Case Study from Four Selected Weredas in Tigray, Ethiopia.
DCG Report 44
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Mirutse Desta, Gebregiorgis Haddis, and Selam Ataklt
The Tigray region is known for its deeply rooted poverty situation that has caused for the majority of its inhabitants to be food insecure and malnourished for decades. Many factors are pointed out as causes for this situation. Women in the region are estimated to represent about 51% of the entire population and, as is the case in most developing countries, are the worst victims of poverty. Households, especially those that are headed by women, are believed to lack the basic assets that could help them survive through harsh living situations. In this study, the ownership and access of both rural and urban female-headed households (FHHs) to basic livelihood assets was compared with that of households headed by men in rural areas.
The overall purpose of the study is to identify what development assistance and interventions are made available to the FHHs of the Tigray region. In particular the study tries to look at how rural FHHs perceive and assess the food security package (FSP) program developed and offered by the regional government and by doing so to come up with recommendations in order to make both the underway development interventions and the policy framework more relevant for the livelihoods of FHHs.
The basic constraint in FHHs was found to be shortage of labor, which forced them to enter into share-cropping arrangements with men. The researchers also looked at the activities of different organizations working for the improved livelihood of the local community, such as the Women Association of Tigray (WAT). This indigenous NGO was seen to play a key role in the improvement of the livelihoods of women in Tigray. Moreover, the study team looked at the household oriented FSP which focused on the promotion of secured livelihoods through the provisioning of agricultural credit.
Based on the research conducted, conclusions are made about the FSP program and key recommendations are forwarded so as to improve the planning as well as the implementation of the different development programs in the region.
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