This paper, based on qualitative research within two communities in Addis Ababa, identifies factors that impoverish households and expose them to chronic food shortages, and assesses their coping and survival strategies. A sustainable livelihood framework is used to explore how context, shocks, assets, institutions, activities and strategies interact in multiple ways to affect well-being and food security. Households were found to be vulnerable to a range of environmental factors and economic shocks, including poor sanitation, unhygienic environments, overcrowding, unemployment and limited access to financial capital. Their survival strategies include diversification of sources of income, living in slum areas and migration of household members.
Ayenew, Meheret (2003), "Poverty and urban governance institutions", in Dessalegn Rahmato (editor), Some Aspects of Poverty in Ethiopia: Three Selected Papers, FSS Studies on Poverty No 1, FSS , Addis Ababa, pages 16-31.
2.
Christian Relief and Development Association (CRDA) (2003 ), "National Urban Development Forum of NGOs: opportunities and challenges of Ethiopia’s urban growth", CRDA , Addis Ababa.
3.
Davies, S. ( 1996), Adaptable Livelihoods: Coping with Food Insecurity in the Malian Sahel, Macmillan Press, London, 335 pages.
4.
Devas, N. ( 2004), "Urban poverty and governance in the era of globalization, decentralization and democratization", in N Devas, P Amis, J Beall, U Grant , D Mitlin, F Nunan and C Rakodi (editors), Urban Governance, Voice and Poverty in the Developing World, Earthscan, London, pages 15-36.
5.
Ellis, F. ( 2000), Rural Livelihood and Diversity in Developing Countries , Oxford University Press, Oxford , 273 pages.
6.
Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia/Population Census Commission (FDRE/PCC) (2008 ), Summary and Statistical Report of the 2007 Population and Housing Census: Population Size by Age and Sex, FDRE/ PCC, Addis Ababa, 113 pages.
7.
Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) ( 1996), Rome Declaration on World Food Security and World Food Summit Plan of Action, World Food Summit 96/3b , FAO, Rome.
8.
Garau, P., E.D. Sclar and G.Y. Carolini ( 2005), A Home in the City, Task Force on Improving the Lives of Slum Dwellers, UN Millennium Project, Earthscan, London, 158 pages.
9.
Harpham, T. and E. Grant ( 2002), "Health, health services and environmental health", in C Rakodi and T Lloyd-Jones (editors), Urban Livelihoods: A People-centred Approach to Reducing Poverty, Earthscan, London, pages 165-179.
10.
Kebede, Abebe ( 2001), "Poverty in Addis Ababa", Forum for Social Studies (FSS), Poverty Dialogue Forum, Consultation Paper on Poverty No 1, FSS, Addis Ababa.
11.
Mahitame, Yirgalem ( 2008), "The growth and management of Addis Ababa: visible and invisible actors in urban management and emerging trends of informalization. A case study from Kolfe Keranio sub-city, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia", published Doctoral Thesis for the Degree of Philosophiae, Department of Geography, Faculty of Social Sciences and Technology Management, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Trondheim , Norway.
12.
Maxwell, D. ( 1999), "The political economy of urban food security in sub-Saharan Africa", World Development27, pages 1939-1953.
13.
Meikle, S. ( 2002), "The urban context and poor people", in C Rakodi and T Lloyd-Jones (editors), Urban Livelihoods: A People-centred Approach to Reducing Poverty, Earthscan, London, pages 37-51.
14.
Ministry of Finance and Economic Development (MoFED) ( 2006), "Ethiopia: building on progress. A plan for accelerated and sustainable development to end poverty (PASDEP), 2005/06-2009/10", Volume 1, MoFED, Addis Ababa, 278 pages.
15.
Mulugeta, Tizita ( 2001), "Urban poverty: a comparative analysis of female- and male-headed households in Addis Ababa. The case of Wereda 2 and 28", MA thesis in Regional and Local Development Studies, Addis Ababa University.
16.
Narayan and Prichet (1999) cited in C. Rakodi ( 2002), "A livelihoods approach - conceptual issues and definitions ", in C Rakodi, and T Lloyd-Jones (editors), Urban Livelihoods: A People-centred Approach to Reducing Poverty, Earthscan, London, pages 2-22.
17.
Nunan, F. and N. Devas ( 2004), "Accessing land and services: exclusion or entitlement? ", in N Devas, P Amis, J Beall, U Grant, D Mitlin, F Nunan and C Rakodi (editors), Urban Governance, Voice and Poverty in the Developing World, Earthscan, London, pages 164-185.
18.
Potts, D. ( 1995), "Shall we go home - increasing urban poverty in African cities and migration processes", The Geographical Journal Vol 161, pages 245-264.
19.
Rakodi, C and T Lloyd-Jones (editors) (2002), Urban Livelihoods: A People-centred Approach to Reducing Poverty, Earthscan, London, 288 pages.
20.
Scoones, I. ( 1998), "Sustainable rural livelihoods: a framework for analysis" , IDS Working Paper No72, IDS, Brighton.
21.
World Bank (2001), World Development Report - 2000/2001, Oxford University Press, New York, 335 pages.
