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Despite these challenges, however, Ethiopia has made significant gains in education, an expanded health extension system, and the fight against HIV/AIDS. The government's long-term strategy of Agricultural Development-led Industrialization continues to address the country's food insecurity and is complemented by Ethiopia's Food Security Programme, which includes the Productive Safety Net Programme, the Household Asset Building Programme and others designed to ease households out of food insecurity.

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Ethiopia's economy is dependent on agriculture, which contributes 43 percent of the GDP and 90 percent of exports. However, just five percent of land is irrigated, and crop yields from small farms are below regional averages. Market linkages are weak, and the use of improved seeds, fertilizers and pesticides remains limited. Despite these challenges, agriculture-led economic growth that is linked to improved livelihoods and nutrition can become a long-lasting solution to Ethiopia's chronic poverty and food insecurity.

Through Feed the Future, we are helping vulnerable households participate in economic activities and generate demand for products. Agricultural investments improve the competitiveness of value chains such as maize, wheat, coffee, sesame, chickpea, honey, potato, livestock and poultry. These activities bring jobs and income opportunities for rural households. We also strengthen small- and medium-sized enterprises by providing access to credit and technical support.

Our Feed the Future Strategy in Ethiopia focuses on three core components: agricultural growth-enabled food security, linking the vulnerable to markets, and fostering a regulatory environment and private sector conducive to economic growth and targeting 149 woredas (districts) containing a combined population of approximately 16 million people.

Feed the Future Innovation Labs bring the talents of U.S. land grant universities to bear on difficult challenges: small-scale mechanization; post-harvest handling; agronomy; soil and water conservation; crop improvement for maize, maringa, duckweed, and chickpea; livestock breeding and health; household nutrition; and resilience.

We support the Government of Ethiopia's Agricultural Growth Program, which operates in more than 157 woredas, stimulating market-led agricultural growth and rural transformation to aid vulnerable parts of the country. In addition, we also work with the Government of Ethiopia to improve the enabling environment to support private sector growth and investment in agriculture through the New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition.

The Government of Ethiopia's Productive Safety Net Program (PSNP) is one of the largest safety net programs in the world. The PSNP is a major component of Government of Ethiopia's Food Security Program and plays a critical role in building the resilience capacity of chronically food insecure communities to shocks and climate change. PSNP's objective is to prevent the depletion of household assets, to stimulate markets and improve access to services, and to rehabilitate and enhance the natural environment through labor-based public works. The program has a target caseload of more than six million beneficiaries in 319 woredas throughout Ethiopia. We are the largest bilateral donor to PSNP. The design phase for the future generation of PSNP and Household Asset Building Program officially started in June 2013. USAID's Ethiopia mission, with nine other donor partners, is actively engaged in jointly shaping the vision for the next generation program together with the Government of Ethiopia.

Major Areas

Featured Articles

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Agriculture and Food Security | Ethiopia | U.S. Agency for International Development

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Ethiopia's economy is dependent on agriculture, which contributes 43 percent of the GDP and 90 percent of exports. However, just six percent of land is irrigated, and crop yields from small farms are below regional averages. Through Feed the Future, USAID is helping vulnerable households participate in economic activities and generate demand for products.

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We believe global hunger is solvable. Feed the Future is working to solve it through partnerships and innovation.

We believe global hunger is solvable. Feed the Future is working to solve it through partnerships and innovation. Our model was born from an understanding that business as usual was not going to create the sustainable, long-term change needed to end chronic hunger and poverty. So, we forged a new approach. We bring together partners from across sectors and the U.S. Government to use each of our unique skills and insights in a targeted, coordinated way to help countries that are ripe for transformation change the way their food systems work.

As the U.S. Government's global hunger and food security initiative, Feed the Future works to give families and communities in some of the world's poorest countries the freedom and opportunity to lift themselves out of food insecurity and malnutrition. By equipping people with the knowledge and tools to feed themselves, we are addressing the root causes of poverty and hunger, helping people end their reliance on aid, and creating important opportunities for a new generation of young people-all while building a more stable world.

