Socioeconomic, environmental, and institutional determinants of household food insecurity in Ethiopia: a comprehensive review

Food insecurity is a global agenda and results from multidimensional induced factors. Smallholder farmers in Ethiopia mainly rely on rainfed agriculture are highly vulnerable to shocks and seasonality. Hence, a household’s food insecurity status remains a question for many rural households in Ethiopia. While there are studies on food insecurity in Ethiopia, there are limited reviews on determinants by a more holistic perspective. Therefore, this review is focused on a comprehensive review of socio-economic, environmental and institutional determinants of food insecurity in Ethiopia. Hence, 64 published articles from reputable journals were employed. According to the review, determinant factors of household’s food insecurity include age, sex, family size, dependency ratio, educational status, access to credit, household income, farm size, livestock holding, access to irrigation, market distance, agricultural inputs, conservation of natural resources, climatic conditions, conflict, and displacement. Food insecurity could be a matter of following holistic approaches. Tackling these determinants demands a comprehensive strategy include initiatives to improve income, adapting to climate change, promote gender equality, and improvements institutional services. The government’s dedication to food security and fostering peace may guarantees food security in Ethiopia. Accordingly, food security programs should emphasize the multidimensional factors causing food insecurity at the household level. In Ethiopia, food insecurity is a common shared agenda in the rural areas. Agrarian farm households were engaged in agricultural production with old fascinating technologies, poor infrastructural facilities, and insufficient farmland. As a result, agricultural production is not a guarantee for households’ food security and vulnerability to food insecurity. Based on the review literatures, comprehensive socio-economic, environmental, and institutional aspects were a significant determinant for households’ food insecurity. Hence, the relevance of doing this comprehensive review is for giving insights for policy makers about diverse household level determinant factors affecting food security. Struggling multidimensional factors of food insecurity through holistic and coordinated strategies can enhance agricultural productivity, alleviating poverty, fostering resilience, gender equality, and expanding services to ensure households food insecurity. Therefore, Ethiopian food security policy interventions should consider all-inclusive strategies to address the socio-economic, environmental, and institutional induced factors affecting food security at the household level.