Determinants of Cooperative Member Households Food Security; the Case of Farmers’ Cooperative Unions in East, West and Horo Guduru Wollega Zones, Oromia, Ethiopia

Abstract

The objective of this study is to examine the determinants of household food security among the cooperatives members based on the data collected from 302 respondents selected randomly in the study area. A descriptive statistics and Binary logistic regression model were used for the analysis of the data gathered. The result indicates that the status of food security among cooperative members significantly influenced by factors such as age of the household head, education level, lack of credit access, peace and stability, total livestock owned by the household and sex of the household head, membership duration of households in cooperatives and households business participation respectively. The coping strategies identified with the study are; involving members in decision making and planning activities, bargaining member’s agricultural products for better marketing. Therefore, to remedy the problem, the study recommends cooperative management, government and other development to give appropriate attention to members’ households to increase agricultural productivity, should arrange awareness creation for members, provide agricultural inputs with better agricultural technologies, then members produce more and become food self-sufficient. Moreover the government should maintain peace and political stability for the society as a favorable condition to undertake their agriculture and ensures food security status.