2025/07/22 by Betelhem Worku
#Key words: food insecure #attitude #dependency syndrome #inferential #likert scale
paper · doi:10.20372/nadre:11336
ABSTRACT<br> One of Ethiopia's major socioeconomic issues has been food insecurity. About eight million of Ethiopia's 18 million food poor citizens are in emergency situations, and the remainder individuals are under stress. Aware of this, the Ethiopian government and donor groups developed the National Food Security Strategy in 1996 and are now putting the Productive Safety Net Program (PSNP) into action. Therefore, the purpose of this article was to examine the attitudes and difficulties of the beneficiaries of the Productive Safety Net Program in Habru Woreda, North Wollo zone, Amhara region, Ethiopia. The study used a cross-sectional research design and a mixed research approach. Both primary and secondary sources provided the necessary data. Three key informant interviews were purposefully chosen in the Habru Woreda, and 154 sample home heads were chosen from 250 household heads using basic random sampling techniques. Key informant interviews and survey questionnaires were the primary methods utilized to gather data. Semi-structured interview guidelines and a five-point Likert scale were employed, respectively, to gauge the attitudes of productive safety net recipients toward the program and the difficulties they encountered. The Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 26 was utilized to evaluate the quantitative data using descriptive statistical methods, and theme analysis was employed to analyze the qualitative data. According to the study's findings, the majority of respondents had a favorable opinion of the program's main pillars, which included expanding food availability, fulfilling social commitments, and empowering women. They also experience dependency syndrome, unequal treatment of expectant mothers and child labor, biased selection, and a lack of notable life advancement.The survey also verified that because of PSNP provisions, the recipients did not purchase animals, feed the entire family, and questioned the justice of the public work. The main obstacles to the successful operation of safety net programs were determined to be early graduation and its inconsistencies, payment transfer delays, political meddling, quota targeting and retargeting, and inadequate infrastructure development. For the benefit of the beneficiaries and the productive safety net program as a whole, program sensitization and frequent project review meetings with beneficiaries, non-beneficiaries, and other stakeholders are necessary.<br>