Maize Value Chain Analysis in Ethiopia: Implication of challenges and opportunities on Food security

This study critically examines the maize value chain in Ethiopia with the view to understand the challenges and opportunities on Ethiopian food security. More specifically, the paper considers costs, risks and opportunities in maize production and marketing system that have an impact on food security of the producer household as well as households that depend on the maize market for all or part of their food. This is because food insecurity in Ethiopia is a result of both decline in food availability and failure in entitlement. Availability in the country is mainly dependent on domestic production, while accessibility is dependent on price and income, which are determined by the market. Accordingly, findings of the study reveal both maize production and marketing are constrained by the related risks and costs that constrain food security. Production costs are related to application technologies while weather is the risk that limits availability. Market impediments such as: lack of well adequate and appropriate rural infrastructures including storage, road, telecommunication and institutions are found to be responsible for pushing consumer food cost and limiting benefits farmers could get from commercialisation. Therefore subsistence farming and market impediments are responsible for food security problems in Ethiopia Relevance to Development Studies The study contributes to knowledge on application of value chain approach to address food security issues – particularly in identifying and discussing costs, risks and potentials related to maize production and marketing, that have an impact on maize availability and accessibility. The knowledge would help to understand how the poor in the chain – particularly maize producers, consumers and traders, can benefit from participation in the market, through higher prices for producers and lower prices for consumers. Though maize is not the only staple crop in Ethiopia, the production and marketing pattern of the other staples also follow the same pattern, that findings of the study could give insight for food security in the country. Food security is one of the development issues in Ethiopia, thus addressing the issue using holistic approach like value chain analysis, provides in depth understanding of costs, risks and potentials at each point in the chain, that enables to identify key intervention points for government and other development institutions to address food security.