Food Security and Vulnerability in Selected Towns of Tigray Region, Ethiopia

Tigray National Regional State is one of the regional states within the structure of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. It is located in the northern part of the country bordering with Eritrea in the north, Sudan in the west, Afar in the east and Amhara in the southwest. The region had an estimated population of over 4.3 million at the end of 2007, of which about 19.5% lived in urban areas (CSA census report, 2007). More than 58% of the total population were living in absolute poverty (earning less than a dollar a day), which makes the region's situation more serious compared to the national average (44.4%). Added to this has been the impact of inflation that started increasing in 2005 and has apparently resulted in increased food insecurity in urban areas. The prices of cereals have increased by more than 100% since mid 2005 when the country faced spiral price increases. The “new emergency” facing the urban poor as a result of the rapid food price increase resulted in the Government initiating an urban grain market stabilization program in 2007. The program started initially in Addis Ababa and was expanded to cover 12 urban centers. Since April 2007, the Government has sold over 420,000 MT of wheat to urban consumers at a subsidized price. The Government continued with the program in 2008 and 2009 with further grain imports for the program. The Government also took some fiscal and monetary measures in 2008 by lifting certain taxes from food commodities (especially oil), as well as measures to curb the excess supply of money. With further increases in cereal, pulses and oil prices expected as a result of the general global price increases and reduced production from climate change imminent, it is becoming ever more important to understand and monitor people's vulnerability to these changing circumstances. Understanding the drivers of urban food insecurity and recommending sustainable interventions is of paramount importance as shocks and hazards affecting urban food insecurity may ultimately lead to famine in the extreme, urban areas become prone to social unrest, as highlighted by the food riots and unrest in some countries. In order to effectively support the efforts and initiatives being made, the Government, WFP and partners embarked on this study aiming at collecting useful information on the effect of the soaring market prices on urban population and identify potential areas for intervention.