Twentieth International Conference on Environmental, Cultural, Economic & Social Sustainability

Abstract

This study applies the SLF as an analytical tool to assess the root causes of livelihood vulnerability with special emphasis on four rural districts of Ethiopia. A multi-stage sampling is used to collect cross-sectional data from 471 households through self-administered questionnaire. LCI is constructed from five livelihood capitals to estimate households’ livelihood vulnerability. The study finds majority of rural households with below-average LCI due to limited access to physical and natural capitals; education, healthcare, and agriculture services, drought-prone locations, limited access to irrigation, and weak community-based networks are revealed as the root causes for livelihood vulnerability. Finally, this study suggests reasonable pricing policy of agricultural inputs and expansion of the scope and efficacy of public interventions as policy measures.