Abstract for: Food Insecurity in Ethiopia: Population, Food Production and Market

This study investigates the underlying problems causing food insecurity in Ethiopia and tests policy options that could alleviate the problem in the future. For this purpose, we designed, calibrated and tested a system dynamics model that integrates population, food production and market dynamics. Model analyses showed that both availability of and access to food constrained the actual food consumption of the population, that is, both food supplies and purchasing power were insufficient for ensuring the required daily calorie intake of the population. Moreover, degraded land contributed considerably to the poor average productivity of the agricultural land. We have examined effects of future policy options such as land rehabilitation and capacity building on agricultural imputes supplies.