Rural Household Livelihood Strategies Choices: The Case of Humbo Woreda, Wolaita Zone, Southern Nation Nationalities and Peoples Regional State, Ethiopia

Abstract

This study was initiated to identify the rural livelihood strategies choices with special emphasis to Humbo Woreda of Wolaita Zone of SNNPR of Ethiopia. The main objectives of the study were, to identify the existing livelihood strategies choices in the study area and to identify the determinants of rural households` choice of livelihood strategies. Both primary and secondary data sources were used and a total of 140 rural households were contacted. The study results reveal that majority (57.9%) of the sample households participated in agriculture plus non/off-farm livelihood strategies choices to pursue their livelihood. Out of the total sample households, 42.1% households derive their livelihoods from agriculture 19.3% households combined agriculture and nonfarm livelihood strategy  activities, 25 %  of households combine agriculture and off farm livelihood strategies choices and the rest 13.6 % of households combined agriculture, off farm and nonfarm  livelihood strategies choices. The result of this study shows that drought, crop pests and diseases, livestock diseases are the most common problems raised by the respondents. About 45% respondents reported that drought is the major challenges in their area. About 8 strategies choices were being practiced by the households in the area as a reaction against vulnerability. Among all households, 28.6% of the households participate in different petty trade 18.6% of households participate in different forms of daily labor in the nearby town Humbo. The multinomial logit model analysis shows that out of the total sixteen explanatory variables entered into the model three variables including age, family size (AE) and annual income were influencing rural household choice of livelihood strategies choices of agriculture plus nonfarm activities at different significant level. Out of the sixteen total explanatory variables entered for determining agriculture plus off farm livelihood strategies choices seven variables includes age, sex, family size, total land size, access to training, Cosmopoliteness and participation in social leadership had influenced rural household choice of livelihood strategies choices of agriculture plus nonfarm activities at different significant level. Furthermore from sixteen explanatory variables entered to the model eight variables including age, sex, family size (AE), total land size, distance to market, annual cash income, dependency ratio and remittance had influenced the rural household choice of livelihood strategies choices of agriculture plus nonfarm plus off farm activities at different significant level. Factors which were influence the livelihood choice of household needs attention from concerned bodies for alleviating the situations in the area. Therefore Woreda office of agriculture and concerned bodies in the woreda and around improve the livelihoods of rural households through creating conducive environment for non/off farm activities

Keywords: Livelihood Strategy, Choice, Multinomial, Humbo