The impact of urban vegetable production on household poverty reduction during the Tigray War (2020–2022): Evidence from Mekelle City, Ethiopia

Amid the devastating Tigray War (2020–2022), urban households in Mekelle adopted vegetable production as a survival strategy. While its role in food security is noted, rigorous evidence of its poverty‐reducing impact remains scarce, especially during active conflict. This study fills that gap by estimating the effect of urban vegetable production on household poverty in Mekelle. Household surveys were used to collect data from 264 households and analyzed using propensity score matching to address selection bias. Accordingly, our result shows that participation is strongly associated with poverty reduction. Vegetable producers had relatively low poverty incidence, depth, and poverty severity. This implies that urban vegetables served as a critical resilience mechanism, lifting households closer to or above the poverty line. Policymakers should prioritize support for urban agriculture (land access, inputs, extension) as a rapid‐response livelihood intervention in humanitarian crises.