Cooperative Agribusinesses Support Food Security through Ethiopia School Feeding Program

Nuru Ethiopia supports member-owned agribusinesses that contribute to their local food systems and support the local economy as they grow and become increasingly professional. Within agribusinesses, farmers work together to bring their products to local markets, making locally-sourced food items available in rural communities that have limited access to markets outside their regions. Local school feeding programs, supported by cooperative agribusinesses, ensure that children get critical access to food as well.

Planting seeds, Ethiopia, 2014

What is the Ethiopia School Feeding Program?

Nuru Ethiopia-supported cooperative unions ensure that 127,000 students across 271 schools in South Ethiopia Regional State have access to local products sold by local agribusinesses. The region’s school feeding program began as part of the Home-Grown School Feeding Initiative, a program launched in partnership with the World Food Program, the Ministry of Education, and other organizations.

First introduced in Ethiopia in 1994, the School Feeding Program aims to improve children’s health and education by providing nutritious meals sourced from local farmers. Initially, the program exclusively targeted the most vulnerable schools in drought-stricken and conflict-affected areas; however, the effort grew when the Ethiopian government launched its own School Feeding Program in Addis Ababa in 2019. Over time, the program has expanded, aiming to provide meals to all school children from pre-primary (ages 4-6) to primary levels (ages 7-14).

Ethiopia aims to address food insecurity by reaching 21 million school children through the School Feeding Program, with a 2030 goal of ensuring all children in grades 1-8 across Ethiopia are receiving at least one nutritious meal during each school day.

Entrance sign at Ethiopian school participating in School Feeding Program, 2024

Today, this program is conducted in partnership with multiple organizations and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) through the McGovern-Dole Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program. By 2027, State of Food Insecurity in Ethiopia Food insecurity refers to a situation where individuals lack access to adequate, safe, and nutritious food that meets their dietary requirements and supports an active, healthy and productive life (FAO).

In Ethiopia, 10.2 million people are estimated to be food insecure (2025, WFP). Food insecurity in Ethiopia remains critical, driven by overlapping challenges, including inflation, drought, flooding, and conflict. Food prices remain high, and purchasing power is limited. The July 2024 government exchange rate reform led to a depreciation of the Ethiopian birr, disproportionately affecting vulnerable households and placing additional strain on household food costs (2024, WFP).

In South Ethiopia Regional State, emergency levels of food insecurity were projected between January to March 2025, with an estimated 8.6 million people at risk due to severe drought conditions (2024, WFP). Many households in the southern region are still recovering from a prolonged drought from 2020-2023. The combined impacts of climate change and inflation continue to push food prices higher, leaving households increasingly vulnerable to food access and affordability challenges.

How Climate Change Contributes to Food Insecurity

Climate change contributes to more erratic weather patterns, posing challenges for agricultural producers. Extreme events like flooding, which caused landslides in July 2024 in Gofa Zone and affected Nuru Ethiopia-supported agribusiness members, can devastate crops, livelihoods, homes, and even lives (OCHA).

Flooding in Ethiopia creates soil erosion, uproots trees, and destroys roadways.

On the other end of the spectrum, southern regions of Ethiopia also face drought conditions, such as those experienced between 2020 and 2023, which reduce yields and leave farmers with less food to sell for income. This, in turn, affects communities by limiting the food available in local markets and can drive up prices for consumers, especially during the lean season, March-June, just before the main rainy season. In October–November 2024, rainfall during the meher season in southern Ethiopia, one of Ethiopia’s two main agricultural seasons, was 40–70% below average (FEWS).
As climate change continues to drive erratic weather patterns, adopting climate-smart agriculture practices that prioritize adaptation and improve soil health is vital for the sustainability of Ethiopian farms and local agrifood systems. While farmers continue learning climate adaptation and mitigation practices, programs like the School Feeding Program, support critical food access during this critical time.

Why is the Ethiopia School Feeding Program Important?

The School Feeding Program in Ethiopia primarily includes meals that are designed to improve children’s nutrition, support their cognitive development, and enhance school attendance. The selection of food items is based on nutritional needs and local availability to combat malnutrition, stunting, and anemia among schoolchildren. Studies show that Ethiopian school meals provide 45% to 60% of the daily calorie needs for students, with a focus on protein sufficiency for children under 13 years old. The program also aims to improve hygiene and sanitation in schools, ensuring that children wash their hands before meals and have access to clean facilities.

Beans aggregated from Nuru-Ethiopia supported farmers, 2024

The meals typically consist of:

• Cereal-based foods – Staples like injera, porridge, or fortified bread made of maize, sorghum, teff, rice, and wheat flours provide essential carbohydrates for energy.
• Legumes & pulses – Lentils, beans, and chickpeas are included to ensure adequate protein intake.
• Vegetables & fruits – Some programs incorporate locally sourced vegetables and fruits to provide vitamins and minerals.
• Dairy products – In certain regions, milk or yogurt is provided to support bone health and growth.
• Fortified foods – Some meals include fortified flour, oil, or micronutrient powders to address deficiencies in iron, vitamin A, and other essential nutrients.
• Clean drinking water – Ensuring access to safe drinking water is a key component to prevent dehydration and improve overall health.

