‘Excessive Optimism’ Around UN Food Summit Omits Ethiopia’s Glaring Nutrition Deficits: Experts

Four decades after news of a catastrophic famine in Ethiopia dominated airwaves and inspired the globe’s biggest pop stars to produce a hit song in a bid to raise funding for humanitarian response efforts, Ethiopia and its tenuous food security situation finds themselves once again at the center of international attention.

However, this time around the spotlight is focused on the UN Food Systems Summit Stocktake which took place in Addis Ababa between July 27 and 29. The summit, co-hosted with Italy, was the second of its kind since the UN launched the initiative amidst the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021.

Aimed at “catalyzing national and global action to make food systems more inclusive, resilient and sustainable,” the summit brought together over 3,000 participants representing governments, civil society, indigenous communities, youth, and the private sector to assess progress and renew commitments.

On the guest list were senior UN and AU officials, as well as heads of state such as Kenya’s William Ruto and Somalia’s Hassan Sheikh Mohamud.

From The Reporter Magazine

Apart from the Summit’s primary purpose, the event also marked a step in Ethiopia’s efforts to shed the blemishes that have stained its international diplomacy since the brutal northern war.

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The Summit featured some memorable moments—including an opera performance at the newly built palace on the Yeka Hills, a tree-planting drive in Jimma, and videos of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed (PhD) giving Italian PM Giorgia Meloni a personalized tour in Jimma and elsewhere—all designed to impress the VIPs, observers point out.

From The Reporter Magazine

Meanwhile, federal officials maintain that Ethiopia was selected to host the Summit in light of its achievements in sustainability and agricultural production.

Demitu Hambisa is Ethiopia’s representative to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), and the World Food Program (WFP). She argues that progress in the Green Legacy initiative and advancements in food security, particularly in relation to wheat production, were the primary factors behind Ethiopia’s selection as host.

However, UN officials have stated that organizing a food security summit in developed economies does not make sense, preferring instead to host the event in one of the world’s most acutely food insecure countries—Ethiopia.

“In Ethiopia, we are investing in local production, reducing dependence on imports. Following the first Summit, Ethiopia launched a comprehensive food transformation strategy, aligned with our macroeconomic reform initiatives like rural financing. Our aim is to enable every Ethiopian to have diverse, nutritious and enriched food. We are already seeing results. Through irrigated lowland farming of wheat, we have ended imports, and taken steps towards self-sufficiency. Ethiopia is also making good progress towards the goal of ending child undernourishment through our Sekota Declaration,” said PM Abiy during his address at the Summit.

The allusions at progress, however, are dampened by the grim statistics published in the latest UN State of Food Security and Nutrition (SOFI) report, which was launched while the Summit was ongoing in Addis Ababa.

The report, compiled by experts at FAO, WHO, and UNICEF, among other agencies, names Ethiopia as one of the five most food insecure countries on earth.

More than 25 million Ethiopians are undernourished, while 54 million cannot afford a healthy diet, and over six million children under five suffer from stunted growth, according to the report.

“The five countries with the largest numbers of people facing high levels of acute food insecurity were, in descending order, Nigeria, the Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Bangladesh, and Ethiopia, while the countries with the largest share of the analyzed population facing high levels of acute food insecurity were Palestine (Gaza Strip), South Sudan, the Sudan, Yemen and Haiti,” it reads.

The report further indicates that food unaffordability in Ethiopia is exacerbated by a social protection program the federal government has used to support food-insecure households for the past two decades.

The report’s authors argue the Productive Safety Net Program (PSNP) is contributing to Ethiopia’s high inflation rate.

“Cash transfers can sometimes exacerbate economic challenges during crises like food price surges. In high-inflation environments, the value of cash transfers can erode rapidly, requiring careful adjustments to balance beneficiary protection with fiscal costs. For instance, if local food prices are already significantly higher than international prices and local market supply is limited, cash transfers can further drive food price inflation, as happened in Kenya with the Hunger Safety Net Programme. Similarly, Ethiopia’s Productive Safety Net Programme contributed to rising inflation, significantly reducing the purchasing power of the poorest populations,” it reads.

The report recommends indexing transfers to food prices or providing direct food assistance to minimize the inflationary effects.

Experts like Ashagrie Zewdu (PhD), an associate professor of food science and nutrition at Addis Ababa University (AAU), agree the report sheds light on Ethiopia’s debilitating food security troubles despite the government’s narrative of having achieved “food sovereignty.”

Ashagrie argues the focus should be on the problems and not the success of hosting the Summit.

“Hosting the UN Food Summit in Africa or Asia makes sense because these are low- and middle-income regions where the food security challenges are most severe. I recognize that the Ethiopian government has made efforts over the years, and some of these are encouraging. But the scale and speed of the food crisis does not match the efforts,” he told The Reporter. “That’s the reality.”

