Per capita consumption and expenditure of vegetables in Ethiopia
Although it is very difficult to find recent information about the per capita consumption of vegetables in Ethiopia, earlier study estimates it 48 kg for rural and 37 kg for urban population. The same study estimated the rural and urban per capita expenditure on vegetables as Birr 12 per annum and Birr 29, only 6% of the total annual expenditure for food, respectively.
The Urban consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables is estimated to be as low as 25-30% of that of the Western World (130-160 kg per capita).
The consumption of canned fruits and vegetables by both the rural and urban population is closed to zero. This low level of per capita consumption is accounted to:
• The traditional eating habit of our population
• The low level of per capita income
• Generally high price level of vegetables and fruits
• Less knowledge about the nutritional value and importance of vegetables
• Lack of knowledge about certain types of vegetables
• Supply shortage of some preferred vegetables, etc
1.3.1. Recommendations
 Minimizing dependence of rain: Heavy or little rainfall, drought or shortage of irrigation water has repeatedly resulted in erratic yield losses. This can be overcome by installation of irrigation scheme in vegetable farms and its encouragement in peasant farms so that dependence of rainfall is minimized.
 Appropriate planning: Production of vegetables according to the market demand and capacity of processing plants.
 Giving necessary priorities for horticultural crops research and extension: encourage market promotion and improve the consumption habit of the society and introduce new vegetable types.
 Correct technological defects: Avoid use of inadequate production equipments both for cultivation and processing of commodities
 Develop communication of peasant rural market with the main routes and improve transportation facilities in relation to perishable nature of vegetables.
In many parts of the world vegetable constitutes a larger part of diet. Vegetable crops are vital sources of food. In some tropical countries, gardening is becoming a highly commercial venture, which can provide a source of hard currency.
? Have you any additional reason/s for the low level per capita vegetable consumption in Ethiopia?
Food value of vegetables
Today, mankind is worried about the possibility of satisfying its future demands for foodstuffs. The most alarming situation exists in the developing countries. Suffices to say that tens of thousands of people die from hunger and diseases caused by malnutrition in developing countries.
It is especially dangerous for children, because half of all pre-school children in developing countries are deprived of normal nourishment, which causes various physiological disorders and leads to mental and physical retardation. The problem lies in the monotonous traditional diets, which make worse the disease of one or another. And this problem is aggravated by the high population growth rate of the developing countries where the land resources are limited.
Vegetables can play an important role in solving the problems of increased food shortage and providing a balanced diet. Besides high productivity, vegetable crops have a high nutritive value. That is why, in some countries, national agricultural development programs are focusing on the need to increase the production of vegetables in order to increase their proportion in the daily food ration.
Beside this consumption of fruit and vegetable improve the health of the people. Sufficient intake of fruit and vegetable may decreases the incidence of cancer, heart disease and heart stroke. According to the report of World Health Organization (WHO) in 2003, approximately 1.7 million deaths worldwide are attributed to low fruit and vegetable consumption.
According to recent FAO data, the annual production and consumption of fresh vegetables in the world is approximately 893 million tones. In different countries, the annual vegetable consumption per capita varies greatly: from 2 kg in Mauritania to 250 kg in China. The recommended amount of vegetable consumption per person per annum is 100-120 kg.