Do Market Linkages Play a Role in Improving Food Security Status of Rural Households? Evidence from Chencha Apple Production and Marketing Project, Southern Ethiopia

Abstract

This paper aims at is assessing the role of improved market linkage in rural household's food security in the case of Hiland Fruits. . The study carried out in Chencha District, Southern Ethiopia in May 2015 to assess the impact of the project designed and implemented by the World Vision (WV) Ethiopia. A systematic random sampling method followed to select both participant and non-participant households of the project. Food security assessed using the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS), Months of Adequate Household Food Provisioning (MAHFP), and Household Dietary Diversity Score (HDDS). Totally, 418 households participated in the survey with a response rate of 95.87%. The result from HFIAS confirms significant variation in food insecurity based on participation status. Non-participants are relatively food insecure compared to their counterparts. The mean of MAHFP shows a statistically significant difference with higher MAHFP for participated households. In addition, the mean HDDS also shows statistically significant variation between participant and non-participant households. Higher mean dietary diversity score and increased number of months of adequate household food provisioning among project participants signal positive contribution of the project in improving food security status. Thus, improving the production and marketing of Highland Fruits can be an alternative in reducing the food insecurity problem.