What are the positive outcomes of the School Feeding Program?

As of 2024, the Ethiopian School Feeding Program serves approximately 6.9 million students across 24,934 schools. Ethiopia’s School Feeding Program is a crucial initiative that targets 1) improved literacy among school-age children, 2) better health and dietary practices, and 3) enhanced food security and resilience for children and their families. The program demonstrates impact in the following ways:

• Improves school attendance & Enrollment: Many children from food-insecure households attend school primarily because of the meals provided, reducing dropout rates.
• Enhances learning & concentration: Proper nutrition helps students focus better in class, leading to improved academic performance.
• Supports gender equity: The program encourages girls’ education, as families are more likely to send daughters to school when meals are provided.
• Boosts local economies: Some programs prioritize home-grown school feeding, sourcing food from local farmers, which strengthens agricultural markets.
• Addresses malnutrition: Many Ethiopian children suffer from stunting and undernutrition—school meals provide essential nutrients to support their growth.
• Reduces household burden: Families struggling with food insecurity benefit when their children receive at least one nutritious meal daily.

Unions Support School Feeding Program

As Nuru Ethiopia-supported agribusiness unions have grown and become increasingly more professional, their capacity has increased, too. This has created a valuable opportunity for the unions to engage in the school feeding program. Previously, the private sector was responsible for supplying school feeding items; however, challenges in working with private suppliers, combined with the growing capabilities of Nuru Ethiopia-supported unions, prompted the program leaders to shift toward partnering with farmers’ unions.

Agribusiness leaders, 2024

Under this new approach, unions are invited to bid and compete with one another to participate in various school feeding programs within the region, fostering greater efficiency, sustainability, and local engagement in the initiative. Unions are responsible for the aggregation of grains from local farmers, as well as processing them, packing, and transporting to targeted schools.

How does Nuru Ethiopia Support These Unions?

Nuru Ethiopia offers comprehensive business support services, including training on contract management, negotiation skills, store management, and quality inspection for both food and non-food items. It also helps in identifying reliable and professional logistics services. This blog post about Esipe Dicha Union highlights the role that Nuru Ethiopia played in equipping the union to secure contracts–critical sources of business for the agribusiness.

Additionally, Nuru Ethiopia facilitates networking opportunities and introduces various purchasing modalities to help businesses overcome working capital challenges. By providing technical support in financial management, Nuru Ethiopia equips agribusinesses with appropriate training on payment systems and recordkeeping to enhance efficiency. It also assists unions in advocating for government involvement in initiatives like the School Feeding Program, ensuring remote, rural farmers are incorporated into this program.

This case study from AMEA highlights the impact of Nuru Ethiopia’s business development services on agribusinesses.

Beyond Food Security: Agribusinesses Sustain Rural Communities

The School Feeding Program is just one example of the importance of rural cooperative agribusinesses. In times of crisis and instability, agribusinesses often rise to meet the challenges, knowing best the support that their local communities need. In addition to providing communities with extra support amid natural disasters, rural agribusinesses have

• provided school supplies to orphaned and vulnerable children in their communities,
• covered the cost of health insurance for community members, and
• subsidized the cost of food items during times of high inflation.

One cooperative, Hati Giya, member noted, “Although there was no one else to support me financially, the cooperative and Nuru’s project have been my pillars of strength.” Hear directly from this farmer as she shares her story.

Hati Giya, 2024

Agribusinesses are crucial in transforming rural economies by creating jobs, improving food security, and fostering sustainable development. During this International Year of Cooperatives, Nuru celebrates the vital contributions that cooperative agribusinesses provide in rural communities:

• Access to Agricultural Inputs: 1) Supply of seeds, fertilizers, pesticides, and farming equipment to improve productivity. 2) Introduction of climate-resilient crops to help farmers adapt to changing weather conditions.
• Market Linkages & Trade Facilitation: 1) Connecting farmers to local, regional, and international markets to sell their produce at fair prices. 2) Establishing cooperative unions that enable small-scale farmers to negotiate better deals.
• Financial Services & Microcredit: 1) Providing loans, insurance, and savings programs tailored for farmers and agribusiness entrepreneurs. 2) Supporting women and youth-led agribusiness ventures through financial inclusion initiatives.
• Training & Capacity Building: 1) Offering agricultural training programs on modern farming techniques, soil management, and pest control. 2) Conducting business development workshops to help farmers scale their operations.
• Sustainable Farming & Environmental Conservation Support: 1) Promoting organic farming, agroforestry, and regenerative agriculture to protect soil health. 2) Implementing water conservation and renewable energy solutions for rural farms.
• Opportunity for Collaboration and Community-Building: Bringing together people in remote, rural communities can increase social cohesion, providing individuals with a greater sense of community as they work together to improve their local economies.

Cooperative agribusinesses are the core of the Nuru model. We believe resilient rural communities are built upon member-owned agribusinesses that bring people together and create sustainability for their livelihoods. As they provide essential resources and services that enhance livelihoods, they also improve food security, and drive economic growth.