Ethiopia’s Agricultural Sector Policy and Investment Framework (PIF) is a sectoral national policy applicable for the period of 2010-2020. Its main objective is to sustainably increase rural incomes and national food security producing more, selling more, nurturing the environment, eliminating hunger and protecting the vulnerable against shocks. Four main themes, each with its own strategic objective, are identified within the above overall objective. These are: 1. achieve a sustainable increase in agricultural productivity and production; 2. accelerate agricultural commercialisation and agroindustrial development; 3. reduce degradation and improve productivity of natural resources; and 4. achieve universal food security and protect vulnerable households from natural disasters. As to the thematic area of disaster risk management and food security strategic objective 4 aims at reducing the number of chronically food insecure households, reducing imports of food aid, improving the effectiveness of targeted social safety net programme for vulnerable groups, reducing the prevalence of child malnutrition, and improving the effectiveness of the disaster risk management system. Under the thematic area of productivity and production strategic objective 1 entails the following outcomes: increase the production of food, cash crops and livestock; increase agricultural productivity; reduce qualitative and quantitative post-harvest losses; scale-up proven best agricultural practices; increase the use of agricultural inputs and improved agricultural practices; and reduce dependence on commercial imports of staple food products. Under the thematic area of rural commercialisation in strategic objective 2, the following outcomes are expected: increase in private agribusiness investment; increase in smallholder household cash incomes; increase in the proportion of agricultural production marketed (versus subsistence utilisation); increase in the diversification into higher value products; improvement of farmer access to agricultural inputs and productive assets; increase in farmer access to rural financial services; increase in agricultural export earnings; increase in households’ participation in farmer organisations; strengthening of farm income growth through improved infrastructure and market access; and reduction of rural unemployment. As with the thematic area of natural resource management strategic objective 3 aims at increasing areas under irrigation; improving water conservation and water use efficiency; reducing arable, rangeland and forest degradation; maintaining agricultural biodiversity; improving soil health in key agricultural landscapes; improving security of private sector access to land resources; and strengthening farmers’ ability to respond to climate change challenges. According to the document, technical and budgetary coordination of the PIF will be the responsibility of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MoARD) and its counterpart organisations at Regional and woreda levels. MoARD will also coordinate closely with other technical ministries and agencies whose responsibilities intersect with those of MoARD. The Ministry of Finance and Economic Development will play a central role in overall coordination of national budgets and donor assistance. M&E will be undertaken at different levels to support effective implementation of the PIF, maintain its focus and direction, and provide information for addressing constraints and problems. MoARD’s Planning and Programming Directorate will have primary responsibility for M&E based on the results framework milestone indicators.
Ethiopia’s Agricultural Sector Policy and Investment Framework (PIF).