© WFP/Abeer Etefa
Ethiopia
Ethiopia has made important development gains over the past two decades, reducing poverty and expanding investments in basic social services. However, food insecurity and under-nutrition still hinder economic growth. As per the 2020 Humanitarian Development Plan (HRP), an estimated 8 million people require food assistance. This figure includes internally displaced persons (IDPs), who have had to leave their homes due to unrest or natural shocks.
The country is home to the second largest refugee population on the continent, hosting over 750,000 registered refugees from Eritrea, Somalia, South Sudan and Sudan.
What the World Food Programme is doing in Ethiopia
Emergency response
WFP provides unconditional food and cash transfers to the most vulnerable families. Contingency stocks of food are prepositioned in case of conflict or climate-related shocks. WFP supplies food in the Somali region and part of Oromia region while the Government and its partners cover the remaining needs across the country.
Food security and nutrition
Through the PSNP, chronically food insecure households receive food and cash transfers in lean seasons in exchange for building or rehabilitating community assets. WFP supports 300,000 people and the Government provides the remaining resources. With the Ministry of Health, WFP provides 4 million people with fortified food to treat malnutrition. Fresh food voucher mobile top-ups also help households in Amhara region to buy fresh nutritious produce.
Early warning and climate action
WFP’s Vulnerability Analysis and Mapping (VAM) unit supports the Government on early warning action, emergency and market assessments. The R4 Rural Resilience Initiative includes building agricultural infrastructure and trainings in exchange for insurance and increased access to credit and loans. A satellite project for pastoralists also gives access to insurance payments for livestock feed and veterinary materials when droughts occur.
Refugees
WFP provides food and cash transfers, targeted nutrition programmes, school feeding and livelihood support to an estimated 700,000 registered refugees. Livelihood work includes irrigation agriculture, natural resource management and market development to help refugees and host communities around the camps gradually become self-reliant for their food needs.
School meals
WFP works with the Government and partners to improve nutrition and promote education for school children in the Afar, Oromia and Somali regions. Home-grown school feeding, with locally procured products such as cereals, pulses, vegetable oil and salt, brings additional benefits including increased income for farmers and a boost for the local economy.
Capacity strengthening
WFP works with the Government on supply chain capacity-strengthening activities, including reducing port congestion with the Ethiopian Maritime Affairs Authority, strengthening the road transport sector with the Federal Road Transport Authority, and supporting the National Disaster Risk Management agency in its implementation of an end-to-end food tracking system.
Supply chain
Ethiopia hosts one of WFP’s largest supply chain operations, managing the movement of over 400,000 metric tons of food per year to 3,000 distribution points and 26 refugee camps. The WFP-managed UNHAS service provides air transport for humanitarian partners and cargo to seven destinations where transport infrastructure does not exist.
In focus
Ethiopia news releases
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Achieving Zero Hunger is the work of many. Our work in Ethiopia is made possible by the support and collaboration of our partners and donors, including:Find out more about the state of food security in Ethiopia
Visit the food security analysis pageContacts
Addis Ababa
Kifle Ketema Kirkos, Kebele 26, House No. 1041, Marshall Tito Avenue, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. PO Box 25584, Code 1000, Addis Abab
Phone: +251 115 515188
Fax: +251 115 514433