An assessment of the causes of malnutrition in Ethiopia: A ...

followed by section eight which lists and discusses the actions, interventions, and issues
recommended to be addressed in the formulation and implementation of NNS. This report
asserts the need for integrated actions and interventions by all concerned sectors within the
country, as well as the donor community, to build a sustainable nutritionally secure Ethiopia.
Of course, the primary responsibility to put in place Ethiopia’s NNS and implement it shall
remain on the shoulders of the FDRE government via a coordinated effort of all concerned
sectors.
3.2. Definition and Scope
3.2.1. Defining food security
The definitions of food security formulated by the World Bank (Devereux & Maxwell
2001); the FAO Committee on World Food Security; the Agricultural Trade Development
and Assistance Act of 1990; and USAID (1992), as well as that included in the FSS (2002)
and NCFS (2003) were reviewed. For this study, the definition employed is availability,
access and utilization of sufficient food by all people at all times for an active and healthy
life. This is also the definition adopted by the regional bureaus, as confirmed during the
consultant team’s visit to regions for consultative meetings.
Food availability is related to the production, as well as domestic marketing and
import aspects, of food – the supply side. Access refers to the ability of families to obtain
adequate food both in quality and quantity through production or purchases to meet the
nutritional requirements of all family members. Food marketing, storage, processing, cooking
practices, feeding practices and nutritional use make up what is called ‘food utilisation’
(Robinson 2003).
The food-biased vision of nutrition starts from an interpretation of the definition of
food security. During a regional consultative meeting, the point was raised that nutrition
problems are so prevalent and rampant in Ethiopia because the utilization aspect of food
security has not received attention. Government efforts have concentrated on the availability
aspect, and rarely on the access aspect, while wholly ignoring utilization. Experts in the
region initially argued that, had proper attention been given to utilization, malnutrition would
not be an issue today. This is the crux of the matter in linking a nutrition security strategy to
the food security strategy. At the end of the meeting, based on the conceptual framework of
malnutrition, the meeting participants were convinced that solving the problem of food
insecurity cannot unilaterally ensure the elimination of undernutrition. This issue is further
elaborated in the up-coming section on the conceptual framework.
The definition of food security which is also the basis of the FSS (2002) does not
focus on the care and health dimensions of improved nutrition. Nutrition security
encompasses and extends beyond food security, since for a nation to have its people enjoy
active and healthy lives, adequate care must be provided its children and women. Moreover,
such efforts are a strategic component of improving food security and fostering economic
growth in a country, since malnutrition constrains the productivity of the labour force in
agriculture. It is also important to recall that availability and access to food are dependent on
the availability and quality of agricultural marketing facilities and infrastructure.
3.2.2. Definition of malnutrition
Malnutrition in the Ethiopian context has been described as a long-term year round
phenomenon due to chronic inadequacies in food intake combined with high levels of illness
(National Nutrition Policy-Draft 2003). Malnutrition is the most common health problem
affecting both children and adults in Ethiopia.
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