From Food Aid to Food Security to Food Sovereignty? The Fragile Transition in Ethiopia’s PSNP, 2020-2026
Presentation Type
Poster
Presentation Type
Submission
Keywords
Food Aid, Food Security, Food Sovereignty, Ethiopia, Productive Safety Net Programme (PSNP), Humanitarian Aid, Structural Dependency, Development Policy, Food Insecurity, Systemic Shock
Department
International Studies and Languages
Major
International Studies (Global Politics)
Abstract
Food aid is widely recognized as a critical tool for saving lives during humanitarian crises. However, less attention has been given to what happens when food aid becomes a permanent, institutionalized part of national systems. This paper examines the relationship between food aid as emergency or safety net assistance, food security as reliable access to enough and nutritious food, and food sovereignty as the ability of people and states to define and control their own food systems. It does so through a case study of Ethiopia’s Productive Safety Net Programme (PSNP) from 2020 to 2026. While the PSNP was designed to move Ethiopia away from repeated emergency food appeals toward more predictable and stable assistance, this study finds that it has struggled to create long-term independence. Using a qualitative “stress-test” approach, the paper analyzes how major systemic shocks, including the 2023-2025 USAID and World Food Programme aid suspensions and ongoing domestic conflict, exposed the fragility of a donor dependent safety net. The findings show that although institutionalized food aid can improve short-term food security, it may also limit progress toward food sovereignty when domestic systems remain dependent on external funding. When these external resources are disrupted, the system fails to protect households, revealing that the transition from food security to sovereignty is not only fragile, but easily reversed. This paper argues that without stronger domestic governance and resilience, institutionalized food aid risks creating a system of managed stability rather than true autonomy.
Faculty Mentor
Dr. Amanda Rizkallah
Location
Waves Cafeteria
Start Date
10-4-2026 1:00 PM
End Date
10-4-2026 2:00 PM
From Food Aid to Food Security to Food Sovereignty? The Fragile Transition in Ethiopia’s PSNP, 2020-2026
Waves Cafeteria
Food aid is widely recognized as a critical tool for saving lives during humanitarian crises. However, less attention has been given to what happens when food aid becomes a permanent, institutionalized part of national systems. This paper examines the relationship between food aid as emergency or safety net assistance, food security as reliable access to enough and nutritious food, and food sovereignty as the ability of people and states to define and control their own food systems. It does so through a case study of Ethiopia’s Productive Safety Net Programme (PSNP) from 2020 to 2026. While the PSNP was designed to move Ethiopia away from repeated emergency food appeals toward more predictable and stable assistance, this study finds that it has struggled to create long-term independence. Using a qualitative “stress-test” approach, the paper analyzes how major systemic shocks, including the 2023-2025 USAID and World Food Programme aid suspensions and ongoing domestic conflict, exposed the fragility of a donor dependent safety net. The findings show that although institutionalized food aid can improve short-term food security, it may also limit progress toward food sovereignty when domestic systems remain dependent on external funding. When these external resources are disrupted, the system fails to protect households, revealing that the transition from food security to sovereignty is not only fragile, but easily reversed. This paper argues that without stronger domestic governance and resilience, institutionalized food aid risks creating a system of managed stability rather than true autonomy.