Seasonality continues to significantly impact rural household diets in Ethiopia. Diet diversity increases at the end of the lean season when food availability is lowest. Households consume on average 2,444 calories per day but rely heavily on cereals during lean periods. Expanding irrigation and improving market integration could help households access more diverse foods throughout the year.

1. Seasonality and household diets in Ethiopia
Kalle Hirvonen 1, Alemayehu Seyoum Taffesse 1, Ibrahim Worku Hassen 1
1 IFPRI, Ethiopia Strategy Support Program (ESSP)
15 June 2015
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
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ETHIOPIAN DEVELOPMENT
RESEARCH INSTITUTE

2. Why seasonality?
• Considerable research attention on seasonality two decades ago
• consumption, poverty, wages (e.g. Dercon et al, 2000, for rural Ethiopia)
• anthropometrics, health outcomes, calories (e.g. Ferro-Luzzi et al, 2001, for
south central Ethiopia)

3. Why seasonality?
• Considerable research attention on seasonality two decades ago
• consumption, poverty, wages (e.g. Dercon et al, 2000, for rural Ethiopia)
• anthropometrics, health outcomes, calories (e.g. Ferro-Luzzi et al, 2001, for
south central Ethiopia)
• But still little knowledge on how seasonality shapes diet quality (diet
diversity)
• Exception; Savy et al. (2006) & Becquey et al. (2012) for Burkina Faso

4. Why seasonality?
• Considerable research attention on seasonality two decades ago
• consumption, poverty, wages (e.g. Dercon et al, 2000, for rural Ethiopia)
• anthropometrics, health outcomes, calories (e.g. Ferro-Luzzi et al, 2001, for
south central Ethiopia)
• But still little knowledge on how seasonality shapes diet quality (diet
diversity)
• Exception; Savy et al. (2006) & Becquey et al. (2012) for Burkina Faso
• Also: not too much research attention since 2000s
• Because local food markets are now well-integrated in much of the
developing world? (Kaminski, Christiaensen, and Gilbert, 2014)

5. The purpose of this research
• Revisit seasonality in the Ethiopian context
• Is it still an issue – or are food markets sufficiently integrated
Ethiopia?
• Focus on both diet quantity (calories) and quality (dietary
diversity)?
• This presentation: focus on rural households’ diets

6. Data
• Household, Consumption and Expenditure Survey (HCES) of Ethiopia
• The Ethiopian HCES data are collected by the Ethiopian Central
Statistical Agency (CSA).
• 2010/11 HCES round collected nationally representative data for each
calendar month over one year period.
• Total of 27,835 households so about 2,300 households per month
• Caveats:
• 1) Only national level analysis possible
• 2) Only household level analysis possible (intra-hh issues may be important)

7. Two Diet Measures
• Daily per capita calorie intake
• The mean daily calorie consumption is 2,444 kilocalories per capita
• Diet quality: Household Diet Diversity Score (HDDS)
(FANTA / Swindale and Bilinsky, 2006)
• 12 food groups:
1) cereals; 2) root and tubers; 3) vegetables; 4) fruits; 5) meat, poultry and offal; 6) eggs;
7) fish and seafood; 8) pulses, legumes and nuts; 9) milk and milk products;
10) Oil and fats; 11) sugar and honey; and 12) miscellaneous foods
• The mean HDDS for rural households is 6.4 food groups

8. The Ethiopian Context
• Agriculture: largely dependent on rain-fed agriculture.
 Seasonal cycles of food production and food availability.
• Religion
• Two main Orthodox fasting periods: December & March.
• + Ramadan affecting the timing of the meals.

9. Seasonal patterns in household calorie intake
Vertical axis: % deviations from the
monthly mean.
Rural households only.
The mean daily calorie consumption
for rural households is 2,444
kilocalories per capita.

10. Seasonal patterns in household diet diversity
Vertical axis: % deviations from the
monthly mean.
Rural households only.
The mean number of HDDS for rural
households is 6.4

11. % share of per capita calorie intake from non-
cereal sources

12. Conclusions
• Households’ food consumption remain subject to significant intra-annual
variations in Ethiopia in 2010s.
• Interestingly diet diversity increases towards the end of the lean season.
• Poor availability of food in the lean season is likely to affect children’s physical
development, mothers’ health, etc.
• Potential policy options (with a call for more research):
1) Expansion of irrigation
Increase output + allows food to be produced in off-seasons
2) Deepen market integration and improve market access
So that households’ consumption becomes less dependent on the local food production

13. Amharic proverb summarizing our findings
ሰኔን በዘራዘር
ሐምሌን በጎመንዘር
ነሐሴን በስንት ባላ
ይሻገሩሻላ?