Objective: To assess the 1999–2000 food security situation and the food relief
programmes in Ethiopia, and evaluate the need for a national food and nutrition
policy.
Design: A systematic search of data sources from the Ethiopian Disaster Prevention
and Preparedness Commission (DPPC), the Ethiopian Central Statistical Authority, the
World Food Programme (WFP) and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the
bibliographic database Medline and direct contacts with associations, institutions and
people concerned with food security in Ethiopia.
Setting: Consultations to WFP Ethiopia.
Results: Food availability was severely restricted due to recurrent disasters such as
drought, flood, war and a lack of diversity of food items. Food accessibility was
limited due to a weak subsistence-agriculture-based economy, depletion of assets,
absence of income diversity and a lack of alternative coping mechanisms. Food intake
adequacy was rarely achieved due to food shortages, improper diet and poor sanitary
conditions. There was a lack of early warning data to monitor food security indicators.
Food aid programmes did not meet the requirements for food quantities and
composition, and faced major obstacles in logistics and targeting of the vulnerable
population.
Conclusions: Improvements in food security and the eradication of famine will
require investment in sustainable projects. There is an immediate need for better
planning and targeting of food aid and a national food security monitoring system. A
national food and nutrition policy is recommended, focusing both on relief efforts
and on underlying factors contributing to the famine.