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Grounding Interventions: An Ethnographic Analysis of Government and Non-Governmental Food Security Efforts in Rural Tigray, Ethiopia

Hagos Gebremariam1 * , D. James Narendra Bondla2 and Tesfaalem Gebreyohannes3

1 Department of Sociology, Adigrat University, Adigrat, Ethiopia

2 Frobenius Institute for Research in Cultural Anthropology, Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany

3 Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, Mekelle University, Ethiopia

Corresponding author Email: hagosg@gmail.com

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.12944/CWE.20.3.17

Food insecurity is still a serious issue in rural Tigray, Ethiopia, due to persistent climatic disruptions, armed conflict, and economic instability. Successes, major challenges, and possible opportunities for strengthening governmental and nongovernmental interventions toward greater food security in the affected tabias of Agazi, Beleso, and Guahgot are examined in this study. It used a mixed-methods design, combining quantitative data from a survey of 342 rural households with qualitative data from in-depth interviews with community leaders, key informants, and focus group discussions of rural households. The findings provide a complex range of food security strategies. Government interventions, as witnessed under the Productive Safety Net Program (PSNP), have greatly improved food access in the short term. NGOs have been instrumental in capacity building and enhancing community resilience through specific interventions. Yet, the limitations in the form of disjointed coordination, resource constraints, and insufficient local engagement have diminished their long-term impact. The study also determines key obstacles to food security, i.e., poor infrastructure, climate change vulnerabilities, and inconsistencies in policy implementation. Moreover, both risks and opportunities for enhancing intervention strategies lie with indigenous knowledge systems and cultural practices. The study contends that improving food security programs in rural Tigray needs to establish more coordination between government and non-governmental agencies, integrating climate change resilient agricultural practices, and employing participatory planning methods sensitive to local conditions. The findings of the study provide a foundation for food security strategy development in rural Tigray and have important implications for other regions with long-standing food insecurity challenges.

Collaborative planning; Food sovereignty; Integration of policies; Interventions by government entities; Nonprofit organizations

Copy the following to cite this article:

Gebremariam H, Bondla J. N, Gebreyohannes T. Grounding Interventions: An Ethnographic Analysis of Government and Non-Governmental Food Security Efforts in Rural Tigray, Ethiopia. Curr World Environ 2025;20(3). DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.12944/CWE.20.3.17

Copy the following to cite this URL:

Gebremariam H, Bondla J. N, Gebreyohannes T. Grounding Interventions: An Ethnographic Analysis of Government and Non-Governmental Food Security Efforts in Rural Tigray, Ethiopia. Curr World Environ 2025;20(3).

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