Food Systems Governance Depth and Nutrition-Sensitive Agriculture in Ethiopia: Understanding the Gap between Agricultural Production, Food Availability and Dietary Diversity

Ethiopia’s National Nutrition-Sensitive Agriculture (NSA) Strategy (2017–2021) aimed to increase the production and consumption of diverse, nutrient-dense foods. However, limited evidence exists on how governance conditions shaped implementation across administrative levels and whether agricultural production gains translated into improved food availability and child dietary diversity. This study used a concurrent mixed-methods design to examine the 2017–2023 implementation trajectory of nutrition-sensitive agriculture following the launch of the NSA Strategy, covering both the formal Strategy period and continued implementation through 2023. Data sources included a structured desk review, secondary analysis of national datasets (Agricultural Sample Survey, FAOSTAT, and Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey), and 51 key informant interviews conducted across federal, regional, and subnational levels. Qualitative analysis focused on leadership, financing, coordination, accountability, institutional capacity, and gender-responsive implementation. Although the Strategy achieved strong policy integration at the national level, implementation weakened at subnational levels. Persistent challenges included constrained financing, leadership turnover, inconsistent coordination, and output-oriented monitoring. Quantitatively, production of several nutrient-dense food groups increased through 2023; nevertheless, national per-capita availability remained substantially below Food-Based Dietary Guideline recommendations for most nutrient-dense food groups. Child minimum dietary diversity improved only modestly, rising from 14% in 2016 to 16% in the 2024–25 EDHS, remaining well below the Strategy’s 40% target. Drawing on institutional theory, this study introduces Food Systems Governance Depth (FSGD) as an analytical lens to examine the extent to which governance functions become embedded, mutually reinforcing, and sustained across administrative levels. The findings reveal linked gaps along the production–availability–dietary diversity pathway and suggest that translating agricultural gains into adequate food availability and improved diets may depend on stronger FSGD alongside complementary food-system interventions.