Food insecurity and Coping Strategies in Protracted conflict Settings: the case of N/Wollo and Waghumera zones, Ethiopia

Currently, food security issues have become a life-threatening concern and topmost priority for developing countries, particularly in Ethiopia. Thus, the main intent of this study was to identify the rural households’ food insecurity and their coping strategies in protracted conflict settings of North Wollo and Waghumera zones, Ethiopia. The study employed mixed research approach with a cross sectional survey research design. The required data was collected both from primary and secondary sources. Multistage sampling procedure, involving a combination of purposive and simple random sampling techniques, was employed to select 292 sample household heads. Household survey and key informant interviews are the principal tools used to collect the required data. In analyzing and interpreting the quantitative data, descriptive statistical techniques and binary logistic regression model, by the help of SPSS version 26, are used while a narrative technique is used to analyze the qualitative data. Particularly, Dietary Energy Supply, Household food insecurity Access scale and Household Food Insecurity Access Prevalence were used to identify the food security status of the sample respondents. Descriptive statistical tools are employed to pinpoint the main coping strategies against food shortage and binary logistic regression method is employed to handle the main determinants of food insecurity. The results showed that 76%, 84.1% and 85.6% of the sample household heads were found to be food insecurity with respect to Household Food Insecurity Access Prevalence, Household Food Insecurity Access Scale and Dietary Energy Supply, indicators respectively. The analyses of coping strategies indicated that the majority of the sample households were used purchasing food on credit basis, relying on less preferred and less expensive foods, restricting adults consumption in order for small children to eat, reducing number of meals eaten in a day, and limiting portion size at meal time as a coping strategies against food shortage . The logistic regression model result shows that educational level of the household head, access to health extension workers, urban linkages and use of improved seeds were found to be statistically negative determinants of food insecurity while the household size positively determine the food insecurity. The findings of this study confirmed that food insecurity is more devastating, and the coping strategies were more of passionate and selflessness. Moreover, the determinants of food insecurity were strongly ties with demographic and institutional factors. Thus, this suggests that policy makers need to identify and focus on the most suitable strategies for supporting the food in-secured households, coping strategies and their determinant factors.