The Legal and Policy Framework of Digital Agriculture and the Right to Adequate Food in Ethiopia : A Critical Legal and Structural Analysis

Sammanfattning

Digital agriculture is increasingly promoted as a solution to food insecurity in developing states for enhancing agricultural productivity, market access, and efficiency through data-driven technologies. In Ethiopia, this approach is reflected in major policy initiatives that position digital transformation as central to agricultural modernization. However, limited legal scholarship has assessed whether these reforms align with Ethiopia’s obligations under the right to adequate food. This thesis examines the relationship between digital agriculture governance and the right to adequate food in Ethiopia. Drawing on international human rights law, it analyzes Ethiopia’s constitutional framework, food security policies, digital governance laws, and key digital agriculture strategies. Employing a qualitative doctrinal legal methodology, supported by structural analysis, the thesis evaluates whether these frameworks comply with obligations to respect, protect, and fulfill the right to adequate food. The findings indicate that although Ethiopia has adopted ambitious digital policies, the legal and regulatory framework contains significant normative and structural gaps that undermine compliance with human rights standards. The absence of explicit constitutional protection for the right to adequate food, weak regulation of private digital actors, fragmented data governance, insecure land tenure, and persistent digital inequality constrain the transformative potential of digital agriculture. Rather than addressing structural causes of food insecurity, current policies frequently frame food insecurity as a technical challenge to be addressed through innovation. This thesis contends that digital agriculture is not solely a technological project but a governance issue that directly influences access to food and food-producing resources. Without stronger legal protections and structural reforms, digitalization risks reinforcing existing inequalities rather than advancing the right to adequate food.