Abstract:
Climate variability is escalating rapidly and is regarded as one of the most significant global
challenges of the 21st century, threatening livelihoods worldwide. To adapt current and future
climate variability effects, identifying effective adaptation strategies and promoting their
widespread adoption is essential. This study examined the impact of climate adaptation
strategies on multidimensional household food security among farming households in Amhara
Regional State, Northwestern Ethiopia. Using data collected from 383 farming household, the
study analyzed it by applying Item Response Theory (IRT), ordered probit, multivariate probit,
and multinomial endogenous switching regression models. Item Response Theory (IRT) analysis
revealed a gap between high knowledge (Mean = 3.84) and neutral-to-negative attitudes (M =
3.51). Attitude items showed polarization and low discrimination item A7 (ɑ = 0.64), suggesting
the need for refined measurement tools. The study's multidimensional food security index,
calculated across four key dimensions (quantity, quality, acceptability, and stability), showed
that 82.2% of households were food secure, while 17.8% were food insecure. Key factors
influencing food security included agro ecology, family size, age of the household head, drought,
participation in off-farm activities, and education. The findings reveal that crop diversification
(79.9%); drought-resistant varieties (62%), early-maturing crops (55.6%), and soil and water
conservation (49.4%) are the most widely adopted adaptation strategies across the three agro
ecological zones. The Multivariate Probit (MVP) model result indicated several key factors
influencing farmers' choice of adaptation strategies, including age, education, family size, farm
size, access to extension services, agro ecological zone, livestock ownership, market proximity
and annual income. The analysis demonstrates that households’ adoption of climate adaptation
strategies significantly enhances their multidimensional food security status. Using full packages
(crop diversification, short maturing crops and drought resistance crops) had biggest impact;
increase Food security by over 31 percentage points. The analysis underscores how policy
interventions targeting education, rural infrastructure, family planning services, financial
access, market linkages, and adaptation training can significantly improve food security
outcomes for farmers. Future research should employ longitudinal designs to track adaptation
patterns across multiple seasons and expand sampling to include additional agro ecological
zones and non-farming households was recommended for future researchers.