The food market in Ethiopia has recently been marked by
uncharacteristically high prices, a situation that has paralleled
conditions in the rest of the world. The causes of escalating food
prices in Ethiopia are somewhat specific to it. These include high
inflation levels and stagnating food production and supply in relation
to increasing demand due to population growth and possibly rising
incomes among certain sections of the population. Although high food
prices may have raised the incomes of some food producers in the
country, they have exacerbated food shortages among food-deficit rural
residents as well as urban dwellers that are fully dependent on the
market for their food supply. Food insecurity has been extreme
especially among the urban poor. This study defines food insecurity as a
condition in which people lack the food intake they need to lead fully
healthy and productive lives. Food insecurity is commonly conceptualized
as chronic or transitory. This study focuses on chronic food insecurity
which it shows is currently prevalent among the urban poor. The study
aims to provide insight into the state, impact and causes of food
insecurity and responses to it among the urban poor in Addis Ababa. It
does so through a case study of Lideta sub-city consisting of a detailed
qualitative description of current experiences of food insecurity.
