Food Insecurity in Ethiopia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Food Insecurity in Ethiopia - Essay Example Ethiopia has a population of approximately 75 million people, making it the second most heavily populated country in Sub-Saharan Africa. Most of the people in Ethiopia rely on agriculture as the main means of subsistence, and the agricultural industry is controlled by smallholder agriculture. The risk of famine in Ethiopia is extremely high. With the fast increase in population, food shortage has escalated. The researcher gives some explanations on Ethiopian market, that is still weak, with extensive price fluctuations and instability. Besides fast increasing population, the causes of food insecurity include incompetence in the organisational, institutional, policy, market, and production sectors. Food security is defined by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as a condition â€Å"when all people at all times have access to sufficient, safe, nutritious food to maintain a healthy and active life†. Due to the complexity of the causes of famine, manifold measures are needed to le ssen or totally prevent it from occurring. To conclude, the researcher sums up that food insecurity in Ethiopia has been primarily caused by rapid growth of population, environmental destruction, and overexploitation of natural resources, recurring drought, climate change, poverty, and civil conflicts. Ethiopian governments have made an attempt to resolve the country’s food insecurity. Unfortunately, as the researcher states none of these measures have effectively dealt with the issue. Therefore, drastically new measures are needed.