Effect of Nonfarm Activities on Household Food security

Over the last three decades, the non-farm economy has been gaining a wider acceptance in issues of rural development. Nonetheless, the positive contribution of nonfarm activities in reducing poverty and improving household food security is a subject of discussion and has been rarely explored. Therefore, the study tries to investigate the link between food security and nonfarm employment using the survey data collected from 151 randomly selected households from five villages of Woreda Gantafeshum, Eastern Tigrai, Ethiopia. First, we examine the household decision with respect to participation in nonfarm activities using pobit model. Then, we investigate the effect of nonfarm employment on households food security, using Heckman selection model. The result of the study implied that nonfarm employment has a role which is significant in maintaining household food security. Therefore, rural development policy should promote nonfarm employments in attempt to address issues of food security. This book is believed to help researchers, policy makers, donors who are interested in finding out how nonfarm activities can promote rural livelihoods and reduce poverty.