A growing body of empirical evidence shows that smallholder cash cropping hasrncontribution to ensuring household food security through improving farm households'rnincome and enhancing food crop productivity. Further more, it has been argued that cashrncrop and food crop production can compliment each other in improving farmers' incomernand achieving household food security. Besides, cash cropping also has a positive effectrnon food crop productivity by supplying with more draft animals, agricultural inputs andrnhired labor. Similarly, income from cash cropping relieves the meager income of poorrnfarm households from being depleted by other non food expenditures of households.rnNevertheless, smallholder cash cropping can be constrained with inadequate extensionrnservice, inefficient market system, and insufficient and untimely supply of modern inputs.rnThis study was conducted to "assess the contribution of onion production to householdrnfood security in Alamata woreda: To this end, an empirical analysis was done usingrndescriptive analysis in comparative fashion between onion producing and non producingrnhouseholds using data collected by household survey and other qualitative methods ofrndata collection. Statistical tools such as T-test and Chi-Square have been employed torntest the variation in some important variables. The study found out that onion productionrnhas a significant contribution to household food security via improving the income ofrnproducing household anrl improving the productivity of food crop productivity. Thernmajority of producing households have been found to be more food secure than their nonrnproducing counterparts. In addition, many onions producing farmer shave bought oxenrnwith money obtained from onion sale. Similarly, it was observed that income from onionrnwas used to cover other non food expenditures such as education, health, clothing andrnceremonial expenses. In general, it was observed that the total mean income of producersrnwas almost twofold of that of non producers, the major factor for this variation beingrnincome from onion sale. Finally, the researcher recommends that in promoting marketrnoriented smallholder cash cropping, problems related to extension service, marketrndevelopment, and provision of modern agricultural inputs should be addressed. Inrnaddition, area specific potentials should be exploited for efficient cash cropping andrnthereby ensure food security of farm households.