Determinants of pastoral household resilience to food insecurity in Afar region, northeast Ethiopia

Pastoralism in Ethiopia is under increasing pressure, caught in a downward spiral of resource depletion and diminishing resilience against shocks and stresses. This article identifies determinants of pastoral household resilience to food insecurity in Mille, Afar, Ethiopia. A cross-sectional survey using structured interviews of 99 randomly selected households was conducted. The data analysis consists of principal component analysis and general linear model regression. It finds that the resilience capacity of households in the study area is very weak to food insecurity shocks. Family size, age, wealth, distance to the market, irrigation access, utilization of soil and water conservation techniques, credit access, as well as the livestock diversification index significantly explain the variations in the resilience status of households. Intervention options in terms of support toward engagement of family labor for pastoral productivity, strengthening rural finance institutions, market infrastructure creation, extension support toward soil and water conservation, and utilization of irrigation for environment friendly agricultural production are key for resilience development.