A wheat self-sufficiency roadmap for Ethiopia’s future
- From
-
Published on
05.12.18
- Impact Area

Despite a record harvest of 4.6 million metric tons in 2017, Ethiopia imported 1.5 million tons of wheat the same year, costing US$600 million. Population growth, continuous economic growth and urbanization over the last decade has led to a rapid change in Ethiopian diets, and the wheat sector cannot keep up with the growing demand for pasta, dabo, ambasha and other Ethiopian breads.
The majority of Ethiopia’s 4.2 million wheat farmers cultivate this cereal on an average of 1.2-hectare holdings, with three quarters produced in Arsi, Bale and Shewa regions. Most prepare the land and sow with draft animal power equipment and few inputs, dependent on erratic rainfall without complementary irrigation. Yields have doubled over the last 15 years and reached 2.7 tons per hectare according to the latest agricultural statistics, but are still far from the yield potential.
According to data from the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), wheat is preferred by wealthier, urban families, who consume 33 percent more wheat than rural households. Ethiopia needs to rethink its wheat price support system, which does not incentivize farmers and benefits mostly the wealthier, urban consumers.
Related news
-
CGIAR Accredited to UNEA: Bringing Food, Land, and Water Systems into Global Environmental Policy dialogues
Multifunctional Landscapes Science Program09.07.25-
Biodiversity
-
Climate adaptation & mitigation
-
Environmental health
-
Food security
CGIAR, the world’s largest agricultural research partnership, has been officially accredited as an…
Read more -
-
ICRISAT to Deliver World-Class Services as CGIAR’s Breeding Resources South Asia Hub
International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT)07.07.25-
Biodiversity
-
Food security
Strategic collaboration to scale innovation and deliver harmonized, high-quality support across CGIA…
Read more -
-
KOICA, UPLB, IRRI Partnership Establishes a Genomic Powerhouse to Future-Proof Agriculture
International Rice Research Institute (IRRI)01.07.25-
Food security
LOS BAÑOS, Philippines (26 June 2026) — KOICA, UPLB, and IRRI came together to showcase…
Read more -