Determinants of food and nutrition security: Evidence from crop-livestock mixed farming households of central and eastern Ethiopia

Despite significant progresses made as part of the 2030 sustainable development goals ambition, “zero hunger and malnutrition”, global food insecurity and malnutrition are rising. The purpose of this study was to identify factors associated with livestock-crop mixed farm households' food and nutrition security outcomes in central and eastern Ethiopia. In order to achieve this objective, primary data collected from 410 households across five districts were used. Monthly food consumption expenditure per adult equivalent and food consumption score (FCS) were used to capture the multidimensional nature of food and nutrition security. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the key variables of interest while the econometric analysis was used to identify the factors associated with the household food and nutrition security outcomes. The finding reveals that 31.46% of the households had monthly food consumption expenditure below the food poverty line, while the average FCS was 59.34. The econometric models result reveals that educational level of the household head and access to extension services were positively associated with the probability of the household being food secure and the FCS. Also, total land owned was positively associated with the probability of the household being food secure, while family size was negatively associated with it. The finding further reveals that livestock size and off-farm and/or non-farm employment were positively associated with the FCS, while the age of the household and crop loss were negatively associated with it. Hence, the findings emanating from this study seem to suggest that policy makers and development partners interested in the reduction of food and nutrition insecurity may focus on the variables found to be significantly associated with the households’ food and nutrition security. [Display omitted] •The study investigates factors influencing farm household food and nutrition security in Ethiopia.•Demographic, socioeconomic, and institutional variables are found to be associated with food and nutrition security outcomes.•Crop loss due to external damage significantly deteriorated farm household food security.