Initiative:

Sustainable Healthy Diets

Where we work: Ethiopia

Transforming the Ethiopian food system is a high-stakes agenda for the country and it is taking action to ensure that health, nutrition, and environmental sustainability are the core, cross-cutting foundations of food systems transformation. The Federal Government was an active participant in the 2021 United Nations Food Systems Summit (UNFSS) and released its own Food Systems Pathway Commitment and Position Statement. The country was one of the of the frontrunner countries of the recently formed Coalition of Action on Healthy Diets from Sustainable Food Systems for Children and All (HDSFS). In Ethiopia, Sustainable Healthy Diets is joining the existing multi-sectoral and multi-stakeholder approach and activities to support the planning and implementation of their planned actions to transform food systems to provide healthy and sustainable diets for all.

In 2022, Sustainable Healthy Diets is offering an e-course on food systems governance, which will soon expand to an interactive learning and exchange platform and resource to promote learning and address country-specific capacity needs.

In addition, the Initiative is developing connections with existing networks and discussing with stakeholders how its work can add value and contribute to activities, capacity development, and other multisectoral actions supporting food systems transformation.

In 2023, Sustainable Healthy Diets researchers expect to begin primary data collection to characterize Ethiopia’s food environments and dietary patterns, and to identify micro, small, and medium enterprises. This work will build understanding of how food consumed by marginalized populations enters food environments and of the barriers and constraints faced by actors as they deliver sustainable nutritious foods and provide decent employment opportunities.

In addition, researchers will begin activities to inform a baseline assessment of Ethiopia’s food systems, including a description of the current actors, their agendas and narratives about their food systems, and their perceptions of the need for transformation.

For more information about the Sustainable Healthy Diets Initiative’s work in Ethiopia, please contact Belay Terefe Mengesha, Country Coordinator, B.Terefe@cgiar.org, Marion Herens, Work Package 5 Lead, Marion.Herens@wur.nl, or Mark Lundy, Work Package 5 Co-Lead, M.Lundy@cgiar.org.

Read about the Initiative’s work in other phase 1 target countries: