Rural Households in Ethiopia. Livelihood Vulnerability and Coping Strategies

Master's Thesis , 2021 , 84 Pages , Grade: 2,0

Politics - Topic: Development Politics

Rural households, particularly smallholder farmers, are frequently predisposed to various vulnerabilites. This paper tries to investigate causes of livelihood vulnerability that rural households face and analyze coping strategies they apply.

The analysis is done using data from household survey in Weradejo woreda of Halaba zone. The primary data was collected from 264 households, the secondary data was obtained from line office records and the review of related literature. The author then applies descriptive statistics and the econometrics model of multinomial logistic regression to identify the causes of vulnerability.

Based on the descriptive analysis, the identified causes of households’ livelihood vulnerability are drought, farmland fragmentation, crop and livestock diseases, flooding, erratic rainfall, and shortage of agricultural inputs and shortage of capital. The capacity of the households and the community to cope with and recover from shocks remains low, despite the different strategies they adopt. The result of the multinomial logistic regression indicates that sex of the household head, age of household head, family size, and educational level of the household in schooling years, land size owned, pest/diseases, distance to market, and frequency of extension contact are the main determinants influencing the choice of the coping strategies by the respondents.

Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)

• CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION.
• 1.1. Background.
• 1.2. Statement of the Problem.
• 1.3. Objectives
• 1.3.1. General objective
• 1.3.2. Specific objectives
• 1.4. Research Questions.
• 1.5. Significance of the Study.
• 1.6. Scope of the Study.
• 1.7. Limitation of the Study
• 1.8. Organization of the Thesis.
• CHAPTER TWO: REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE..
• 2.1. The Concept of Vulnerability
• 2.2 Vulnerability and Poverty
• 2.3 Rural Households Vulnerability and Poverty in Ethiopia.......
• 2.4 Households Coping Strategies
• 2.5 Sustainable Livelihoods Framework (SLF) and Vulnerability..
• 2.5.1 Sustainable Livelihoods Framework..
• 2.5.2 Vulnerability Context in the SLF.
• 2.6. Conceptual Framework of the Study.
• CHAPTER THREE: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
• 3.1. Description of the Study Area........
• 3.2. Research design.
• 3.3. Study Population and Sample Size
• 3.4. Sampling Procedure.

Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)

This thesis examines the vulnerability of rural households and their coping strategies in Weradijo Woreda, Halaba Zone, Southern Nations Nationalities and Peoples' Region (SNNPR), Ethiopia. The main objective is to understand the factors contributing to household vulnerability and the strategies they employ to cope with these challenges.

• Livelihood vulnerability and its determinants in rural Ethiopian households.
• Coping strategies employed by vulnerable households to mitigate risks and enhance resilience.
• The role of the Sustainable Livelihoods Framework (SLF) in understanding household vulnerability and coping mechanisms.
• The impact of poverty and other socio-economic factors on household vulnerability.
• Recommendations for policy interventions to strengthen resilience and reduce vulnerability in rural communities.

Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)

Chapter One introduces the research topic, providing background information on rural household vulnerability in Ethiopia. It outlines the problem statement, research objectives, questions, significance, scope, limitations, and organization of the thesis. Chapter Two reviews relevant literature on vulnerability, poverty, coping strategies, and the Sustainable Livelihoods Framework. It explores the conceptual framework of the study, providing a theoretical foundation for understanding the research problem. Chapter Three details the research methodology employed, covering the study area, research design, study population, sample size, and sampling procedure.

Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)

The main keywords and focus topics of this thesis include rural household vulnerability, coping strategies, Sustainable Livelihoods Framework, poverty, resilience, Ethiopia, Weradijo Woreda, Halaba Zone, SNNPR, research methodology, qualitative and quantitative data analysis.

• College: Hawassa University (Faculty of environment, gender and development studies)
• Course: Rural Development
• Grade: 2,0
• Author: Tsegaw Hirpa (Author)
• Publication Year: 2021
• Pages: 84
• Catalog Number: V1347285
• ISBN (PDF): 9783346852342
• ISBN (Book): 9783346852359
• Language: English
• Tags: Coping strategies, Disasters, Food insecurity, Livelihood, Multinomial model, Shocks