Multidimensional analysis of household food security in Northwestern Ethiopia’s agroecologies

Food security is a critical issue and a key priority in the policy agendas of developing nations. Despite agro ecology’s potential to enhance sustainable food production in Ethiopia; achieving food security remains a critical challenge particularly in the Amhara region. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the status of food security among rural households across three agro-ecological zones in northwest Ethiopia. Data were collected from 383 randomly selected households and three focus group discussions. A multidimensional household food security index (based on four dimensions—quantity, quality, acceptability, and stability) and an ordered probit regression model were employed to evaluate food security status and identify its determinants, respectively. The findings reveal that 31.5% of households in the lowland zone were food secure, a significantly higher proportion compared to the midland (13.6%) and highland zones (7.6%). Conversely, only 2.8% of households in the lowland zone were food insecure, which was notably lower than the midland (4.2%) and highland (12.2%) zones. Key factors influencing food security included agro ecology, family size, age of the household head, drought, participation in off-farm activities, and education. The study concludes that significant disparities in food security exist across the three agro ecological zones, with the lowland zone exhibiting the highest food security and the highland zone experienced diminished food security. We argue that achieving household-level food security demands immediate action from policymakers, NGOs, and community leaders to implement targeted, context-specific interventions tailored to the unique characteristics of each agro ecological zone, particularly in high-risk areas.