Sustainable agricultural practices improve the food security of maize farmers in Ethiopia

The adoption of sustainable agricultural practices (SAPs) by smallholder maize farmers in southwest Ethiopia can significantly increase their food security. This study aimed to contribute to the broader discussion on how sustainable agriculture can enhance food security and economic stability of smallholder farmers in Ethiopia. A simple random selection method was used to select 382 maize growers for the study, with a focus on maize producers in the Bunno Bedelle Zone of Ethiopia, which is dominated by maize producers. Qualitative and quantitative data were collected, and the results analyzed using inferential statistics and econometric analysis. The Average Treatment Effect Value on Treated (ATT) indicated that adopting intercropping, crop rotation, soil and water conservation, organic fertiliser, and a combination of these SAPs increased the Food Consumption Score (FCS) by 454.6, 336.0, 316.8, 385.1, and 415.1 kilocalories, respectively. Compared to non-adopters, the use of SAPs raised the Household Dietary Diversity Score (HDDS) by 1.87, 2.44, 2.29, 4.75, and 2.47 units, respectively. When compared to non-adopters, SAP use decreased the Household Food Insecurity Scale (HFIES) by 0.93, 0.66, 0.83, 0.96, and 0.08 units. Additionally, compared to SAP adopters, the Average Treatment Effect (ATU) value based on multinomial endogenous switching regression revealed that SAP non-adopters had lower values of FCS and HDDS. In contrast, farmers that did not use SAPs had a higher HFIES than users. We conclude that the food security of smallholder maize farmers in Bunno Bedelle, Ethiopia improves when they utilise SAPs. Thus, in addition to enhancing maize production resilience and productivity, support to SAPs is crucial for resolving Ethiopia’s food security challenges.