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

3.6.2. The “food-bias”
A decade ago Pelletier et al. argued that the nutrition policy documents of the
government, donor strategy statements, and consultant reports, in which primary emphasis is
given to achieving one or more food-related objectives (self-sufficiency, increased
production, more efficient distribution, or food security at national, regional, or household
levels), with the implicit assumption that nutritional improvement will follow indicating the
existence of a “food-first” bias in the way malnutrition is implicitly viewed by decisionmakers
and in the content of many nutrition programmes (1995). The situation is not much
different today. The food-bias is still there as the consultant team noticed during the regional
meetings. Most experts working in agriculture and food security bureaus believe that if the
utilization aspect of FSS is well implemented then the nutrition issue will be no longer be an
issue that requires a separate strategy. Perhaps it is because of this that the reviewed policy
and strategy documents are indeed food-biased.
The FSS and related policy and strategy documents had a food-bias or more broadly;
as Robinson put it, they are ‘too agriculturally based’. Although preventive and curative
health care is one of the four major components of the FSP, in reality this component is not
addressed effectively by the implementing bureau in MOARD. The main gap in this regard is
that a food secure but nutrition insecure household is not part of the target group of the FSS.
If all of the nutrition-insecure – both those households that are and are not food-secure – are
to be included as a target for the FSS, such a strategic goal will require the incorporation of
non-food determinants of malnutrition such as caring and health particularly in a short to
medium-term strategic approach targeting infants, children and pregnant and lactating
women. In the long term, the two-way linkage of malnutrition and food insecurity to capture
not only the inadequate diet effect but also the labor productivity effect of malnutrition on
food production and availability should be part of the strategy in Ethiopia.
Overall, according to the afore-mentioned policy documents, agricultural
transformation has a multi-dimensional approach. However, the main schemes for
transforming the agricultural production system in the country thus far have focused on
improved adoption of yield enhancing technologies in the areas of crop and livestock
production as well as in natural resources management. The main technologies in the crop
sub-sector relate to seeds, fertilizers, pesticides, farm mechanisation and implements and
irrigation through various systems including water-harvesting schemes. In the livestock subsector
we are talking about such inputs as improved breeds, animal feeds and nutrition, animal
health care, improved fishery/aqua-culture and honey production techniques. This
transformation mechanism has a food-bias. It gives little room to the incorporation and
integration of nutrition aspects.
3.6.3. Cross-cutting issues
Improvement in agricultural production is not and cannot be a stand-alone effort. It
requires an integrated holistic approach involving various sectors and sub-sectors. There is
adequate evidence from long experience as well as quantitative data to show that health,
education, and infrastructure play a major role in the ability of farmers and herders to be
effective and efficient in their economic activities. Therefore, it is important to mention some
of the areas that impinge on agricultural production and productivity and, in turn, on food
security at different levels.
3.6.3.1. Sustainable land and water management
Setting aside the debate over private land ownership in Ethiopia, it would
nevertheless be unwise to urge poor farmers to invest in land or water development and adopt
expensive technological packages under the existing situation of tenure insecurity. It has been
often reported that the productive potential of most highland areas is being degraded rapidly
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