Ending global hunger is one the greatest challenges and opportunities of our time. More than 800 million people across the world go to bed hungry each night. To meet the needs of a growing population, global food production needs to increase without increasing the need for resources to do so. Hunger and poverty are inextricably linked, robbing people of healthy and productive lives and stunting the mental and physical development of future generations. And while the world has made progress in reducing global hunger and poverty over the past decade, there is still more to do.

Results

Feed the Future has shown that progress on ending hunger is possible. By bringing partners together to invest in agriculture, resilience and nutrition, we have helped millions of families around the world lift themselves out of hunger and poverty.

9 million more people now live above the poverty line

1.8 million more children are living free from stunting

900+ innovations developed and deployed

$2.7 billion agricultural and rural loans unlocked

1.7 million more families are no longer suffering from hunger

$2.6 billion generated by farmers in new agricultural sales

For more information, please read our progress snapshot.

Where We Work & Why

Feed the Future invests in countries that are committed to improving their own food security and nutrition. Our selection is based on:

Level of need

Potential for our programs to spur growth

Opportunities for partnership

Opportunities for regional efficiencies

Host government commitment

Resource availability

Our Target Countries

The U.S. Government also coordinates activities and support across a set of aligned countries and at the regional level in Asia, Central America, and East, Southern and West Africa to improve food security and nutrition through Feed the Future.

Our Strategy

We help our partner countries to accomplish the following:

Improve agricultural production and markets and create new opportunities for security and prosperity

Strengthen the resilience of communities to shocks that can lead to famine and political unrest

Reduce hunger and improve nutrition, especially among mothers and children

Increase the exchange of ideas, technologies and products that benefit citizens at home and communities abroad

Country Ownership

We believe the best development solutions are the ones that continuously empower others to get in the game and carry the work forward. Feed the Future helps partner country governments create better policy and organization for food security and nutrition to ultimately help them move from vulnerability to self-reliance.

Private Sector Partnerships

Lasting change requires progress driven by private sector investment, a healthy business environment, and strong market systems. Feed the Future works closely with the private sector to foster economic growth and establish well-functioning, connected markets.

Research & Innovation

Research in agriculture is one of the most effective of all investments at reducing poverty, hunger and malnutrition. Feed the Future invests in research and develops innovation that are critical to the future of agriculture in developing countries, as well as America, through a network of U.S. universities and international and national research centers.

Resilience for the Future

To guarantee lasting food security for future generations and reduce the need for costly humanitarian aid in the future, Feed the Future bridges the gap between humanitarian and development efforts by helping vulnerable communities and regions build resilience to complex risks, including addressing the root causes of recurrent food crises.

For more information, please read the U.S. Government's Global Food Security Strategy.

Our Partners

Tackling global hunger requires an "all hands on deck" approach. Feed the Future represents a broad partnership that draws on the expertise, resources, talents and dedication of numerous organizations, companies and individuals. And as the initiative working to end hunger abroad, we work with many partners here at home.

Check out who we work with in the United States to transform lives around the world.

Feed the Future Resources

Vacancy Announcements

For more information, please contact feedthefuture@usaid.gov.

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Feed the Future | Agriculture and Food Security | U.S. Agency for International Development

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USAID is advancing global food security by helping to improve the most basic of human conditions: the need that families and individuals have for a reliable source of quality food and sufficient resources to purchase it. Feed the Future is the U.S. Government's global hunger and food security initiative addressing the root causes of hunger and poverty.

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Ethiopia, Africa's oldest independent country, with roots stretching back to the 2nd century C.E., is also one of the modern world's poorest countries. Home to Africa's second largest population, with over 90 million individuals, Ethiopia suffers from widespread food insecurity.

