Abstract
<title>Abstract</title> <p>In Ethiopia, typically two-thirds or more of the population depends on farming for livelihood. It is essential to increase the productivity and profitability of small-scale irrigation systems in developing countries for improving the food security and well-being of small-scale irrigators and their communities. The study analyses the impact of Small-Scale Irrigated Vegetable Production on Household Food and Nutrition Security using mixed method approach. A cross-sectional data collected from a sample of 254 farm households in four kebeles of Kombolcha district selected through multistage random sampling procedures following probability proportional to sample size technique. The primary data were collected from randomly selected respondents, focus group discussants and key informant interviewees whereas secondary data were referred from Kombolcha district office of agriculture. Descriptive statistics and inferential methods, including t-tests and Chi-square tests, were applied alongside an econometric model using Propensity Score Matching. The survey result showed 51% sample household head were participant of small-scale irrigated vegetable production. The result of Propensity score matching estimation showed that participation in small-scale irrigation based vegetable production has significant impact on food and nutrition security of participants by having 1.58, 8.81 difference in dietary intake of household’s dietary diversity and food consumption score respectively when compared to non-participants. These findings highlight the need for policies that promote irrigated vegetable production to ensure food and nutrition security in rural Ethiopia.</p>