Finite Planet this week focuses on the connection between the environment, food insecurity and poverty in Ethiopia. The following is an article compiled from a paper by Sisay Asefa, Professor of Economics, Western Michigan University, and Tesfaye Zegeye, Head of Socio-economics Department, Ethiopian Agricultural Research Organization (EARO).

The Environment, Food Insecurity and Poverty Problem in Ethiopia

There is a vicious cycle of natural resource degradation and food insecurity driven by absolute poverty and population growth in Ethiopia. The country is caught up in a ‘poverty – environmental degradation and food insecurity circle’ (Shibru and Kifle, 998). This is a complex and multi-dimensional problem with no single cause. For example, population growth is only one factor, which can be regarded as both the cause and the result of the problem. On the other hand, the problem is quite surmountable since it has been overcome by many societies in the developing world under appropriate policies. Many factors are contributing to trap Ethiopia, in the current state of food insecurity and poverty. These include production fluctuations, non-farm employment, low income, regional fragmentation of markets, high rate of natural degradation, low level of farm technology, high level of illiteracy and inadequate quality of basic education, poor health and sanitation, high population growth, large ineptness, poor governance, and interstate and intra-state military conflicts and wars. These factors impede the achievement of food security and sustainable economic development. Ethiopia, along many African states, is caught up in vicious cycle of food insecurity poverty-low agricultural productivity- land degradation cycle. This phenomenon is especially severe in the densely populated East African highlands which comprise some 90 million people, the majority of which is defined by the highlands of Ethiopia.

The food insecurity-poverty-natural resource degradation can be overcome by focusing on three basic and related development policy challenges: 1. The Challenge of Developing and Managing Human Resources and Population Growth, 2. The Challenge of Developing and Reforming Institutions of Governance, 3. The Challenge of Adopting Poverty-focused and/or Enabling Economic Growth Policies that Reduce the Costs and Risks of Private Investment on key sectors such as agriculture.
The Challenge of Developing and Managing Human Resources and Population Growth:
The most significant element in the process of economic development of any
country involves appropriate investment in its population, since people are both the means and beneficiaries of economic growth and development. The quality of population is the single most important factor that distinguishes economically successful nations from failed or poor states. Improving population quality requires massive investment in education, health care including adequate nutrition, shelter, and clean water guided by an effective and capable system of governance. Moreover, there is a need for managing population growth in the developing world where the bulk of the increase in population is projected. The share of developing countries population growth is expected be 84% of the
total global population growth by the year 2020. Over this period, the relative increase in population growth will be the greatest in Africa, where it is expected to double from the current 0.6 billion to 1.12 billion. Ethiopia’s current population of 65 million is expected double by 2020. Poor education, health, and adverse demographics are, in part, the outcome of ineffective policies and long economic decline. With rapidly growing population, Africa must reverse the marginalization of its people, especially its female population, and strengthen their capabilities and capacity. Africa loses twice as much labor through illness as any other region. This disparity will increase as HIV/AIDS incapacitates 2 to 4 % of its active labor force and depletes skilled population of the Region (World Bank 2000). Ethiopia is among the top three countries affected by the AIDS pandemic, with drastic consequences for the current and future generations. The various regimes of Ethiopia and most African states have made inadequate appropriate
investment in their peoples. They have neglected the critical human capital development of their societies by failing to invest in quality education, health, and nutrition.
The Challenge of Developing and Reforming Democratic Institutions of Governance
The second challenge for reducing food insecurity and poverty in Africa in general and Ethiopia in particular is that of improving institutions of governance aimed at developing capable and effective system of government at national, regional, and local levels. This challenge depends on the development of leadership that is accountable and transparent at all levels. This implies a system of governance that allocates scarce resources both efficiently and fairly across all the current regional states.
A capable and effective system of governance and leadership is possible only
under a democratic system that is subject and guided by the rule of law, independent judiciary, peaceful and open political competition, and an independent press. These pillars of democracy must be built into the national constitution, with proper checks and balances that include term limits for significant political offices. Decisions should be decentralized on a non-ethnic basis by taking into consideration the cultural and economic settlement patterns of the population. The national constitution must be reformed following a peaceful, open, and a politically inclusive dialogue of all stake holders. A system of governance that is imposed from the top as it has been the case under various regimes in Ethiopia cannot be sustained in the long run.
The Challenge of Adopting Poverty-focused growth policies
The challenging of adopting enabling policies that lead to rapid economic growth is related the two challenges mentioned earlier. For Africa in general, where 70% of the population is in agriculture, an agricultural focused-strategy is the best way of reducing food insecurity and generating greater employment both in farm and non-farm sectors.
Investment on agriculture focused economic growth is especially crucial for Ethiopia, where 85% of the population currently makes its livelihood in rural and agricultural related activities. Moreover, investment in agriculture must be pursued not only to reduce food insecurity, but also to alleviate poverty through employment creation and income generation in farm and non-farm sectors. It is also the best strategy for conserving natural resources or reversing land degradation and deforestation, since poverty forces poor people to overuse natural resources and forests in order to meet their basic survival needs.