Affordability of fruits and vegetables in Ethiopia

As in many other low-income countries, fruit and vegetable (FV) consumption is very low in Ethiopia. Consequently, micronutrient deficiencies, such as for Vitamin A, are widespread, and more than half of young Ethiopian children suffer from anemia. Efforts to increase FV consumption in Ethiopia have...

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Autores principales: Hirvonen, Kalle, Wolle, Abdulazize, Minten, Bart
Formato: Brief
Lenguaje:Inglés
Publicado: International Food Policy Research Institute 2018
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/147065
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author Hirvonen, Kalle
Wolle, Abdulazize
Minten, Bart
author_browse Hirvonen, Kalle
Minten, Bart
Wolle, Abdulazize
author_facet Hirvonen, Kalle
Wolle, Abdulazize
Minten, Bart
author_sort Hirvonen, Kalle
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description As in many other low-income countries, fruit and vegetable (FV) consumption is very low in Ethiopia. Consequently, micronutrient deficiencies, such as for Vitamin A, are widespread, and more than half of young Ethiopian children suffer from anemia. Efforts to increase FV consumption in Ethiopia have focused on improving consumer knowledge of the health benefits of FV and other nutritious foods. While these interventions have been successful in improving knowledge and ultimately improving dietary diversity, diets remain extremely monotonous across the country. Recent international research in this area suggest that high relative prices of FVs could be another important constraint. To shed more light on this issue, we assess the affordability of FVs in Ethiopia. Using expenditure and price data collected by the Central Statistical Agency of Ethiopia, we find that the average Ethiopian household would have to spend 11 percent of their income to meet the international recommendation of two servings of fruits and three servings of vegetables per person per day. This share is more than 2.5 times higher for households in the poorest quintile, indicating that meeting these guidelines is currently out of reach for the poorest households in Ethiopia. More investments and research attention to the production of fruits and vegetables is urgently needed to improve supplies and, hence, their affordability.
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spelling CGSpace1470652025-12-08T10:06:44Z Affordability of fruits and vegetables in Ethiopia Hirvonen, Kalle Wolle, Abdulazize Minten, Bart dietary guidelines health vegetables nutrition trace elements fruits food prices diet As in many other low-income countries, fruit and vegetable (FV) consumption is very low in Ethiopia. Consequently, micronutrient deficiencies, such as for Vitamin A, are widespread, and more than half of young Ethiopian children suffer from anemia. Efforts to increase FV consumption in Ethiopia have focused on improving consumer knowledge of the health benefits of FV and other nutritious foods. While these interventions have been successful in improving knowledge and ultimately improving dietary diversity, diets remain extremely monotonous across the country. Recent international research in this area suggest that high relative prices of FVs could be another important constraint. To shed more light on this issue, we assess the affordability of FVs in Ethiopia. Using expenditure and price data collected by the Central Statistical Agency of Ethiopia, we find that the average Ethiopian household would have to spend 11 percent of their income to meet the international recommendation of two servings of fruits and three servings of vegetables per person per day. This share is more than 2.5 times higher for households in the poorest quintile, indicating that meeting these guidelines is currently out of reach for the poorest households in Ethiopia. More investments and research attention to the production of fruits and vegetables is urgently needed to improve supplies and, hence, their affordability. 2018-10-22 2024-06-21T09:10:57Z 2024-06-21T09:10:57Z Brief https://hdl.handle.net/10568/147065 en Open Access application/pdf International Food Policy Research Institute Ethiopian Development Research Institute Hirvonen, Kalle; Wolle, Abdulazize; and Minten, Bart. 2018. Affordability of fruits and vegetables in Ethiopia. ESSP II Research Note 70. Washington, DC and Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and Ethiopian Development Research Institute (EDRI). https://hdl.handle.net/10568/147065
spellingShingle dietary guidelines
health
vegetables
nutrition
trace elements
fruits
food prices
diet
Hirvonen, Kalle
Wolle, Abdulazize
Minten, Bart
Affordability of fruits and vegetables in Ethiopia
title Affordability of fruits and vegetables in Ethiopia
title_full Affordability of fruits and vegetables in Ethiopia
title_fullStr Affordability of fruits and vegetables in Ethiopia
title_full_unstemmed Affordability of fruits and vegetables in Ethiopia
title_short Affordability of fruits and vegetables in Ethiopia
title_sort affordability of fruits and vegetables in ethiopia
topic dietary guidelines
health
vegetables
nutrition
trace elements
fruits
food prices
diet
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/147065
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