Solen wakes up with the sun. Her children, Hawi and Beza (3 and 1 years old) still sleep, but she is already walking toward her garden. A horticultural mother in Ethiopia takes care of her garden every day. It is that garden that provides most of the food for Hawi and Beza, in a land where nutritional deficiencies abound.
Ethiopia has one of the highest rates of malnutrition in Africa. Its population faces acute and chronic malnutrition and micronutrient deficiencies. According to an EDHS report, 40% of children under five are stunted, 38% are wasted (too thin for their height) and 11% are underweight (CSA, 2014). In the case of women, 27% are chronically malnourished and three in ten women aged 19-25 years are under-nourished. Most undernutrition occurs during pregnancy and the first two years of life (EDHS, 2016; EU, 2016; Headey, 2015; Mason et.al, 2015). The concentrations of maternal and child micronutrient deficiencies (particularly iron, vitamin A, iodine, and zinc) are highly prevalent in rural areas of the country. The rural population depends on cereal-based diets and lacks access to nutrition-rich foods like fruits, vegetables, and animal-source foods (such as dairy products, fish, meat, and eggs) (EDHS, 2016; Headey, 2015; Mason et.al, 2015).