Aoife Healy
Country: Ireland
Background: Public Health and Health Promotion
Research Project: An analysis of the inter-relationship between climate, nutrition and agriculture in Ethiopia
Climate change is a global issue, affecting the lives of millions of people annually but more so in developing countries, such as Ethiopia. Changes in climate have been known to affect food security, whereby food accessibility is influenced by changes in agricultural yield, which is dependent upon suitable climate. Market price has also been noted as an influencing factor also. There is a scarcity of published research regarding the impact of climate change on prevalence of malnutrition among vulnerable communities in Ethiopia.
Quantitative and qualitative data were executed in order to explore the presence of an interrelationship between malnutrition and climate change, agricultural yield and the market price of crops in the Woredas of Damot Woyde and Duguna Fango, Wolayita, SNNPR, Ethiopia. Data, on the level of rainfall, agricultural yield and market price of crops were examined and compared to the prevalence of malnutrition in order to observe if a trend existed between the prevalence of malnutrition and the aforementioned factors between 2006 and 2010. Focus group discussions and indepth interviews were facilitated to examine qualitatively whether an interrelationship existed between the aforementioned factors.
Results from this research demonstrate the presence of an interrelationship between the prevalence of malnutrition and climate change, agricultural yield and market price of crops. 2007 and 2008 were highlighted as the worst years for food insecurity. Rainfall was lowest for the years 2006 to 2010 during Belg season 2008. This coincides with the lowest yield of haricot bean for the years 2006- 2009 at 1.654 kg/hectare during Belg season 2008. The highest market price recorded for haricot bean and maize was during 2007 Sepe and 2008 Sepe seasons. All crops analysed did not show the same trends for yield and market price, however. Results of the qualitative analysis further compounds the magnitude of the impact that climate change is having in the Woredas, with results explaining how the prevalence of malnutrition is influenced by the level and timing of rainfall, agricultural yield and market price.
Results suggest that climate change has influenced the prevalence of malnutrition in these Woredas. The adaptive capacity of the Woredas to climate change needs to be better addressed through combined intervention from NGOs and government. Unless the degree of vulnerability to climate change of the people residing in these Woredas is reduced, climate change will continue to cause widespread devastation.
Key words: Ethiopia, Woredas, malnutrition, climate change, food security, vulnerability, adaptive capacity.
Word Count: 14,998 (excluding in-text references, tables, figures and graphs)