3,115 respondents. The authors constructed household food security index using variables that capture availability, access, utilization and stability dimensions of food security. The authors categorized households into relative food security groups, namely, alarming and moderately food insecure, as well as moderately and highly food secure. Beta regression model, which is widely used to analyze response variables that assume values between 0 and 1, is used to estimate the determinants of food security. Findings - The study finds that 77.7% of rural households are food insecure. Of this, 90% are moderately food insecure. Regional variations in magnitude of food security showed that Harari, Gambella and Benshanguel Gumuz regional states are relatively better-off than other regions in Ethiopia. The study identified sex, education level, marital status, location and wealth status of households as significant determinants of food security. Originality/value - This study sheds light on regional variations in multidimensional food security in Ethiopia. It thus challenged previous estimates of food security using uni-dimensional indicator. It highlighted the need for region-specific analysis of determinants and a follow up of tailored regional interventions. Peer review - The peer review history for this article is available at:https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/IJSE-02-2023-0139