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Country Program Materials
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USAID/Ethiopia Links
USAID/Ethiopia Mission
www.usaidethiopia.org Mission Director:
Local Address:
- Riverside Building
P.O. Box 1014
Addis Ababa
Ethiopia
Tel: 251-1-510-088
Fax: 251-1-510-043
From the US:
- DOS/USAID
2030 Addis Ababa Place
Washington, D.C.
20521-2030
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USAID's Strategy in Ethiopia Ethiopia suffers from chronic food insecurity. Agriculture
accounts for half of Ethiopias gross domestic product,
85% of its exports, and 80% of its total employment. A combination
of frequent drought, poor cultivation practices, and low levels
of on-farm investment persistently undermine the productivity
of the agricultural sector.
The magnitude and depth of poverty means drought and other
unanticipated crises can rapidly transform into the potential
for famine. Each crisis increases the country's vulnerability
to the most marginal of shocks. In the absence of alternatives,
households are forced into depleting the very productive assets
(e.g., oxen, farm implements) they require for future productivity.
In addition to these economic problems, Ethiopia's low health
status, high population growth, and low literacy rates further
deplete human productivity and exert a heavy burden on the
state to increase delivery for health, education and other
social services. Policy change has been slow and is urgently
needed to create the conditions that will lead to the broadbased
economic growth, and that will alleviate chronic food insecurity.
The Government of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia
has begun more open dialogue in critical areas. The United States' national interests in Ethiopia are two-fold:
strategically located between Somalia and Sudan, Ethiopia
is a vital ally in efforts to promote regional stability in
the Horn of Africa and is also a key ally in the global war
on terrorism.
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