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

Figure 3.3: Per capita food production by major region – 1996/97 to 2003/04.
Qt/person
4.000
3.500
3.000
2.500
2.000
1.500
1.000
0.500
0.000
1996/97 1997/98 1998/99 1999/2000 2000/01 2001/02 2002/03 2003/04
Year
Tigray Per
Capita Food
Production
Amhara Per
Capita Food
Production
Oromia Per
Capita Food
Production
Benshangul-
Gumuz Per
Capita Food
Production
SNNPR Per
Capita Food
Production
FAO
recommende
d yearly
food intake
Source: Based on CSA data.
A regional comparative analysis, using malnutrition and food insecurity indicators,
for Ethiopia is reported by Devereux (2004). He considered stunting to be a measure of
chronic or long-term food deficit and wasting as an indicator of short-term or acute food
insecurity. He reported similar figures to those shown in Table 3.2 and made a region-byregion
comparison. An aggregate relationship indicator was not reported.
A simple correlation analysis between poverty and food insecurity indicators and that
of a weighted aggregate index of malnutrition was done for this study. Food insecurity is
measured by the food gap per capita. A simple Pearson correlation coefficient of 0.66
between poverty level and malnutrition and 0.24 between food insecurity and malnutrition is
obtained. The high correlation between poverty and malnutrition suggests that poverty indeed
is one of the major basic determinants of malnutrition, whereas the considerably lower
correlation between food insecurity and malnutrition suggests that non-food determinants of
malnutrition are of equal if not more important than the food related determinants. One of the
implications is that a food-biased strategy to reduce malnutrition will not be adequate. Of
course, this is a preliminary assessment that should be further tested with detailed analysis
using pooled time-series cross-sectional data.
3.4.5. Poverty and malnutrition: The rural-urban dimension
The issue of food insecurity in Ethiopia cannot be resolved until the twin problems of
poverty and insufficient food supply at national level are addressed. In order to design a
comprehensive response to the problem of food insecurity and malnutrition, rural poverty has
to be tackled, since it is the root cause of these problems there. As shown in Table 3.3,
malnutrition is significantly higher in rural areas than in the urban centers.
A literature review also gives detailed insights into rural-urban and regional
variations in terms of food and nutrition issues. Kaluski et al. analyzed the aggregate food
security of the regions of Ethiopia in 1999 according to availability, accessibility and
adequacy and the estimated size of the needy population in each. Regional needs vary. Some
of the highest prevalence rates of malnutrition were found in the food-surplus regions of the
country. For example, Oromiya showed high malnutrition rate, especially in elderly and
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