Food Security Situation in Ethiopia: A Review Study

Abstract

Food security is a dynamic concept, which has continuously integrated new dimensions and levels of analysis over the years; this reflects the wider recognition of its complexities in research and public policy issues. Food security is achieved when all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life. Food insecurity occurs at individuals, households or nation level that has neither physical nor economical access to the nourishment they need. Food insecurity is an enduring, critical challenge in Ethiopia which is Africa’s second populous country after Nigeria. The 2015 El Nino drought is one of the strongest droughts that have been recorded in Ethiopian history were more than 27 million people became food insecure and total population of 18.1 million people require food assistance in 2016. As indicated by Africa Food Security and Hunger Multiple Indicator Scorecard, Ethiopia ranked first in having the highest number of people in state of undernourishment which is 32.1 million people in 2014. World Food Program found long-term effects of chronic malnutrition cost Ethiopia approximately 16.5 percent of its GDP in each year. The number of food insecure people in the country increasing from time to time; which was estimated to 2.9 million in 2014 and 4.5 million in August, 2015 and by the end of the same year this figure had more than doubled to 10.2 million food insecure people. Drought and land degradation, population pressure, instability and armed conflict are major sources of food security problems in Ethiopia. To cope with these problems Ethiopian people use sale of livestock, agricultural employment, and migration to other areas, requesting grain loans, sales of wood or charcoal, small scale trading and limiting size and frequency of meal as major coping mechanisms.