Gebre Tewelde, Abraha Zenebe, Zenebe Amanuel, Zeweld Woldegebrial
Institute of Environment, Gender and Development Studies, Mekelle University, Mekelle, Ethiopia.
Front Nutr. 2024 Aug 13;11:1413017. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2024.1413017. eCollection 2024.
Tigray is one of the food-insecure regions with many people living under the condition of chronic hunger. Proper intervention mechanisms are vital for addressing food insecurity. Yet, food security intervention mechanisms of various levels are not researched well. Besides, previous studies have rarely addressed the objectives of food security intervention mechanisms in relation to the four pillars of food security: availability, access, utilization, and stability. Thus, this study aims to investigate the food security intervention mechanisms in the drought-prone rural areas of Tigray in relation with the major components of food security.
This study has employed a cross-sectional study design based on a mixed research approach with primary and secondary data. For this, 363 households from three selected drought-prone rural districts, i.e., Atsbi-wenberta, Irob, and Hintalo- wejerat were studied. Primary data were collected using questionnaires and key-informant interviews. And, secondary data were collected from relevant archives and policy documents. The obtained data were analyzed descriptively and content-wise.
Findings show that there were several international interventions intended to halt food insecurity sustainably through financial aid, but many of the interventions were found to be responding to humanitarian crises mainly the food shortages. Ethiopia's Food and Nutrition Policy, Food Security Program, Food Security Strategy, and Food Security Pack program were the food security intervention mechanisms at the national level. These interventions were found to be inconsistent with each other in their intended goals. Regionally, no food security strategy or program was found intervening to the prevailing food insecurity in Tigray. More notably, the region has no food security bureau or office that deals with food security issues of the region. At a community level, food aid, and PSNP transfers have been the usual food security intervention mechanisms. 35.6% (77,010) of the population in the study rural districts were found to be rural PSNP beneficiaries. The food aid and PSNP transfers were outrageously insufficient for the recipients to cope with food insecurity.
Intervention mechanisms should focus on enhancing vulnerable households' coping and adaptive capacities to deal with food security problems. In this regard, all the food security intervention mechanisms of various levels should be integrated into the common goal of achieving food security.
提格雷是粮食不安全地区之一，许多人生活在长期饥饿的状况下。适当的干预机制对于解决粮食不安全问题至关重要。然而，各级粮食安全干预机制的研究并不充分。此外，以往的研究很少涉及粮食安全干预机制与粮食安全四大支柱（供应、获取、利用和稳定）相关的目标。因此，本研究旨在调查提格雷易旱农村地区与粮食安全主要组成部分相关的粮食安全干预机制。
本研究采用基于混合研究方法的横断面研究设计，包括一手和二手数据。为此，对来自三个选定的易旱农村地区，即阿特斯比 - 温贝塔、伊罗布和欣塔洛 - 韦杰拉特的363户家庭进行了研究。一手数据通过问卷调查和关键信息访谈收集。二手数据则从相关档案和政策文件中收集。对获得的数据进行描述性和内容分析。
研究结果表明，有若干国际干预措施旨在通过财政援助可持续地消除粮食不安全，但发现许多干预措施主要是应对人道主义危机，即粮食短缺。埃塞俄比亚的《粮食和营养政策》《粮食安全计划》《粮食安全战略》以及《粮食安全包计划》是国家层面的粮食安全干预机制。发现这些干预措施在预期目标上相互不一致。在地区层面，未发现有粮食安全战略或计划对提格雷普遍存在的粮食不安全状况进行干预。更值得注意的是，该地区没有处理该地区粮食安全问题的粮食安全局或办公室。在社区层面，粮食援助和生产安全网计划转移支付一直是常见的粮食安全干预机制。研究发现，农村地区35.6%（77,010人）的人口是生产安全网计划的农村受益者。粮食援助和生产安全网计划转移支付对受援者应对粮食不安全来说极其不足。
干预机制应侧重于增强弱势家庭应对和适应粮食安全问题的能力。在这方面，各级所有粮食安全干预机制都应纳入实现粮食安全的共同目标。
