The paper is aimed at examining the role of female household heads in food security and theirrncoping strategies in two kebeles of Konso woreda. Konso woreda is found in South EthiopiarnRegional State. It is located 665 km south of the capital Addis on the main road to Jinka town.rnThe paper begins with introducing the background, the problem, the research questions andrnobjectives including the significance. It follows by describing the physical and socio-economicrnconditions of the woreda. It reviews gender aspects . of household relations, foodrnsecuritylinsecurity, and coping strategies.rnFemale household heads play an essential role in food security of households as producers,rnpurchasers, processors, and providers. They are also critical in coping with food insecurity.rnFemale household heads also play an important role in mutual support systems; riskrnminimizing activities, seasonal coping strategies and social adjustments. There are changesrnand sequences in coping strategies. The role of assets and personal preferences matter therncapacity of female household heads in coping with insecurity.rnSurvey results of this study have indicated that female household heads are critical to the foodrnsecurity and coping mechanisms of households in the area. They perform agricultural tasks:rndigging, planting, weeding, threshing, transporting and storing. The result of the survey in thisrnstudy confirms with that of Boserup (1970) and Ostergaard (1994) research reports that fema lernrole is critical in hoe-based agriculture. They collect firewood and fetch water to process foodrnfor the family. Here it had been found that male household members help women inrnagricultural practices such as digging, planting and building grain stores. Males performrnlimited domestic jobs such as boiling grain.rnFemale household heads have limited rights of ownership in productive assets as well as theirrnfruits of labor. Lack of access to and control over resources, incomes, and marketing of majorrnassets affect the role of female heads of households. Marriage and divorce patterns, landrndeterioration and recurrent drought also affect their role in food security and coping with foodrninsecurity. They have limited role in decision on income utilization, and marketing of majorrnassets. Their limited role in these aspects potentially affects their purchasing power and furtherrnparticipation in marketing as well as access to acquire food .rnIn spite of considerable investment of female household head's labor, farmlands are too smallrnand the area is too arid to provide enough food for most households. Local non-agriculturalrnactivities and coping strategies become 'erosive '. They find it difficult to bridge the presentrngap of food insecurity. It actually exacerbates the pressures at the household to increasernfema les ' labor for diversifying income sources. Under these circumstances, therefore,rnproviding an alternative and more reliable source of local employment targeted to benefitrnfemale household heads is needed such as food-for-work. Increasing the productivity ofrnactivities seems to be critical and urgent since the burden of securing food for the family fallsrnconsiderably on female household heads.