Using multi-criteria evaluation and GIS for chronic food and nutrition insecurity indicators analysis in Ethiopia

Abstract: The actual concept of food security focuses on four food security dimensions: food availability, food access, food utilization and food stability of which eight indicators were identified for this study. The study aims to evaluate vulnerability to chronic food and nutrition insecurity, one of the food stability types, in Ethiopia; and examines the relationship between four food security dimensions and stunting of children under age five. In addition, the study evaluates if there are inclusion and exclusion errors in the number of districts receiving assistance under the Productive Safety Net Program (PSNP) and identifies a food security dimension related to child undernourishment. Basic data on eight indicators were collected at district level from different sources and analyzed using the Multi-Criteria Evaluation (MCE) Weighted Linear Combination (WLC) method to identify areas of concern. In addition to WLC method, a person product-moment correlation coefficient in SPSS was conducted to evaluate the relationship between under nutrition and food security dimensions. The study findings indicated that northern, north eastern, southern and south eastern, and pocket areas in remaining parts of the country have relatively persistent chronic food and nutrition insecurity. Most of these districts have limited number of clusters of stunted and non-stunted children and as a result there is week correlation between food security dimension indicators and stunting. Most of high chronic food and nutrition insecure districts overlapped with PSNP implemented districts. Based on the study findings, in total 37 districts, which were shown up to be food and nutrition insecure were excluded, while 10 districts, which do not result as food insecure were included as a beneficiary of PSNP. Based on the results, the study provides recommendations to policy makers on the areas in Ethiopia that would need a better assistance under the PSNP and relief food assistance.