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Journal of Resources and Ecology >

2018 , Vol. 9 >Issue 3: 237 - 249

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5814/j.issn.1674-764x.2018.03.003

Articles

Understanding Agriculture Production and Food Security in Ethiopia from the Perspective of China

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  • 1. Key Laboratory of Ecosystem Network Observation and Modeling,Chinese Academy of SciencesInstitute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China;
    2. International Ecosystem Management Partnership-United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP-IEMP), Beijing 100101, China;
    3. Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing 100012, China;
    4. Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China;
    5. College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China;
    6. Department of Animal, Rangeland and Wildlife Sciences, Mekelle University, Mekelle 231, Ethiopia

Received date: 2017-12-07

  Revised date: 2018-02-25

  Online published: 2018-05-30

Supported by

The National Natural Science Foundation of China (41761144053, 41661144022, 41401068); and the International Partnership Program of Chinese Academy of Sciences (121311KYSB201700).

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Abstract

Food security and sustainable agricultural development are the hot issues of scientific research, especially after the population affected by hunger surprisingly increased in 2016. Long-lasting and recurrent famines caused by natural disasters and wars have afflicted Ethiopia. Unlike Ethiopia, which is still struggling to achieve food self-sufficiency, China managed to quickly become food self-sufficient at a rapid speed, despite the fact that it also faced the same challenges of famine over the last century. In the backdrop of differing environmental and socio-political challenges the two countries face, comparing the similarities and differences between the two countries will yield important lessons and insights for Ethiopia to follow to achieve food self-sufficiency. Here, the progress towards food security in Ethiopia and China is presented to quantitatively compare the gap of agricultural production between both countries. We found that food production in Ethiopia is heavily constrained by drought, soil degradation, climate change, out-dated agricultural production technologies, and poverty. According to these challenges, we examined corresponding responses in China to propose solutions for achieving food self-sufficiency in Ethiopia, given the realities of its unique national situation.

Key words： agriculture production; China; Ethiopia; food security; self-sufficiency

Cite this article

LI Fadong, LENG Peifang, ZHANG Qiuying, SONG Shuai, QIAO Yunfeng, GU Congke, ZHANG Qian, WU Liang, Mulubrhan Balehegn, Dagne Mojo, ZHU Nong, ZHAO Xin . Understanding Agriculture Production and Food Security in Ethiopia from the Perspective of China[J]. Journal of Resources and Ecology, 2018 , 9(3) : 237 -249 . DOI: 10.5814/j.issn.1674-764x.2018.03.003

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