Together, Ethiopia can build a new food and land use economy to ensure its future.
Hence, business as usual is not a viable option, so said high government officials in a recent panel discussion hosted by The Food and Land Use Coalition here in Addis.
In the issues of new food and land use in the country, Ethiopia Planning and Development Commissioner Dr. Fitsum Assefa said that Ethiopia’s long-term targets and ambitious goals are ultimately dependent on the wise stewardship of the country’s remarkable natural resources and biodiversity of its forests, woodlands, grasslands, wetlands and rivers.
“Of course, much more is done or needs to be done by various sectors of Ministries and others to put in place the building blocks for a more sustainable food and land use system in Ethiopia,” she added.
As to her, the government’s national integrated land use plan and policy initiative is expected to profoundly guide land use at the national, region state, and more local levels.
Strong land use plans that ensure more integrated land use practices can establish a solid foundation for a new economy that provides citizens with a sustainable supply of food, fiber, and other benefits.
She further indicated that Ethiopia is making a steady progress which represent emerging steps toward such as transformation and a more sustainable food and land use system in Ethiopia through aligning the national 10 years prospective planning and budgeting efforts with the country’s long-terms green economy strategy as well as the new INDCs and the sustainable development goals.
According to her, this year the Ethiopian government has unveiled a new economic reform blueprint, dubbed Homegrown Economic Reform, with a major aspiration to unlock the country’s development potentials and propel Ethiopia into becoming the African icon of prosperity by 2030.
As to her, Ethiopia’s economy is growing fast, and its economic structure is gradually shifting away from mainly rural and agricultural base. This will create both opportunities and challenges.
Adding she stated that of course, a challenge has taken place because recent trends are putting increasing pressure on Ethiopia’s precious food and land use systems. Food insecurity is an enduring phenomenon posing a critical challenge in Ethiopia. Chronic malnutrition costs the country approximately 16.5 percent of its GDP each year.
Besides, the country needs to find a more nutritious and efficient way to feed an estimated population of 140 million people by 2030. Agricultural land to grow crops and raise livestock is by far the dominant land use nationally.
High rates of deforestation and land degradation threaten the natural resources and costs Ethiopia 4.3 billion USD a year. Rapid urbanization is introducing additional pressures, including higher consumption levels and shifts in the supply chains, all while links between cities and rural spaces remain strong and dynamic.
“We can proudly point toward success stories such as boosting yields on existing croplands, restoring degraded lands and improving nutrition. The government strongly believes that incremental change is not enough. We need a transformation in every aspect including the food and land use system if we are to thrive in the face of rapidly changing conditions and alarming trends,” she noted.
The government has put in place strong policies, programs and strategies in place to meet the growing and competing demands and has made considerable progress on each of these challenges individually and in specific geographic areas.
Dr. Kaba on his part said that Ethiopia is the first country among African countries to launch post-harvest loss strategy to reduce food security, to parry environment-related risks and to achieve economic benefits. “We have also set livestock development master plan with a potential to halve poverty, improve the food security and make livestock an increasing contributor to GDP growth,” he said.
He went on to say that in order to better equip the food system to produce good nutritional outcome, government integrates nutrition-sensitive strategies into agricultural development policies to ensure that nutrition sensitive programs are funded and implemented essential to help fight malnutrition and stunting.
“To handle growing demand for food and land, it is clear that business as usual is not a viable option. Investing in more of the same is unlikely to give us better or different results. We have taken some steps toward recognizing the need for sustainability but we have not fundamentally altered the way we measure, understand, and incentivize our agricultural systems,” he capitalized.
EFCCC Commissioner Professor Fekadu Beyene noted that food and land use systems are not just impacted by climate change, they also contribute to it. Agriculture and other land use account for around 24 percent of greenhouse gas emissions caused by human activities. Keeping global warming to well below 2ºC requires that we reduce emissions in all sectors.
“Thus, a transformation of food and land use systems is critical to both adapt to climate risks and mitigate emissions to bring the world onto a sustainable development trajectory,” he pointed out.
As to him, although Ethiopia is a global leader in the climate response, there are still numerous daunting challenges ahead, including natural disasters, environmental degradation and competition for land.
Adding he said that cognizant of the need for food and land use systems that respond to these emerging challenges, the government has recently developed a national integrated land use policy, which will be an integral part of the third growth and transformation Plan (2020-2024) and which is expected to address these issues.
“We have to work closely and in an integrated manner to deliver on the proposed actions under each prioritized strategic areas. This means strengthening horizontal and vertical coordination among federal and regional implementing entities to ensure that we put the tools and strategies provided to good use,” he remarked.
The Ethiopian Herald January 19/2020
BY MEHARI BEYENE
