Abstract

Chronic food insecurity and undernutrition are major public health concerns facing Ethiopia. Drawing upon the Sustainable Livelihoods Approach (SLA), this study had three primary objectives: describe the prevalence of food insecurity among rural households in the Tigray region of Ethiopia; analyze associations between food security and SLA asset categories; and discuss how local data can inform the design and evaluation of multi-sectoral food security programs to better address the upstream, socio-economic determinants. Study households (n = 300) were classified into three food security levels using a modified Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS): food-secure, mild food insecurity, and moderate food insecurity. Factors associated with household food insecurity were identified using multivariable logistic regression. Food insecurity was experienced seasonally within the study population, as 34% of households reported food insecurity in the last 30 days, but 79% reported it in the last 12 months. Food-insecure households were more likely to be located in the Eastern zone (OR 5.2; CI 1.9–13.5; p = 0.006), lack access to credit (OR 4.9; CI 1.5–15.8; p=0.008), not own a mobile phone (OR 3.4; CI 1.7–6.8; p = 0.001), have a mother who was sick in the last 30 days (OR 2.9; CI 1.4–6.0; p = 0.004), and have a mud roof (OR 17.3; CI 2.9–101.1; p = 0.001). Factors not significantly associated with food insecurity (p < 0.05) in the study population included dietary diversity, age and education of the household head, and number of children. Our findings suggest policy and program strategies are needed that not only build single assets (e.g., increased agricultural yields and incomes) at the individual and household levels, but also work across sectors and incorporate broader policy, systems, and environmental change to better address food insecurity’s complex and underlying determinants.