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

agricultural work, and other tasks traditionally performed by women by increasing the
productivity of these activities per unit of time.
3.7.2.4. Strengthening the nutrition component of disaster preparedness and
emergency programs
Ethiopia is frequently threatened by disasters induced by drought and other factors. In
the last twenty years, disasters have been occurring annually, costing heavily both in terms of
lives and resources. Disaster preparedness is the building up of capabilities in multi-sectoral
and multidisciplinary aspects before a disaster situation prevails in order to reduce its impact.
Disaster preparedness measures include, inter alia, availability of a food reserve, an
emergency reserve fund, seed reserves, health facilities, an early warning system, logistical
infrastructure, and relief-based programmes. To ensure that there is a close link between relief
efforts and development programmes, different bodies at different levels are assigned specific
responsibilities. DPPC is the lead agency to coordinate preparedness and emergency
operations. In this regard, the government policy aims at a relief effort and planned
development to strengthen the economic fabric of the disaster-prone areas so as to mitigate
the suffering of the affected population and enhance their capability to face the challenge of
such disasters in the future.
While the meteorological factors leading to droughts may not be controllable at
present, it is certainly possible to anticipate such events and make adequate preparations to
avoid food shortages leading to famine, which can be taken as an extreme form of hunger. In
this context, the establishment of the DPPC along with the creation of the Early Warning
System, Food Security Reserve Stocks, and the Food Security Reserve Fund are steps taken
by the Government to deal with such disasters and are steps in the right direction. What is
needed is to strengthen the nutrition component of these programs.
3.7.2.5. Improve the handling and shelf life of nutritionally high value food sources
Farmers should be educated about post-harvest losses of food products and the
nutritional value that is lost through poor food storage, preparation, and feeding practices.
According to Robinson, these are higher than the nutritional deficiency of the average
Ethiopian.
Due to its perishability, milk should reach a cooling tank or consumers within 3 to 4
hours. Dairy cooperatives should be expanded and put up milk depots in well-studied route
grids. If donkeys deliver the milk in 20 liters containers every morning and evening, a pick up
will be required to collect the milk containers daily from collection centers. Refrigerated
vehicles would be required to collect evening milk from collection shops and store it in
cooling facilities. The cooling centers would be in towns where there is electric power.
The major instruments in this regard are dairy cooperatives. Their establishment
should be encouraged and the necessary infrastructures and facility should be provided. In
general, the promotion, establishment and strengthening of dairy marketing cooperatives is
the key for creating strong market supply and distribution system and to strengthen market
access for milk producers.
In addition to milk, similar measure should be taken for other perishable agricultural
products, in particular fruits and vegetables.
3.7.2.6. Avoid marginalizing urban areas
The food security strategy of Ethiopia is not only ‘food-biased’ but also rural and
farm household biased. It gives little attention to the population living in towns and cities
throughout the country. The nutrition-secure food based strategy has to avoid marginalizing
urban areas and incorporate policy objectives and measures, including food price policy that
addresses the nutritional needs of the urban population. Specifically for non-farm urban
68