Enough with Famines in Ethiopia: A Clarion Call

When in 2002/03 Ethiopia was ushered into the twenty-first century by the threat of famine of unprecedented proportion, it stirred a deeply felt reaction to call on policy-makers and ordinary citizens to raise arms against a scourge which has afflicted their country throughout its long history. The announcement of the threat of famine amounted to a virtual acknowledgement that the country?s past national development goal has been little more than a pipe dream. For, no claim of development can be made in the face of the prospect of mass starvation. It is proposed that a new start is needed in Ethiopia in the pursuit of the goal of lasting food security and the prevention of recurrent famine, one which can at times put to question the conventional development wisdom, and calls for a commitment to certain key principles which can help prevent the repetition of past failures while at the same time providing the foundation for future progress. It is argued that lasting food security can only be achieved by means of an interactive development process involving the sustainable development of agriculture and an increasingly diversified national economy. In concluding, the main questions which may likely concern many people are addressed directly. Wherefrom are the investment resources to be obtained, and where the capacities are to be summoned to promote the scale and tempo of the development envisaged? Examples are offered of the types of measures which could be considered in response to the future development challenges. Ultimately, both the ends of development and the means by which they might be attained must derive impetus from the cravings and drive for accomplishment of ordinary people acting individually or collectively in the pursuit of their common interests. The primary instrument for unleashing this potential belongs to the political realm.