| Sumario: | The issue of policy coherence has gained growing significance in development discussions over the past few decades. It was also emphasized in the United Nations' 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and is highlighted in Sustainable Development Goal 17. Similarly, it has been noted by both experts and researchers that fragmented policies and isolated thinking can hinder the effectiveness of policy implementation, often leading to unexpected adverse outcomes (Monticone and Samoggia, 2023; Parsons and Barling, 2022). In simple terms, policy coherence refers to aligning policy actions across different sectors and stakeholders to achieve common goals (Koch, 2018).
The food sector is a prime example of the importance of policy coherence. As a complex issue, food policy covers various topics, including food security, nutrition, sustainability, and animal welfare. Effective food policymaking requires balancing these diverse areas and fostering collaboration among multiple stakeholders, making it difficult to achieve strong policy coherence (Monticone and Samoggia, 2023). Margulis (2013) and Popkin et al. (2012) indicates that government actions and policies impacting the food system are not aligned with improving nutrition outcomes, primarily due to conflicts with government priorities to drive economic growth, especially through economic liberalization. Consequently, many scholars advocate for a coherent and integrated food policy as a practical approach to addressing contemporary food system challenges. Despite this, there are still opportunities to improve policy coherence within the food system to develop national strategies for sustainable food systems.
When considering how to achieve greater policy coherence in the food system, it is essential to address the following key questions: What is policy coherence? Why is it important in the food system? What challenges does it face? How can capacity for policy coherence and analytical tools be built? This note aims to explore these questions, focusing on Ethiopia's initiatives to transform its food systems.
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