Impact of Food Security Interventions on Smallholder Women Farmers in Eastern Ethiopia: A Meta-Analysis

Food security interventions are crucial for smallholder women farmers in Eastern Ethiopia to improve livelihoods and nutrition. A comprehensive search strategy was employed through multiple databases including PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar. Studies were selected based on inclusion criteria such as RCT design, intervention type, participant demographics, and language restrictions. In the meta-analysis of 15 studies, food security interventions demonstrated a significant positive effect (OR = 1.34, CI: 1.02-1.76) on improving dietary diversity among smallholder women farmers in Eastern Ethiopia over two years. The findings suggest that targeted food security interventions can enhance the nutritional status of smallholder women farmers in Eastern Ethiopia, warranting further replication and implementation. Policy makers should prioritise the scaling up of evidence-based food security programmes for smallholder women farmers to achieve sustainable development goals.