Ethiopia’s agricultural transformation requires increasing and consistent access to a healthy diet that meets all nutritional needs for a productive, healthy life, along with improved ability to adapt demographic trends, socio-cultural preferences, environmental shocks, and other stresses.

Funded through USAID, as part of Feed the Future, the U.S. Government’s global hunger and food security initiative, Ethiopia Transforming Agriculture is a five-year, $67 million activity that seeks to influence and inspire the country’s agriculture and food system actors to sustainably improve the diets of 7 million people, particularly women and children, living in 132 target woredas (districts) across the country.

Nutrition-Led Approach

Feed the Future Ethiopia Transforming Agriculture will identify consumer preferences for nutritious foods and will use that information to influence and incentivize market actors to improve business practices, expand networks, and re-think norms, thus re-orienting the agriculture and food system to become one that is demand focused.

To accomplish this goal, the activity will:

1. Better align existing food and agriculture supply with demand.
2. Increase food safety and quality.
3. Increase enterprise growth and employment.
4. Advance key social priorities through public-private partnerships.

Together, these efforts will make safe, diverse, nutritious foods more available, affordable, convenient, and desirable, and improve the competitiveness, inclusiveness, resilience, and sustainability of the food and agriculture system. 

Feed the Future Ethiopia Transforming Agriculture will make strategic investments to overcome barriers to doing business with smallholder farmers, entrepreneurs, and rural consumers, through use of a Catalytic Investment Portfolio to drive innovation, build capacity, and shift markets to better serve marginalized groups.

Expected Outcomes

Led by RTI International, together with partners First Consult, Land O’Lakes Venture37, and Women Influencing Health, Education, and Rule of Law, Feed the Future Ethiopia Transforming Agriculture will collaborate with market actors across to co-create sustainable and inclusive approaches that achieve the following results:

• Increase availability of key nutritious foods by 30%.
• Increase household incomes by 40% so families can purchase nutritious foods.
• Reorient Ethiopia’s food system to address the desirability and convenience needs of consumers, so women in particular will want to purchase and consume more nutritious foods.