In addition, although use of animal health services, and adoption of improved livestock breeds and modern management practices have increased, ownership of various types of livestock has declined.

"One important impediment to improved policies and investments for poor and rural people in Africa has been a lack of data on actual conditions. To begin to help fill this data gap, the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) worked closely with Ethiopia’s Central Statistical Agency to produce the Atlas of the Ethiopian Rural Economy. This Atlas gives a comprehensive view of rural Ethiopia in the areas of production, infrastructure, markets, natural resources, agroclimate, social indicators, institutions, and demographics. By giving a full and multilayered picture of conditions in rural Ethiopia, these maps should facilitate the design of interventions that can contribute to a path of sustained growth for the Ethiopian economy. They should also help policymakers and development practitioners target interventions to the people and communities who need them most." -- from Foreword by Joachim von Braun

As part of its on-going public dialogue program on progress in Ethiopia’s development and public policy the Forum for Social Studies is undertaking a project of research and public dialogue on a number of selected topics on the theme of 'Prospects and Challenges for Inclusive and Participatory Development in Ethiopia'. The aim is to enable researchers and professionals to present evidence-based papers to stimulate debate and reflection. This first book in the program looks at the impact of development or lack of it, on specific social groups, namely women, young people and vulnerable groups that should be entitled to decent social care.

The perception of Ethiopia projected in the media is often one of chronic poverty and hunger, but this bleak assessment does not accurately reflect most of the country today. Ethiopia encompasses a wide variety of agroecologies and peoples. Its agriculture sector, economy, and food security status are equally complex. In fact, since 2001 the per capita income in certain rural areas has risen by more than 50 percent, and crop yields and availability have also increased. Higher investments in roads and mobile phone technology have led to improved infrastructure and thereby greater access to markets, commodities, services, and information. In Food and Agriculture in Ethiopia: Progress and Policy Challenges, Paul Dorosh and Shahidur Rashid, along with other experts, tell the story of Ethiopia's political, economic, and agricultural transformation. The book is designed to provide empirical evidence to shed light on the complexities of agricultural and food policy in today's Ethiopia, highlight major policies and interventions of the past decade, and provide insights into building resilience to natural disasters and food crises. It examines the key issues, constraints, and opportunities that are likely to shape a food-secure future in Ethiopia, focusing on land quality, crop production, adoption of high-quality seed and fertilizer, and household income. Students, researchers, policy analysts, and decisionmakers will find this book a useful overview of Ethiopia's political, economic, and agricultural transformation as well as a resource for major food policy issues in Ethiopia. Contributors: Dawit Alemu, Guush Berhane, Jordan Chamberlin, Sarah Coll-Black, Paul Dorosh, Berhanu Gebremedhin, Sinafikeh Asrat Gemessa, Daniel O. Gilligan, John Graham, Kibrom Tafere Hirfrfot, John Hoddinott, Adam Kennedy, Neha Kumar, Mehrab Malek, Linden McBride, Dawit Kelemework Mekonnen, Asfaw Negassa, Shahidur Rashid, Emily Schmidt, David Spielman, Alemayehu Seyoum Taffesse, Seneshaw Tamiru, James Thurlow, William Wiseman.