Appeal for help to slash food aid dependency

A rescue package to slash Ethiopia’s food aid dependency in five years will cost the international community US $3 billion, government officials have said. Deputy Prime Minister Adisu Legese spelt out to international donors and government officials a raft of proposals aimed at reversing the country’s dependency on foreign aid. The ambitious plan includes ensuring that 15 million people – just over one in four of the population - are no longer living a hand-to-mouth existence in need of food aid. The plan was unveiled at the start of a six-week forum, headed by Adisu, at the weekend. In a 134-page document, 'New Coalition for Food Security In Ethiopia', he detailed a host of strategies aimed at reversing dependency. Dubbed the “Ethiopian road map”, the strategies include improving roads, clinics and schools for impoverished farmers, creating sustainable livelihoods and improving agricultural technology in water scarce areas. It also supports a massive and controversial resettlement scheme – under which some two million people will move over the next three years – costing US $217 million. Adisu pointed out that a “lasting solution” would only be found if all members of society – including civil society - were allowed to play an active role. Adisu, newly re-elected as deputy chairman of the ruling Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF), admitted that previous attempts to boost the country’s development had been “outstripped” by the scale of the crisis. The new US $3 billion appeal will effectively mean doubling development aid to Ethiopia – the country currently receives US $960 million per annum. Humanitarian agencies say Ethiopia receives one of the smallest aid budgets compared to other third world countries - at just US $12 per head. The African average is US $25. Isaac Diwan, head of the World Bank in Ethiopia, told the meeting that donors and the government were now fighting a “war against hunger”. “To win this war now is a national priority,” he said. “The future of this country is at stake. “At the end of the day it is the farmer tilling the land, the community’s effort at reforestation, the entrepreneur creating jobs, that will make a difference.”