Abstract

Becho Wereda has been perceived to have a surplus food situation for a long time This study was therefore conducted with the main objective of looking into the reality of this long held perception in the area To this effect a total of 145 households were randomly sampled from the three purposively selected kebeles Primary data were collected through Household Survey Questionnaire Focus Group Discussion Key Informant Interview Individual Case Studies and Field Observation Household Food Balance Model was used to quantify households daily per capita calorie available for consumption Statistical techniques like frequency percentage and measures of central tendencies were mainly used to analyze the data It was found out that unlike the long held external perception about 38 of the study households failed even to satisfy the minimum recommended daily per capita dietary caloric requirement for an active and healthy life High fertilizer price shortage of farm land erratic rainfall pattern water logging poor soil fertility lack of oxen lack of grazing land crop disease and insect pests lack of improved seed supply and lack of farm machineries were identified to have mainly constraining food production among the study households Seasonality of food shortage was also found to prevail in the area against which households developed different behavioral and material responses It is therefore likely to yield better results in terms of improved agricultural practices and technologies and alternative employment opportunities for key productive asset poor households in the long run