Abstract
This paper seeks an answer to why does food insecurity persists in Ethiopia with extensive review of literature? Nearly, one billion people globally are food insecure and food security challenges are widespread in the developing countries. Ethiopia has been renowned as a country of famine and food insecurity. During the period between 1958 and 1977 over 25 million people were affected, from 1974 to 1991, it was wracked by political instability, war, famine, and economic decline. Since1991, the country has shown commitment to achieve food security. As a result, there has been a reduction of food insecure people from 52 to 30% and the proportion of people living below the nationally defined poverty line from 44% in 2005 to 29.6% in 2011 although food insecurity remains a big challenge. The structural challenges that drive food insecurity are drought and low productivity due to limited use of agricultural technology. Macro-economic challenges like alarming food prices and unemployment determine the prospect of food security. Therefore, there is an urgent need to transform access to agricultural technology by farmers and employment opportunity. Finally, it was argued here that the government should invest on food to stabilize price and safeguard the poor. Key words: Drought, food aid, famine, food price, food security, malnutrition.
Highlights
Conceptual backgroundIn many documents, food security, hunger and malnutrition were used interchangeably, in spite of their very unique and different concepts
Almost all of the literatures reviewed indicate that Ethiopia is the top food insecure country from 1958 to 2003
We can realistically expect food security to be improved for an increasing number of people if agricultural growth and employment generation sustained
Summary
Food security, hunger and malnutrition were used interchangeably, in spite of their very unique and different concepts. FAO defines hunger as consumption of fewer than about 1,800 kcal per day ( the minimum that most people require to live a healthy and productive life) (IFPRI, Concern, WHH, 2010). World Food Program defines hunger as a condition in which people lack the required nutrient–both macro (energy and protein) and micro (vitamins and minerals), for fully productive, active and healthy lives (WFP, 2009). It is similar to undernourishment, which is a situation where people whose dietary energy consumption is continuously below the minimum required for fully productive, active and healthy lives, and is related to poverty. The country has faced three major famines in t h e 1970s, 80s and 90s due to severe drought (Berhanu, 2001) Another factor widely discussed as main reason for food insecurity is land tenure system. About 30% Ethiopians are food insecure and Ethiopia is one of severe food insecure countries
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