How Ethiopia can tackle famine

Urban growth

Worse, the government purposely limits migration to cities, claiming it is concerned about “chaotic” urban growth.

When country people are prohibited from moving to towns they are also prohibited from seeking economic opportunities and using their entrepreneurial talents — the very thing people need when they can no longer support themselves and their families by farming.

Forcing people to remain smallholder farmers, denying them opportunities in cities, compelling them to migrate  and making them ruin the land through subdivision are bad government policies, not bad weather.

Mr Morris is Executive Director of International Policy Network (www.policynetwork.net) and Ms Boudreaux is Senior Research Fellow and lead researcher of the Enterprise Africa! Project at the Mercatus Centre at George Mason University (www.mercatus.org)