| Summary: | With an increasing rate of urbanisation in East Africa, and with the highest prevalence rate of
undernourished population than any region in the developing world, the issue of food access
insecurity in urban areas has received considerable attention. While there are noticeable differences
between big, medium- and small-sized towns, the variation in the household’s response to food access
insecurity across urban hierarchies remains largely unexplored. This study aimed to investigate the
social, economic and demographic factors in coping with food access insecurity among households in
urban slum areas of Ethiopia.
The study used both secondary and primary data sources. The national surveys of household
consumption and expenditure survey and welfare monitoring surveys of 2004/5, 2010/11, and
2015/16 was used to analyse the food security situation in Ethiopia across time and urban hierarchies.
Primary data of 500 households and three focus group discussions were conducted from slum areas of
Addis Ababa, Hawassa, and Sheki representing a big city, medium- and small-sized town,
respectively. The household survey data were subjected to descriptive statistical analysis and a
standard regression model to investigate the relationship between factors such as household structure
and composition, economic resources, social protection programmes and projects, and urban-rural
linkages with coping with food access insecurity across urban hierarchies. A global model and three
site-specific regression models were constructed.
Descriptive results from both the primary and the secondary data sources have revealed that the
proportion of the households affected by food shortage varies across the urban hierarchy that food
insecurity was highest in the small-sized town as compared with the medium-sized town and the big
city. The quality of food consumed was consistently low among female-headed households regardless
of their socio-economic characteristics when compared with male-headed households. The result of
the regression analysis for the global model has shown that economic resources (asset and source of
income) predict nearly half of the variability in coping with food access insecurity. Household
structure and composition such as gender and education of the head of the household, family structure
(nuclear/extended), and the ratio of young children in the household predict a quarter of the variability
in coping. Social protection programs and services predict one-tenth; the remaining variability in
coping is explained by the combined effect of all the factors involved.
The significance of these factors in predicting coping with food access insecurity, however, varies
across the urban hierarchies. The contribution of economic factors in predicting coping is the highest
at the big city (Addis Ababa); household structure and composition took the leading role in predicting
coping at the small-sized town (Sheki); the significant factors in predicting coping at the mediumsized
town (Hawassa) was the combined effect of all the factors involved. Household characteristics
such as female headship, a higher ratio of young children, low education of the household head, lack
of access to the financial loan, asset and income poverty, and weak linkages with kin structure at rural
areas increase vulnerability to food insecurity and put households under stress to cope with food
access insecurity.
The study results show that the traditional urban-rural dichotomy may not suffice to portray the
degree of food insecurity, as well as the mechanisms how food insecure households strive to cope
with food access insecurity, which varies across the continuum of urban hierarchies. Those who wish
to support food insecurity challenges need to be sensitive to the variability of factors in coping with
food access insecurity across urban hierarchies. During policy, design and program implementation
policymakers and international partners need to consider that the needs and coping mechanisms of
urban households vary across urban hierarchies besides the other social, economic and demographic
variables. === Development Studies === Ph. D. (Development Studies)
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