Ethiopia Prepares for UN Summit with Bold Food System Reforms

By Girma Mirgisa

Addis Ababa, July, 19, 2025 (ENA)—As a defining event for global food security and climate resilience, Ethiopia is finalizing preparations to host the United Nations Food Systems Summit +4 Stocktake (UNFSS+4) at the end of this month.

This highly anticipated summit, co-hosted by the governments of Ethiopia and Italy, will bring together heads of state, ministers, researchers, youth advocates, and civil society organizations from across the globe. The summit aims to assess global progress in food systems transformation and forge a unified path toward sustainability, equity, and resilience.

This summit represents more than a diplomatic milestone—it marks a pivotal turning point. With just five years left until the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals deadline, urgent and decisive action is needed to tackle hunger, malnutrition, climate shocks, and inequality. By hosting UNFSS+4, Ethiopia steps into the global spotlight, demonstrating leadership in transforming food systems while confronting some of today’s most critical development challenges.

Ethiopia’s leadership is grounded in its strong commitment to food sovereignty and inclusive development.

Since its implementation in 2021, the Ethiopian Food Systems Transformation and Nutrition (EFSTN) initiative has played an integral role in the country’s efforts to ensure access to safe, affordable, and nutritious food. Evidently, EFSTN integrates sustainable agriculture, equitable access, climate-smart technologies, and collaborative governance to create a food system that nurtures both people and the planet.

EFSTN is led by a high-level Inter-Ministerial Steering Committee, co-chaired by the Ministers of Agriculture and Health, and coordinated by the Ethiopian Agricultural Transformation Institute. The initiative emphasizes a whole-of-society approach bringing together farmers, policymakers, youth, entrepreneurs, and civil society around 24 game-changing interventions grouped into seven clusters, addressing every aspect of the food system from production to nutrition, governance, and waste.

Thus, through the Ethiopian Food Systems Transformation and Nutrition initiative, the country has demonstrated commendable leadership.

Coordinated Initiatives in Driving Ethiopia’s Food System Improvement

In recent years, Ethiopia has rolled out nationally coordinated initiatives showcasing practical solutions, grounded in community-driven innovation and inclusive governance.

One of the standout achievements is the clustering approach, which boosts productivity and market connectivity by consolidating farmers and farmland into more efficient production units. Within five years, it has reached 8.6 million hectares and supported 10 million farmers through improved access to inputs, mechanization, services, and market opportunities.

Moreover, Ethiopia has introduced key policy reforms to drive long-term transformation. These include land and rural development policies, expanded access to rural finance, and index-based insurance schemes designed to strengthen farmer resilience and productivity. The development of national food-based dietary guidelines also supports improved nutrition at the community level.

Transformative Outcomes in Ethiopia’s Food System

Ethiopia’s success in wheat productivity stands as a landmark achievement in the country’s recent history, placing the nation at the center of agricultural transformation in Africa. The Wheat Initiative has truly transformed domestic production.  And it is significantly boosting Ethiopia’s wheat output and advancing self-sufficiency. It also positions the country as a potential wheat exporter within the continent.

This transformation has been driven by strategic investments in irrigation, high-yield seed varieties, mechanization, and extensive farmer mobilization, all implemented through a coordinated multi-sectoral approach. Beyond boosting production, the initiative has created rural employment, increased farmer incomes, and significantly reduced Ethiopia’s reliance on wheat imports—positioning it as a model for climate-resilient and self-reliant agriculture on the continent.

Another key driver of Ethiopia’s success in food system improvement is the Green Legacy Initiative. It has played a pivotal role in restoring degraded lands and supporting rural livelihoods. Spearheaded by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, Ethiopia has planted over 42 billion tree seedlings to date under the Green Legacy Initiative—an unprecedented achievement in environmental restoration and climate resilience.

Meanwhile, the initiative has significantly expanded the nation’s nursery capacity to over 130,000 sites, bolstering the supply of food, wood, animal feed, and water resources.

Equally transformative is the 'Ye Lemat Tirufat' (Bounty of the Basket) initiative, which champions the production of nutrient-rich foods—such as dairy, fish, poultry, and honey—to enhance food and nutrition security at both household and national levels. By promoting dietary diversity and combating malnutrition, the program empowers smallholder farmers, strengthens local value chains, and drives inclusive rural economic growth. Its holistic approach not only elevates public health outcomes but also builds resilient, climate-smart food systems capable of withstanding environmental and economic shocks.

Further underscoring the country’s strides in food security, the government-led Homegrown School Feeding Program is tackling barriers to education by providing nutritious meals to schoolchildren. It provides nutritious meals to schoolchildren using locally sourced food. And this program is significantly boosting attendance, enhancing concentration, and improving academic performance. Most importantly, the program supports local food economies by linking smallholder farmers to stable markets.

Ethiopia's Historic Role as Host of the UNFSS+4 Summit

Ethiopia’s hosting of the UNFSS+4 Summit in Addis Ababa represents a bold commitment to global food system transformation and marks a historic milestone for Africa’s leadership on the world stage. Furthermore, this marks the first time the landmark global summit is being held on African soil, underscoring the continent’s growing leadership in addressing the intertwined challenges of hunger, climate change, and economic vulnerability.

For Ethiopia—where agriculture remains the backbone of the economy and homegrown innovations are already transforming rural livelihoods; the summit is anticipated to present a vital opportunity to showcase its hard-earned progress, forge stronger global partnerships, and attract greater investment for sustainable development.

Addis Ababa UNFSS+4 Summit in Advancing Outcomes

UNFSS+4 also serves as a global checkpoint. Since the 2021 UN Food Systems Summit, 127 countries have adopted national transformation pathways. While many have made notable progress, others continue to face setbacks from climate shocks, conflict, economic instability, and the lasting impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Addis Ababa summit will offer a platform to reflect on these journeys, assess progress, and renew political commitment. Delegates will examine progress reports, participate in high-level sessions, and discuss strategies to unlock the estimated 300 to 400 billion dollars in annual investment needed to shift global food systems toward sustainability.

The summit will begin with Action Day on July 27, featuring field visits that spotlight Ethiopian-led innovations—from smallholder farms and school feeding programs to sustainable land restoration practices. Over the next two days, plenary sessions, ministerial roundtables, and expert panels will address topics such as climate-smart agriculture, inclusive governance, financing, and the rights of marginalized communities. Participants will include governments, UN agencies, youth leaders, Indigenous Peoples, women’s groups, and grassroots innovators working to reshape food systems from the ground up.

This inclusive, rights-based approach is central to both EFSTN and UNFSS+4. With over 733 million people globally facing hunger and more than one-third of the world’s population unable to afford a healthy diet, the urgency for systemic change is undeniable. Today, food systems go beyond agriculture; they influence health, education, climate, equity, and peace. They are both a challenge and a solution for this generation.

For Ethiopia, UNFSS+4 is more than an event; it’s a platform to amplify its national vision, attract investment, and shape the global food agenda. Ethiopia is showing that food systems transformation is not only necessary but achievable, and that inclusive, locally driven solutions can create lasting impact. Hence, with the spotlight on Addis Ababa this July, Ethiopia is showing the world that transformation is not a future goal but a present reality.