The Influence of Shocks and Stress on Livelihood Outcomes of Rural Women in West Shewa Zone, Oromia

Cooperative had role in enabling women to cope with stress and shocks through setting conducive ground so as to diversify their livelihood sources and access additional source of income for them. Accordingly, with joining cooperative rural women began to adapt and cope with vulnerability by diversifying income sources through engaging in different non-farm and off-farm activities in addition to farming. The main objective of the study was to assess the influence of shocks and stresses on livelihood outcomes of rural women. West Shewa zone has 22 districts and out of the existing districts, six districts were selected to carry out the research study for assessing the influence of shocks and stress on livelihood outcomes of rural women. The total population of rural members in the focused study area were 4,867 and sample size of the research was 356 and it determined by using Kothari formula. The study employed mixed method research approach as research design. It also employed both quantitative and qualitative methods of data collection and analysis. Descriptive analysis of the data was carried-out using percentages, mean, frequency and standard deviations. Correlation was also employed for bi-variate analysis of quantitative data to know cause effect of explanatory variables to regressed variable (sustainable livelihood). The study revealed that the women had been relatively adopted how to diversify their business from agricultural activities and employed strategy of consumption reduction to cope and recover from shocks and stress which was not inadequate. The study result shows that stress likes declining fertility of soil, declining farm size, declining common property resources, declining of rainfall or sometimes heavy rains are the common stress that faced women in cooperatives and disposed to them to decreasing their livelihood assets or income. Women are the most vulnerable segments of society as they lack access to various productive assets and services due to discriminatory practices. Lack of full-service health centers is causing serious health problems to all members of primary multipurpose agricultural cooperatives societies in rural areas. Another problem is the security issue due to the lack of certain security, infrastructure services have been stopped, some healthcare has been looted, and mothers have suffered greatly for the reality lack of access to adequate health services. The study has implied that Shocks and stress women had negative correlation with sustainable livelihood of rural women with correlation result (r=-0.054, P<0.001) with a level of significance at 5%.