FAO Representation

Country Information

Around 80 percent of Ethiopia’s 80 million people earn their living from Agriculture, mostly on small average land holdings and using low-input methods. Low productivity combined with extreme population puts enormous pressures on natural resources and the result is levels of soil erosion and vegetation destruction that are often irreversible. Farmers continue to use outdated technologies and have very limited access to yield-enhancing inputs, including quality seeds/breeds and fertilizers.

FAO aims to balance an instinctive preference to feed the hungry with effective agricultural investments in high potential areas. It believes the future of Ethiopia’s agriculture sector is reliant on innovative policy and increased technical capacity. Such improvements will enable the country not only to attain food security but to realize its competitive potential at regional and global levels.

The agriculture sector requires technical and policy support to achieve its potential, while humanitarian assistance is often required to respond to frequent emergencies such as drought, disease epidemics, plant pests, flooding, hail storms, landslides etc. through preparedness, prevention, response and mitigation. The decades-long prevalence of disasters and their attendant humanitarian crises bears witness to weaknesses of policy and strategy. Thus, while the Organization is engaged in response measures to protect livelihoods after disasters and in advocating a proactive approach to disaster risk management, its core function is increasingly in promoting adoption of policies and strategies that can support sustainable productivity enhancement of agriculture.

 FAO’S DEVELOPMENT ROLE IN ETHIOPIA

 FAO implements long-term technical assistance interventions in both high and low potential areas of Ethiopia. It supports the Ethiopian government and people devising agricultural policy and creating national strategies for rural development. It also partners with farmers’ organizations and members of civil society and other non-governmental players. A significant part of the work is analytical studies related to policy balance, productivity enhancement, market functioning etc. But in addition and more visibly, FAO implements field projects.

 For longer-term development projects (which range from one to four years in duration), FAO can draw on financial support from its Trust-Fund Programme and Technical Cooperation Programme (both mechanisms supported by FAO Member Nations). Recent project themes have included:

• Agricultural statistical systems and information development
• Commercialization of small-holder farmers and marketing development
• Livestock production and trade
• Agribusiness initiation and capacity building
• Support to extension services
• Support to nutrition and food sector
• Strengthening of fruit production 

FAO AND DISASTER RISK MANAGEMENT IN ETHIOPIA

Effective agriculture should yield enough surpluses to permit asset build-up and resilience but in the prevailing situation of low-input/low-output farming, surpluses are scarce in Ethiopia. Therefore even small recurrent floods and drought erode many rural Ethiopian households’ assets to the point of destitution; a significant proportion of the population is chronically food insecure. Even in “good” years, drought and other disasters may affect many farming and pastoral households. 

FAO is a key player in disaster risk management. Its work in post-disaster and complex emergency situations emphasizes rehabilitation and recovery. It supports rural communities trying to support themselves in times of crisis and in doing so, preserves their livelihoods and dignity. FAO's predominant roles in humanitarian aid are assisting in preventing disaster-related emergencies and helping rebuild capacity for food production as soon as possible. All FAO emergency activities are conducted in close collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and it supports the Agriculture Task Force in the coordination and harmonization of relief efforts.

FAO short-term projects that follow emergencies are generally short-term (six to twelve months) with a possibility of extension for longer periods and they operate mainly in food insecure and low productive areas. Recent project themes have included:

• Provision of agricultural inputs in response to droughts and floods;
• Strengthening resilience of pastoralist communities including through ensuring that markets can sustain incomes;
• Sustainable land management;
• Rehabilitation of water points in pastoralist areas;
• Coordination activities.