THE ROLE OF NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATION IN PROMOTING FOOD SECURITY THROUGH URBAN AGRICULTURE: THE CASE OF ABCD PROJECT IN HAWASSA CITY

Abstract

The study examined the role of non-governmental organization (NGO) in promoting food security through urban agriculture in Hawassa City. In the study, a concurrent embedded design was employed. This mixed-methods approach involved the simultaneous collection of both quantitative and qualitative data, with quantitative data taking a primary role and qualitative data providing supportive insights. Both probability and non-probability sampling methods involving a multi-stage sampling techniques such as purposive, simple random and proportional sampling techniques were employed to select representative samples from each kebele. From a sampling frame comprising 645 project beneficiaries, a total of 247 samples were randomly selected with 0.05 margin of error and 95% confidence level. The quantitative data was collected from 247 ABCD project beneficiaries via both structured and semi-structured interview schedules. Qualitative data was obtained through Key Informant Interviews (KII) involving staff members of NGO. Additionally, Focus Group Discussions (FGD) were conducted with the beneficiaries of the project. These methods served as a means to triangulate and enhance the insights derived from the quantitative data. The ordinal logistic regression model was used to examine the significance of the NGO intervention strategies on the level of project beneficiaries’ food security status. Statistical Packages for Social Science (SPSS) was used to analyze quantitative data. The descriptive statistics findings suggest that approximately 62% of the respondents were involved in both crop production and animal husbandry. The primary strategies of NGO intervention, as revealed by the descriptive statistics, included training, agricultural inputs provision, financial support, MFI linkage, pest management, market facilitation, and water pump provision. The ordinal regression analysis highlighted several factors significantly influencing the food security status of the project beneficiaries. Positive associations with improved food security outcomes were found for MFI linkage, pest management, agricultural inputs, financial assistance, and training. However, water pump availability and market facilitations did not demonstrate a significant correlation with the food security levels of the project beneficiaries. Based on the overall findings, the study recommends several actions. These include integrating education with agricultural interventions, enhancing understanding of animal husbandry, diversifying urban agriculture activities, water resources management, and reevaluating the NGO intervention strategies. Implementing these actions would enable the project to make significant contributions to enhancing food security among households.