Feed the Future programs teach families how to harvest their own produce at home to help end their dependency on the safety net programs.

CARE

In 2019, the the United States and the Government of Ethiopia jointly signed a declaration of partnership to renew the Feed the Future initiative in Ethiopia to invest in food security, build resilience, and accelerate economic growth opportunities over the next five years. Ethiopia is one of 12 partner countries chosen to participate in this new phase of the Feed the Future initiative. Feed the Future supports the country’s goal of modernizing agriculture under the New Horizon of Hope agenda, aligns with the Growth and Transformation Plan II, National Food and Nutrition Policy, and other national-level development strategies, and contributes to Ethiopia’s vision of becoming a prosperous, middle-income country by 2025..

The new five-year Feed the Future strategy in Ethiopia focuses on three core components: 

Support inclusive and sustainable agriculture-led economic growth by:

• Increasing crop and livestock productivity and diversification
• Improving the business enabling environment
• Increasing alternative livelihood pathways, including employment and entrepreneurship opportunities, especially for youth and women
• Expanding access to markets with increased urban opportunities

Strengthen resilience among people and institutions by:

• Improving natural resource management
• Strengthening the systems needed to avert, mitigate, and recover from shocks and stresses

Improve nutrition, especially among women and children by:

• Incorporating a multi-sectoral approach that addresses the immediate and underlying causes of acute and chronic malnutrition through both nutrition-specific and nutrition-sensitive approaches

KEY ACTIVITIES

• The Feed the Future Ethiopia Value Chain Activity contributes to the Government of Ethiopia’s objective to improve agricultural productivity and commercialization of smallholder farmers. It emphasizes increasing nutrition-sensitive productivity of targeted value chains with a focus on inclusion of women and youth, and helps link smallholder farmers and agribusinesses to buyers and opportunities for greater income generation and trade potential, while also expanding access to credit, technology, information, training, and leadership opportunities. 
• The Feed the Future Ethiopia Resilience in Pastoral Areas project targets pastoralist families and communities to promote the viability and resiliency of pastoralist communities through market development and improved natural resource management.
• Feed the Future Ethiopia’s Growth through Nutrition project is our flagship multi-sector nutrition and water, sanitation and hygiene project, which aims to improve the nutritional status of women, young children, and adolescents in its four regions of Ethiopia. The project focuses on improving early childhood nutrition during the first 1,000 days, from pregnancy through a child’s second birthday, recognized as the critical window of opportunity for a child’s growth and development.
• Our Feed the Future Ethiopia Land Governance Activity works with the Government of Ethiopia to improve governance and policy to enhance land tenure rights for farmers and pastoralists, empowering them to contribute more fully to their families’ and their communities’ economic growth prospects.
• The Feed the Future Ethiopia Livelihoods for Resilience project improves food security and resilience among vulnerable communities in several regions with a focus on diversifying livelihoods and income sources, expanding access to financial literacy and micro-credit opportunities to support small business endeavors, and provide job skills and vocational training for youth.

KEY RESOURCES

• News: First-Ever Cup of Excellence Competition in Ethiopia Awards Grand Prize to Sidama-Based Coffee Producer
• Our Stories: A Family that Saves Together
• Press Release: USAID Signs New Five-Year Feed the Future Declaration of Partnership with Ethiopia to Improve Food Security
• Feed the Future Ethiopia Country Strategy: 2019-2023
• Overview of Feed the Future Ethiopia Country Strategy: 2019-2023
• Fact Sheet: Using Digital Tools to Grow Agriculture and Financial Inclusion in Ethiopia
• USAID-DuPont Partnership Helps Hundreds of Thousands of Ethiopian Farmers Transform Production and Livelihoods