The expert cautions hosting the Summit should be viewed as an opportunity—not as a trophy.

“I’ve been watching national television closely over the past weeks, and as a food scientist, I’m genuinely glad to see that food has finally become a national priority. But the critical question is: will we keep discussing food as a top priority even after this Summit ends? Or will we shift focus to something else? Ethiopia has faced famine many times. We are what we eat. Ethiopia has done a lot, and I’m happy with the level of discussion. But I do have one concern. Many government officials, scholars, and even my colleagues have been too focused on highlighting only the positive sides. The optimism is excessive. And this frustrates people. Not because they don’t appreciate what has been done—but because we’re all living in the current conditions. You don’t need a UN or FAO report to tell you what’s happening. People see it every single day,” Ashagrie said.

Nonetheless, reports from international agencies like FAO continue to serve as an invaluable source of information, especially in light of hard-to-access and contradictory data on agricultural output, food insecurity levels, malnutrition, and other relevant markers from the government.

According to the Central Statistics Service (CSS), Ethiopia’s total crop production in 2021/22 was just under 45 million tonnes. However, during a parliamentary address last year, the PM stated that total crop production was slated to hit 140 million tonnes in 2024/25.

The CSS’s six-percent figure for annual agricultural sector growth places the estimated output for the just-ended fiscal year at close to 53 million tonnes, much lower than the forecast the PM shared with lawmakers.

The government’s claims that farmland has doubled to nearly 30 million hectares over the last few years also contrasts with data from the National Bank of Ethiopia (NBE), which reports that agriculture’s share of the GDP has been shrinking as the service sector continues to expand.

According to the NBE’s most recent report, the share of agriculture in the Ethiopian economy in 2022/23 was 32 percent, with an annual growth rate of close to 6.3 percent. The report indicates agriculture contributed around 28.2 percent to overall GDP growth, driven by a marginal increase in crop production (from 6.9 percent to 7.1 percent).

A joint report published recently by the World Bank and the Ethiopian government indicates that approximately 41.5 percent of households experience moderate or severe food insecurity, while 9.2 percent experience severe food insecurity.

The report highlights that an unusual rise in the price of food items and inputs, as well as drought, have had a significant impact on households, which have had to deplete their savings or sell off livestock to cope with the shocks.

It also notes that food expenditure takes up a significant proportion of incomes, particularly as prices for teff and other commodities continue to rise. Teff constitutes the largest share of an urban household’s food consumption budget, replaced by maize in rural areas.

Experts agree that Ethiopia has made significant strides in recent years, including in substituting wheat imports through large-scale irrigation wheat farming initiatives in lowland areas. However, they underline that the progress does not match the demand from a fast-growing population nor is it sufficient to realize ambitions to double agricultural exports or fulfill demand for agricultural inputs in industries.

Messay Mulugeta, associate professor of food science at the Center for Food Security Studies at AAU, observes that while the achievements thus far are worth applauding, there remains much work to be done.

“There are challenges but Ethiopia has been exhibiting significant strides. There is significant progress. But there is also a wide range of food insecurity issues—under-nourishment, malnutrition,” he said.

Messay notes efforts to expand farmland, urban agriculture, school feeding programs and PSNP have had a positive effect and urges officials to continue.

“These works will enable Ethiopia to leave behind the severe challenges we are facing now,” he said.

Messay stresses the global focus should shift from food aid to enabling food self-sufficiency in developing countries. 

“Since the 1960s, UN agencies, western nations, development partners and the international community in general have been providing aid, including wheat, to Ethiopia. That did not help Ethiopia to become food secure. Of course, the aid has saved lives. But aid only made Ethiopia dependent. What Ethiopia needs now is not aid. These foreign partners must support Ethiopia’s vision to become food secure. Ethiopia is determined to produce everything locally. Development partners should provide technological support, like improved seeds and fertilizers, to enhance agricultural productivity. That is what Ethiopia needs now. Agricultural financing and climate funding are also crucial. This is what Ethiopia and other developing economies need from such international summits. This is the only way developing countries like Ethiopia can become self-reliant in terms of food production, and even become bread baskets of the world,” he said.

The Summit Stocktake emphasized that food security remains a daunting challenge across the globe, with world leaders and experts noting that hopes of achieving the ‘Zero Hunger’ sustainable development goal (SDG) by 2030 is virtually impossible.

“Globally food systems are facing immense pressure…from climate shocks, conflict, inequalities, and economic disruptions. Africa needs predictable concessional finance to invest in its agriculture. Climate finance must be aligned with agriculture finance,” PM Abiy said during the Summit.

“Hunger and malnutrition persist. Climate shocks, conflict, debt, and inequality are widening the cracks in our systems,” said UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed during her address. “Too often food systems are seen as part of our challenges when in fact, they can be one of the greatest solutions to deliver for people, planet, peace and prosperity.”

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