Federal Democratic

Republic of Ethiopia:
Food Systems Pathway
Commitment and
Position Statement

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Progress on charting Ethiopia’s food systems transformation pathway
The Government of Ethiopia has made significant progress in charting our food systems transformation
pathway and are proud to share what we have achieved through a systematic consultative national process.
A Technical synthesis attached to this commitment represents Ethiopia’s position paper.
Ethiopia is committed to the Sustainable Development Goals and has wholeheartedly participated in the
UN Food Systems Summit (UNFSS). We have brought together public institutions, multilateral and
bilateral organizations, the private sector, civil society organizations, and universities and research institutes
to collaboratively chart a course for food systems transformation. The Ethiopian Food Systems (EFS) vision
has been formulated through a multi-stage and multi-sectoral process informed by a high-level roundtable
discussion and background paper, followed by three sequential national dialogues. The high-level
roundtable, background paper and First EFS National Dialogue evaluated the current state of Ethiopian
Food Systems and identified the key challenges that need to be addressed to drive transformation. The
Second National Dialogue then identified and prioritized key 22 ‘game changing solutions’ to address the
challenges identified in the First Dialogue. The Third EFS National Dialogue then brought together key
stakeholders to launch the EFS vision and affirm publicly Ethiopia’s commitment to create a strong and
equitable food system that can deliver on the promises of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals and
Ethiopia’s Homegrown Economic Reform Agenda.

We are fully committed to implementing the EFS vision to enhance agricultural production and
productivity, ensure food security, healthy and equitable incomes and prosperity for all Ethiopians.
Implementing the EFS vision will require a call to action for all Ethiopians. It will necessitate close
coordination and cooperation between government departments and organizations, research bodies and
institutes, the private sector, civil society and non-governmental organizations, development partners and,
ultimately, the Ethiopian public.

The Government of Ethiopia extends its sincere appreciation and thanks to all from public institutions,
multilateral and bilateral organizations, private sector corporations, civil society organizations and
academic institutions that engaged in the EFS process for their tireless and unwavering contribution and
commitment.

Our vision
Our vision is for a holistic transformation of Ethiopia’s food systems from production to consumption that
promotes enhanced food safety, nutrition and diets, improved livelihoods, greater land preservation and
restoration and greater resilience to shocks and stress. We seek to transform our food systems using a
sustainable and healthy diet-centered lens that minimizes tradeoffs through calling for strong collaboration
across all food systems actors, uniting around a common goal of heathy and sustainable diets for all.
The challenges we must address
Ethiopia has made great strides in ensuring food security for all citizens. However, extensive research has
identified persistent challenges that remain across the Ethiopian food system, from production to
distribution to consumption. Production diversity and productivity are inhibited by limited access to
appropriate inputs including fertilizers and seeds and agricultural technologies. Prices of nutrient dense
foods have increased significantly over time making healthier diets unaffordable and for the majority.
Population growth and agricultural intensification has led to soil erosion, land degradation and
deforestation. All these challenges must be addressed whilst curbing rapidly growing agricultural
greenhouse gas emissions and building enhanced resilience to both ongoing climate change and extreme
weather events.

