BY LEULSEGED WORKU
The issue of food security is one of the most pressing issues in most developing countries and an area that the government of Ethiopia is working on determinedly. As part of its ambition to ensure food security, the government has given due attention to the agriculture sector; and in turn promising results are being witnessed. The sector, concurrent to ensuring food security, is also creating job opportunities for several citizens and it is bringing various actors together for a common goal.
Among others, the due attention the country given to increase agricultural output, especially in wheat production, is a good indication how the nation is striving to ensure food security as well as generating foreign currency.
Recently, the 2022 Global Hunger Index report was presented by the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Health in collaboration with the Alliance 2015 members, a strategic network of seven European non-government organizations engaged in humanitarian and development action.
In a discussion held under the theme “Food System Transformation and Local Governance”, Health Minister, Dr. Lia Tadesse (MD), said that the government has been implementing National Food and Nutrition
Policy, (NFNP) strategy and the Seqota Declaration (SD) as well as other similar programs with the target ensuring citizens’ food security. And such kinds of national and international information are very important to ensure economic growth, meaningfully reduce the rate of child mortality, and achieve sustainable development goals.
However, as the report and other information indicate, the remarkable progress witnessed at national and global level for several years regarding the problem of food security and nutritional food is dwindling since recent times. As to her, climate change, the outbreak of Coronavirus pandemic, inflation, conflict and other problems challenged the growth. She also underlined the importance of collaboration and concerted action from all now more than ever and the active involvement of the community to address the challenges.
Mentioning that extensive works are being done in every sector to ensure food security in Ethiopia and to provide access to nutritious food, the Minister urged partners to give due attention to the matters and work in collaboration with the government.
Speaking on his part, State Minister for Agriculture and Horticulture Development Sector with the Ministry of Agriculture, Melese Mekonnen (Ph.D) said the government is implementing number of programs that will help to improve food and food system. As part of these efforts, the government is implementing cluster farming, working to increase wheat production, and exercising a national program known as YeLimat Trufat, a program designed to ensure food self-sufficiency and nutrition security and other systems.
What is more, a strategic plan, a Food System Transformation Roadmap, is prepared in collaboration with partners to address food system transformation challenges and improve production to align with the action plans of the Food System Summit of the United Nations he added.
In his speech, German Ambassador to Ethiopia, Amb. Stephan Auer said that the government of Ethiopia has been striving to reduce food security challenges. And the German government will continue supporting the efforts of the Ethiopian government,
especially in its efforts exerted to realize the Sustainable Development Goals-2 (SDG-2) program, which is targeting to achieve zero problems in ensuring food security, Amb. Stephan stated.
While pursuing food security, the Ministry of Agriculture is working aggressively to ensure productivity by applying mechanized agriculture. As recently indicated by, Agricultural Mechanization Executive Director, with the Ministry of Agriculture Bereket Forsido said that agricultural mechanization technology is being used to improve productivity.
According to him, modern agricultural mechanization technology has significance in dealing with climate change and improving agricultural productivity in a modern way. Starting from farm preparation to harvesting, transporting, storing, and protecting products from pests and other things that damage production, mechanization technology plays a key role to increase productivity.
The government’s duty-free entry of modern agricultural machinery and the establishment of a center of excellence for agricultural mechanization in cooperation with the Korean Government, as well as the development of various policies and strategies to expand and access agricultural mechanization services have a significant contribution to modernizing agriculture.
The Ethiopian Herald April 9/2023
