The role of crop diversity in household production and food security in Uganda: A gender-differentiated analysis

The linkages between gender, crop choice and agricultural output must be explored if food security is to be ensured under changing climates. Using a rich nationally representative household panel dataset from Uganda, this paper addresses the topic empirically, bringing new evidence to a literature that has not yet fully examined the role of gender in responding to environmental shocks that increase agricultural production variability. A longitudinal analysis that endogenizes production portfolios and agricultural decision-maker gender in ascertaining productivity outcomes indicates parcel manager gender and crop diversity are distinguishing factors in the household food security function. Heterogeneity is explored in the context of diverse agro-ecological zones and differential access to factors of production

The role of crop diversity in household production and food security in Uganda: A gender-differentiated analysis

The linkages between gender, crop choice and agricultural output must be explored if food security is to be ensured under changing climates. Using a rich nationally representative household panel dataset from Uganda, this paper addresses the topic empirically, bringing new evidence to a literature that has not yet fully examined the role of gender in responding to environmental shocks that increase agricultural production variability. A longitudinal analysis that endogenizes production portfolios and agricultural decision-maker gender in ascertaining productivity outcomes indicates parcel manager gender and crop diversity are distinguishing factors in the household food security function. Heterogeneity is explored in the context of diverse agro-ecological zones and differential access to factors of production

Enhancing the inclusiveness of agro-commodity procurement zones in Ethiopia – National poverty profile

Identifying the pathways through which agricultural investments can be sustainable and inclusive requires assessments of the poverty, livelihoods and food security situation of the populations likely to be affected by such investments. This technical study provides the first in-depth look at rural areas in Ethiopia using the 2018/19 Ethiopian Socio-economic Survey, analyzing the national trends in poverty among rural households along the dimensions of economic inclusion and social sustainability. The study offers an initial characterization of poor and food-insecure people in the country and gives indications of key characteristics that may identify the poorest and most vulnerable groups, analyzed through the lens of the key features of the investments in Ethiopia’s newly developed Agro-Commodity Procurement Zones (ACPZs). The profile complements existing poverty analyses undertaken for Ethiopia, providing an analysis of poverty that is relevant to the investments in ACPZs and agriculture more broadly. Specific emphasis is placed on agricultural production regimes, especially those related to the priority commodities of the ACPZs and their relevance in terms of food and nutrition security. The constraints faced by specific population groups of interest, including rural women and youth, are also identified to inform questions concerning the inclusiveness of investments in ACPZs. Adequate attention to the issues raised in this technical study, complemented with territorial-level investigations, will serve as a basis for developing a knowledge base and targeting tools and interventions that can be operationalized by stakeholders in these investment areas

Agricultural interventions and food security in Ethiopia – What is the role of adjusting livelihood strategies?

This paper assesses the food security impacts of widespread agricultural interventions, aiming at increasing agricultural yields, and explores the role played by adjustments in rural households’ livelihood strategies in mediating those impacts. Our empirical strategy combines project and remote-sensing data with a household panel survey and exploits the timing and geographic variation in the roll-out of interventions implemented from 2011 to 2016 by the Ethiopian Agricultural Transformation Agency (ATA), recently renamed as Agricultural Transformation Institute (ATI). Results show that agricultural interventions are effectively associated with higher agricultural yields, better food security outcomes and adjustments in livelihood strategies. However, when exploring the role of livelihood strategies through a Causal Mediation Analysis, we show that livelihood adjustments do not seem to play any mediating role in food security impacts. Heterogeneity analysis suggests that the absence of a mediating role stems from agricultural interventions affecting different types of households differently: the most vulnerable households primarily benefited through food security improvements while more-endowed households adjusted their livelihood strategies