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Our actions must therefore rise to the challenges Ethiopia faces to ensure positive food systems
transformation that safeguards food security not just for today’s generations but also for future generations.
This means centering Ethiopia’s transformation on sustainability, inclusivity and enhanced resilience.
Whilst the challenges Ethiopia faces are highly specific, we call for national, regional and global
coordinated efforts.
We therefore recognize the need to do more and welcome call to action initiated by United Nations
Secretary-General convening the 2021 Global Food Systems Summit, as part of the Decade of Action to
achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. The Government of Ethiopia will use the
UNFSS as an opportunity to double our efforts to bring about food systems transformation for all
Ethiopians. We have taken approach to food systems improvement that puts people, prosperity,
partnerships, planet, and peace of the SDGs and the provision of nutrient dense foods for all at the center
of our vision.
Our approach to food systems transformation
To address these challenges, we have identified five central goals to achieve food systems transformation.
These goals are aligned to the UNFSS Action Track thematic areas. These are:
1. Ensure diversified food production and increase the supply of nutrient dense foods (animal sourced and
plant-based foods). The Ethiopian food system will promote smallholder-oriented nutrient dense food
production technologies, rural electrification and environmentally friendly and climate smart
technologies, including solar-powered community refrigerators, processing equipment and irrigation.
Strengthen innovative supply chain strategies/mechanisms for food management and handling systems
particularly for perishable nutrient dense foods and use Ethiopian food based dietary guidelines to
promote nutrition literacy and positive dietary transition. We need to increase consumption of adequate,
safe and nutrient dense foods to tackle all forms of malnutrition in Ethiopia.
2. Promote food production practices that conserve soil health and the environment and provide for better
access to agricultural inputs, technologies, and financial services especially for our rural settings. We
have depleted soils that must be regenerated by adopting positive agro-ecological practices. Land
ownership management and limited infrastructure will be addressed to stimulate investment in
agriculture by farmers.
3. Support the development of equitable food systems livelihoods by promoting agro- and food processing
that promote food safety whilst limiting post-harvest losses. We will do this by strengthening
institutional support for the development of food systems market linkages.
4. Build resilience to vulnerabilities and shocks. We are already experiencing climate change challenges
and need to promote modernizing climate adaptation mechanisms and the adoption of effective early
warning systems and integrated risk and crisis management. We will aim to provide universal food
access, especially in vulnerable areas, leveraging our existing Productive Safety Net Program and other
social protection actions like school feeding and fresh food vouchers that can be used to promote food
systems livelihood development to drive greater resilience.
A further overarching goal is that the food system transformation will utilize innovative approaches and
technologies, sustain leadership and governance, women empowerment and leadership and the use of
national food based dietary guidelines as a tool to align commitments to deliver sustainable healthy diets
by all food systems actors.
To achieve the above goals, the Government of Ethiopia will implement 22 game changing solutions,
divided into six clusters. These clusters are; a) Nutrient dense food production; food safety, fortification
and rural electrification and appropriate climate smart technologies; b) Supply and value chain
development, national food based dietary guidelines and nutrition literacy and awareness creation; c)
Integrated policy-making, land reform, and improved government finance provision for agricultural and
rural transformation; e) Access to markets, market information, infrastructure and specialization; and f)

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Managing risk and protecting the poor. The Government of Ethiopia is calling for all actors and partners to
unite and form coalitions around these clusters to support national efforts to realize the EFS vision. These
coalitions will facilitate policy and program coordination as well as mobilizing participation, expertise
innovation, and resources.

All 22 game changing solutions are critical to accelerating food systems transformation and have been
designed to both support and evolve existing national policies and programs, including the Homegrown
Economic Reform agenda; the Ten-year Development Plan: the Pathway to Prosperity; the National
Disaster Risk Management Policy; the National Food and Nutrition Policy; the Seqota Declaration; the
Green Legacy and others. Where required, national programs will be realigned and budget will be allocated
to support the implementation of the game changers. This will include a specific focus on the six game
changers that require an exceptionally strong policy commitment. These include:
1. Establishing a finance system for farmers to access credit, get insurance services and offering
farmers financial literacy to help enhance rural and agricultural investment, and support primary
investment on farms and capitalize the farm (including a guarantee scheme throughout the whole
food system);
2. The selection and timely supply of agricultural inputs and technologies to boost production and
productivity;
3. Rural electrification to promote environmentally friendly and climate resilient technologies,
including solar-powered community (for refrigerators, processing equipment and irrigation);
4. Formalizing an index-based crop and livestock insurance as disaster risk mitigation measures
5. Implementing land reform and land administration that will ensure the right to lease land, and
use it for collateral to facilitate land consolidation, adoption of innovation, and reduce
environmental degradation;
6. Introducing land use planning; resource planning, integrated landscape & watershed management
with nature inclusive and climate smart approach (including the green legacy project, soil health,
small-scale irrigated fields, and others).

Our commitment for Ethiopian Food Systems Transformation

The government of Ethiopia is committed to:
1. Effectively implementing the 22 game changing solutions identified through the EFS Dialogue process.
The game changers will serve as key pillars of the 10 years food systems transformation plan;
2. Providing leadership and mobilizing the resources needed to transform these game changing solutions
into actions that to address the challenges that Ethiopian food systems are facing and ensure food
security and healthy diets for all Ethiopians;
3. Mobilizing stakeholders and coordinating efforts to maximize impact;
4. Ensuring results, accountability and transparency through a rigorous approach to monitoring and
evaluation.
Our call to action
Ethiopia is taking bold steps. The EFS vision represents a significant moment in Ethiopia’s development
and a unique opportunity to accelerate progress towards creating an inclusive, equitable food system that
increases agricultural production and productivity, provides food security, promotes health and nutrition,
conserves our precious land and natural resources and protects the most vulnerable. We therefore call upon
our development partners, both continental and international, to join us and help achieve bold vision,
address the challenges we face as a nation and ensure the coming decade is one of prosperity for all
Ethiopians.

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