The resilience of resource-poor farmers to current and future climate variability is needed better understood.
The challenge of food insecurity is not as simple matter of fact to react, which results from interactions of political, economic, social and environmental factors (EU, 2012). This complex nature of food insecurity has underscored the need to work on a long-term and in a systematic way to build the resilience of vulnerable populations. The global experience indicated that gradual and isolated interventions do not prepare households to deal with ongoing change and future shocks (Resilience Alliance, 2007). The report of the World Economic Forum (Howell, 2013) confirms that resilience study should not be undertaken in isolation as it is applicable to individuals, houseolds, communityies and countries. The report further noted that it is important to avoid to piecemeal or isolated approaches rather to adopt comprehensive and systematic approaches to the analysis of resilience. Barnett and Adger (2007) indicated that most livelihood intervention failures are deeply caused by neglect of social problems, as social institutions determine climate changes induced food insecurity. Thus, the above discussion shows that food insecurity is complicated by increased environmental risks, reduction in livelihood opportunities and stresses on existing social institutions.
Millions of people in Sub Saharan Africa suffer from food insecurity and lack of resilience to shocks (EU, 2012), coupled with the sudden increase in climate change impacts (IFPRI, 2016; Anderson, 2010). Ethiopia has been cited as less resilient to food security crises arising from complex causes including swift shocks from the vagaries of climate, exposure to drought, slower-moving stresses (USAID, 2011). Unequal access to resources, poor infrastructure, and inadequate basic service delivery are some of the underlying factors contributing to vulnerability to food insecurity (WFP, 2013). In response, large amounts of humanitarian support have been provided for the past many years, largely without changing the underlying food insecurity. Despite meeting short-term humanitarian needs for survival, these humanitarian interventions had not sufficiently increased the resilience of individuals and communities to withstand future shocks and stresses (USAID 2011; Gillan et al., 2006; Venton et al., 2012). As a result, the concept of resilience has been an accepted framework. The resilience framework is vital in resilience studies designed toimprove local capacity to withstand future shocks and stresses. In some cases, resilience analysis is purposefully made to reduce the need for humanitarian response. Constas & Barrett, (2013) have indicated that the use of resilience is key solutions to food insecurity. This might nbe a reason to the widespread inclusion of the concept of resilience in development and the humanitarian aid interverntions. There are large number of projects and programs working on food security to build resilience.
With the emergence of the concept of resilience, donors and policy makers seize the current momentum for building resilience by alleviating current obstacles to coordinate across sectoral boundaries and temporal scales (Headey and Ecker, 2012). One such Africanized effort is the concensus of IGAD member countries on six central areas of resilience: 1) Increased economic opportunity, 2) strengthened institutions, governance, and accountability, 3) Improved security conditions and conflict-management capacity, 4) Improved physical infrastructure, 5) Sustainable natural resource management, and 6) Enhanced innovation and knowledge management (Frankenberger et al., 2012). Similarly, the challenge of drought resilience is one of the many recent statements that call attention as less predictable and more menacing (Headey and Ecker, 2012). All these discussions highlight that the concept of resilience goes beyond humanitarian assistance, embracing development interventions, capacity strengthening, institution building, and development strategies. In line with this understanding, it is necessary to identify the major strengths and weaknesses of Food Security Program interventions in building household resilience with the help of resilience approach. A measure of resilience is, therefore, the central theme of this study to understand household resilience to food insecurity.