Rethinking Food and Nutrition Security: Why Income Alone Isn’t Enough in Coffee-Producing Areas of Ethiopia.

Introduction

Coffee is one of Ethiopia’s most valuable export commodities, driving significant economic growth in coffee-growing regions such as Yayu, Southwestern Ethiopia. The assumption often follows that households in these regions are food secure due to their income from coffee production. However, this policy brief challenges the notion that income alone ensures food security, particularly in terms of nutritional adequacy.

The Ethiopian government’s Productive Safety Net Program (PSNP) targets food-insecure households based on economic criteria, equating high income with food security. However, this policy framework overlooks critical dimensions of food security, such as dietary diversity and the intake of essential nutrients like heme-iron. As a result, coffee-producing regions are often excluded from food security interventions, despite evidence of “hidden hunger” or nutrient deficiencies within these communities.

This brief aims to assess the disconnect between income and food security in cash-crop-dominated areas, using Yayu as a case study. The objectives are to (1) evaluate the food and nutrition security status of smallholder coffee farmers, (2) examine how participation in global coffee markets impacts household dietary diversity and nutritional intake, and (3) propose policy recommendations that address not just income, but also access to diverse and nutrient-rich foods.

By highlighting the limitations of current food security policies, this brief advocates for a more comprehensive approach that goes beyond income indicators. It calls for policy adjustments that ensure coffee-growing communities can achieve both caloric sufficiency and adequate nutrition, thereby addressing Ethiopia’s broader food security and public health goals.

Policy outcomes and implications

Ethiopia’s Productive Safety Net Program (PSNP) has been a cornerstone policy aimed at reducing food insecurity by targeting households with low income and chronic food deficits. The program focuses on enhancing household resilience through income support, public works, and asset-building initiatives, assuming that income directly translates into food security (Berhane et al., 2014; Hailu and Amare, 2022). However, as our study in Yayu, Southwestern Ethiopia demonstrates, income from cash crops such as coffee does not automatically guarantee comprehensive food security, particularly when it comes to dietary diversity and nutritional adequacy (Tables 1 and 2) (Jemal et al., 2022).

The findings from Yayu challenge the fundamental assumptions underlying PSNP. Although coffee farmers in the region are financially better off compared to other parts of Ethiopia, the high income from coffee production often leads to an over-reliance on market-purchased foods, which can be nutritionally insufficient. For example, despite 83% of households being hunger-free (Table 2), more than 50% of children and women lacked access to heme-iron, an essential nutrient critical for preventing anemia and promoting overall health (Jemal et al., 2022).

This outcome holds important policy implications for Ethiopia. The country’s current food security strategies are largely income-based, relying on financial metrics to identify regions at risk of food insecurity. However, this approach often overlooks the issue of “hidden hunger,” where sufficient caloric intake conceals critical nutrient deficiencies. For example, in Yayu, a high-income coffee-growing region deemed food-secure by the PSNP, research revealed that 17.2% to 38.2% of children under five were stunted (Table 3), and 11.1% of women of reproductive age were malnourished (Table 4). While the PSNP has been effective in improving immediate food access and reducing poverty, it fails to fully address the qualitative dimensions of food security, such as nutrient intake and dietary diversity (Berhane et al., 2014; Hailu and Amare, 2022; Jemal et al., 2022).

Thus, a shift in policy is necessary. The PSNP and similar programs must incorporate localized nutritional assessments in addition to income-based evaluations. This would allow for a more precise identification of food-insecure households in cash-crop-dominated regions. Moreover, interventions need to focus on improving market access to nutrient-rich foods and promoting agricultural diversification, so that farmers can grow a variety of food crops alongside coffee. These adjustments will help ensure that coffee-producing households not only achieve caloric sufficiency but also meet essential dietary needs (Jemal et al., 2022).

In conclusion, Ethiopia’s current income-centric food security policies, such as the PSNP, are insufficient to address the full spectrum of food security challenges faced by communities in cash-crop-dominated regions like Yayu. While income from coffee production ensures caloric sufficiency, it does not necessarily lead to adequate nutrition. The findings highlight the need for policies that go beyond financial indicators and integrate localized assessments of dietary diversity and nutrient intake. By shifting focus to these qualitative aspects of food security, future interventions can better target hidden hunger and ensure that households not only have access to enough food but also to nutrient-rich and diverse diets. Adopting this more comprehensive approach will significantly improve the nutritional outcomes and overall well-being of Ethiopia’s coffee-growing communities, contributing to the country’s broader public health and development goals.

Actionable recommendations

Based on the findings from the Yayu case study, several targeted policy recommendations are proposed to improve food and nutrition security in coffee-growing communities. These recommendations aim to address both the quantitative and qualitative dimensions of food security, moving beyond income-based approaches and ensuring comprehensive well-being for households. The following actionable steps are recommended:

Conclusion/Discussion

This policy brief highlights the disconnect between income and food security in Ethiopia’s coffee-growing regions, with a particular focus on Yayu. The findings underscore that while income from coffee production brings economic benefits, it does not ensure comprehensive food and nutrition security. The predominant reliance on income as a proxy for food security, as seen in the current Productive Safety Net Program (PSNP), overlooks critical issues like dietary diversity and nutrient adequacy, particularly for vulnerable groups such as women and children.

The implications of these findings are significant. They suggest that policy interventions aimed solely at increasing income or boosting agricultural productivity through cash crops are insufficient to address food insecurity in its entirety. Hidden hunger, characterized by deficiencies in essential micronutrients, persists despite caloric sufficiency, especially during lean seasons. As coffee-producing households in Yayu increasingly depend on market-purchased foods, they are exposed to dietary gaps that income alone cannot bridge. This calls for a more holistic approach to food security interventions, incorporating localized data on nutritional needs and ensuring access to a variety of nutrient-dense foods.

Implementing these policy changes requires a shift in Ethiopia’s food security framework. Policymakers must broaden the scope of programs like the PSNP to address both the quantity and quality of food consumed by households. This involves revising the targeting criteria to include indicators of nutritional adequacy, promoting agricultural diversification to reduce dependency on a single cash crop, and strengthening market access to ensure nutrient-rich foods are available and affordable year-round. Furthermore, community-based educational programs on dietary diversity can empower households to make better food choices, helping to close the gap between income and nutrition.

In conclusion, addressing food insecurity in Ethiopia’s coffee-growing regions requires a multi-faceted strategy that goes beyond income generation. By implementing these comprehensive, nutrition-focused policies, Ethiopia can make significant strides toward achieving true food security for all its citizens, ensuring both caloric sufficiency and improved nutritional outcomes.

Author contributions

Units, Symbols, and Mathematical scripts

Standard units such as kilograms (kg) for weight, centimeters (cm) for height, and percentages (%) for prevalence were used. Z-scores were used for nutritional status assessment.