Ensuring food security while also protecting biodiversity requires a governance system that can address intra- andintersectoral complexity. In this paper, we sought to explore the governance challenges surrounding food security andbiodiversity conservation through an empirical study in Jimma zone, southwestern Ethiopia. We used bottom-up snowballsampling to identify stakeholders and then held semi-structured interviews with 177 stakeholders across multiple levels ofgovernance. We also conducted 24 focus group discussions with local people. Data were transcribed and thematicallyanalyzed for its contents. Challenges in the structure of institutions and policy incoherence were the key challenges identifiedfor the governance of food security and biodiversity conservation. The challenges around institutional structure includedincompatibilities of the nature of governing institutions with the complexity inherent within and between the two sectorsexamined. Incoherences in policy goals, instruments, and contradictions of policy output relative to the actual problems offood security and biodiversity further hampered effective governance of food security and biodiversity conservation.Notably, many of the challenges that influenced an individual sector also posed a challenge for the integrated governance offood security and biodiversity conservation, often in a more pronounced way. Based on ourfindings, we argue thatgovernance in our case study area requires a more integrated and collaborative approach that pays attention to institutionalinterplay in order to ensure institutionalfit and consistency across policy goals.
