The Nutrition Sensitive Agriculture Strategy is a national policy with a multi-sectoral approach. The timeframe of the policy is five years between 2017 and 2021. The goal of the Nutrition Sensitive Agriculture Strategy is to eliminate food insecurity and malnutrition by increasing quantity and quality of available, accessible and affordable food and promoting utilization of diverse, nutritious and safe food for all Ethiopians at all times. Access to and availability and utilization of diverse, safe and nutritious foods of both plant and animal origin will be ensured. Nutrition will be put in to agriculture and livestock policies, strategies, programmes and work plans at all levels. Nutrition information system will be established and integrated into the existing agriculture information system. Capacity building will be enhanced at all levels by supporting education sector. Measures will be taken to reduce post-harvest loss. Preparation of complementary food for children under two by using available local resources will be supported. Nutrition support will be given to households with children under two years, pregnant and lactating mothers, people living with HIV and people with disabilities. Production of fruit, vegetables, staple crops, pulses, dairy products, meat, poultry products, fish products and honey will be increased to achieve nutrition sensitive agriculture in an environmentally sustainable and socially equitable manner. Women and youth empowerment and gender equality will be ensured by increasing their access to resources and inputs, creating job opportunities to generate income, reducing women’s work load and by addressing socio-cultural issues. Farmers will be trained by the agriculture training institutions regarding nutrition sensitive agriculture. Agricultural research institutions will be developed and use of nutrition sensitive agriculture technologies will be promoted. Food safety will be improved by raising awareness and developing quality assurance and food safety guidelines on harvesting, processing, handling, storage and consumption of food of plant and animal origin. Agro-business as well as smallholders will be supported by providing farmers’ access to livestock and crop inputs. Cooperatives and private sector will be engaged to promote crop production. In order to mitigate the impact of climate change on food and nutrition security at national and household level, the agriculture sector will carry out its activities by implementing the Climate Smart Agriculture Strategy and Disaster Risk Management Policy. The resilience of vulnerable agrarian, agro-pastoral and pastoral households and communities to climate change will be increased. Early warning system will be established for early action and response of any potential hazard. A Planning Directorate will be established under the Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries to coordinate all directorates and implementing nutrition interventions. The existing Food and Nutrition Case Team under the Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources at federal level will be strengthened and Nutrition Units will be established at decentralized levels in the agriculture and livestock sector. The implementation of the Nutrition Sensitive Agriculture Strategy will be monitored coordinately through these agencies at all levels. Furthermore linkages with National Nutrition Program actors and other relevant national development partners will be strengthened.
Nutrition Sensitive Agriculture Strategy.