Suffering from devastating droughts and famines in the 1970s and 1980s and a vicious war with Eritrea in the late 1990s, Ethiopia remains largely impoverished today. Two programs created by the Ethiopian government have been coordinated in an attempt to address this issue. The Ethiopia's Productive Safety Net Programme (PSNP) was created in 2005, and the Household Asset Building Program (HABP) was set up in 2010.

Ethiopia's troubles with food security are strongly related to its high poverty rates. In 2011, the national poverty rate was at 29.6 percent. This, while a drastic improvement from the country's 38.9 percent poverty rate in 2004, still shows the high level of financial insecurity that over one-fourth of Ethiopians live with.

Furthermore, in 2013 the World Food Programme reported that, "over 7.1 million people were estimated to live in conditions of crisis and emergency" in Ethiopia. While this figure is partially attributed to the conflict in South Sudan, it shows the necessity of promoting food security in a nation where poverty is so rampant.

Food insecurity in Ethiopia is often related to the over-reliance on rainfall-dependent agriculture. The World Bank reports that agriculture in this nation accounts for roughly 45 percent of its GDP and ensures the livelihoods of 80 to 85 percent of the nation.

Due to this, the World Bank reports that, "Any small variation in rainfall...affects the incomes of 30 to 40 million people and can mean hunger for 10 to 15 million people." Clearly this over-reliance on factors outside the country's control demonstrates the need for a safety net for the population.

A safety net is exactly what the PSNP provides. It gives out food or cash to roughly seven or eight million Ethiopians chronically suffering from food shortages. PSNP gives out the food or cash for six months a year as wages for work on small local public works projects. These public works projects are decided by the community and are aimed at strengthening economic development in the area.

Along with this, the program gives out food or money to Ethiopians who can't work due to age, disability or pregnancy. PSNP, initially made available in the regions of Tigray, Amhara, Oromiya and the Southern Nations and Nationalities People's Region, soon spread to Afar in 2006 and the Somali Region in 2007.

Due to the limited success of PSNP in providing actual food stability and security to the Ethiopians who have access to it, the government also created HABP in 2010. This program is a companion to PSNP and offers agricultural and entrepreneurial advice. It is designed to educate people in hopes that they can learn to create and maintain their own assets, without remaining perpetually reliant on wages from the PSNP.

Both PSNP and HABP receive 1.1 percent of Ethiopia's GDP for funding. However, a large amount of their finances come from international donors. Notable donors include the World Bank, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), UK Department for International Development and the World Food Programme.

So far, working together, these programs have shown success in combating the food insecurity that plagues much of Ethiopia. An evaluation by both the Institute of Development Studies and Dadias Consulting Ethiopia show significant improvements in food security in the regions involved from 2010 to 2012. Furthermore, they showed that, in 2010, PSNP and HABP together created food security 2.5 times more than PSNP alone.

Together, these two innovative and interrelated projects, designed to help promote food security and lower Ethiopia's reliance on foreign aid, are doing just that. Gradually, Ethiopia's survival is becoming less contingent on foreign food aid and favorable rainfall.
- Albert Cavallero

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Addressing Food Security In Ethiopia - The Borgen Project

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Ethiopia, Africa's oldest independent country, with roots stretching back to the 2nd century C.E., is also one of the modern world's poorest countries. Home to Africa's second largest population, with over 90 million individuals, Ethiopia suffers from widespread food insecurity.

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Across the world, up to 811 million people do not have enough food. According to recent estimates, 45 million people in 43 countries are at risk of sliding into famine - the most extreme form of hunger, which can result in death from starvation or disease. Indeed, parts of Yemen, South Sudan and Madagascar may be close to or are already in the grip of famine.

The consequence of diets poor in vitamins, minerals and other nutrients are affecting the health and life prospects of millions more, and casting a shadow over the future of communities and entire countries.

Although enough food is produced to feed everyone on this planet, the goal of a world with zero hunger, as set out in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and specifically in Sustainable Development Goal 2, remains hugely challenging due to a toxic cocktail of conflict, climate change, disasters and structural poverty and inequality. Over the past year, the socio-economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic have further exacerbated the situation by pushing millions of vulnerable people into greater food insecurity.

