Food, Diet, and Nutrition

Abstract

Disappointing agricultural production, low and inadequate food consumption levels, and the persistence and proliferation of diseases stemming from poor nutrition have attained crisis proportions in Ethiopia. The diets of the numerous ethnic groups in Ethiopia vary considerably, and there are also differences in the diets of rural and urban people and different socioeconomic classes. The use of wild plants in the Ethiopian diet has been underreported in the literature because nutrition surveys have focused on agricultural products. A considerable number of food avoidances persist in Ethiopia among different ethnic, social, occupational, religious, age and gender groups, and during fasts. The nutritional status of the Ethiopian population has deteriorated further during the last two decades, reflecting the downtrend in food production, which in turn is largely due to the political economy and the military rule of the Mengistu regime. A number of nutrition-related activities are being undertaken in Ethiopia, both by the government and by nongovernment organizations.