Ethiopia has been an FAO member since 1948 and FAO Representation in Ethiopia opened office in Addis Ababa in 1981. The City is also a sit for FAO Subregional Office for Eastern Africa Representation to the African, Union and United Nations Economic Commission for Africa and serves as a diplomatic hub to many other organizations. The Country Office also operates seven field offices dispersed in 11 regions of the country. The field offices are located in the towns of Semera (Afar), Bahir Dar (Amhara), Jigjiga (Somali), Addis Ababa (Oromia), Mekele (Tigray) and Hawassa (serving Sidama, Central Ethiopia, Suth Ethiopia and Southwest Ethiopia regions).

FAO has been an active development partner to the Government of Ethiopia (GoE) in implementing a wide range of programmes and projects to improve the food security and nutrition of its population as well as respond to emergencies in food and agriculture.

FAO Ethiopia is currently supporting implementation of over 39 projects with an estimated value of more than USD 58 993 384 and reaching over 627 610 households (3 138 050 individuals). Thematic areas of the projects supported by FAO include, policy and regulatory services, nutrition and Food systems, Natural Resource Management (NRM) and climate change, livestock, livelihoods, irrigation, data and analytics, crop, agri-value chain and South South Cooperation.

FAO operates within a robust network of regional and subregional offices, leveraging its global expertise and localized presence. As host of the FAO East African Subregional Office, Ethiopia plays a central role in advancing agricultural development, food security, and sustainable resource management across the East African Region. FAO’s key regional and subregional partners include the African Union (AU), United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), regional Economic Communities particularly Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), national governments, and regional development banks and financial institutions, specifically the African Development Bank (ADB).

FAO’s Emergency and Resilience programming in Ethiopia focuses on strengthening national and local capacities to prevent, mitigate, and respond to agricultural emergencies. FAO works closely with the Government of Ethiopia (GoE), particularly the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA), National Disaster Risk Management Commission (NDRMC), regional bureaus, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), and other UN partners to strengthen institutional preparedness and coordinate effective agricultural emergency responses.