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Across the world, up to 811 million people do not have enough food. According to recent estimates, 45 million people in 43 countries are at risk of sliding into famine - the most extreme form of hunger, which can result in death from starvation or disease. Indeed, parts of &nbsp

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Read this article about Life in Ethiopia:

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Read this article about Life in Ethiopia:

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(Click on the post to make it bigger)

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http://atlas.media.mit.edu/en/visualize/tree_map/hs92/import/eth/all/show/2014/

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http://atlas.media.mit.edu/en/visualize/tree_map/hs92/export/eth/all/show/2014/

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WFP has been working with Ethiopian families to rehabilitate farmland degraded by years of soil erosion. The project has helped thousands of farmers raise yields, boost incomes and reduce widespread poverty. Copyright: WFP/Ethiopia

It is a struggle to feed a growing family on land that is subject to droughts and soil erosion. But for Ethiopian smallholder farmers like Abebe Moliso, that's exactly the challenge that life has given them. A land management programme called MERET is helping them deal with it.

AWASSA-Abebe Moliso, a farmer living in a small village near the southern Ethiopian town of Awassa, still remembers the days before he was introduced to a joint conservation and water harvesting project known as MERET, or the Managing Environmental Resources to Enable Transitions to more sustainable livelihoods programme, which is supported by the Ethiopian government and WFP.

"Before MERET, my land was very weak," Abebe says. "It was too rocky and I had trouble growing."

With his wife, Tsehaynesh Desalegn, and eight children to feed, coaxing and nurturing a healthy harvest from the soil around his home is a matter of survival for Abebe.
Rehabilitating land
Land degradation has been identified as one of the major causes of food insecurity in Ethiopia. The effects are being felt by over 80 per cent of the population and in some regions, such as Tigray, up to 50 per cent of the productive capacity of the soil has been lost. The risks facing populations that were already vulnerable to food shortages are being further multiplied by the impact of climate change.

WFP has been working with the Ethiopian government and international donors to support the rehabilitation of more than 400,000 hectares of degraded land under the MERET programme. Families who have participated in the programme recognise the benefits, seeing an increase in incomes, and harvests and a reduction in soil erosion and water increased water availability.

One of the unique characteristics of MERET is that it incorporates traditional knowledge about farming practices and ensures that communities are placed at the heart of programmes to improve the quality of land and strengthen food security. Farmers like Abebe Moliso are encouraged to attend training courses that teach them conservation techniques and introduce them to new and more varied crop varieties such as pigeon peas, onions and carrots, as well as fruit trees such as pawpaw, lime, avocado and mango.
New crops
For Abebe, this has meant the introduction of drought-resistant crops such as cassava and time spent terracing his land to prevent soil erosion. It takes time for the impact to be felt, but now that he has adopted this new strategy, he is enjoying the fruits of his labours and is especially proud of his avocado tree which has been producing a crop that he sells for cash on local markets.

Over the years, MERET has delivered significant reduction in poverty and food security has improved with households consuming more diverse diets that are higher in vital nutrients. For communities living on the frontlines of climate change, MERET is a welcome buffer that protects and nourishes the lives of the most vulnerable.

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WFP has been working with Ethiopian families to rehabilitate farmland degraded by years of soil erosion. The project has helped thousands of farmers raise yields, boost incomes and reduce widespread poverty. Copyright: WFP/Ethiopia It is a struggle to feed a growing family on land that is subject to droughts and soil erosion.

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Average food prices in Ethiopia. Various related sociological and economical indices calculated for Ethiopia.

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Remember to use your spring break packet to collect notes about your findings.

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Remember to use your spring break packet to collect notes about your findings.

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Explore this Padlet to guide you in your research about Ethiopia's food security.

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Explore this Padlet to guide you in your research about Ethiopia's food security.