Famines in Ethiopia have occurred periodically throughout the history of the country, which was formerly known as Abyssinia. The economy was based on subsistence agriculture, with an aristocracy that consumed the surplus. Due to a number of causes, the peasants have lacked incentives to either improve production or to store their excess crops; as a result, they lived from harvest to harvest. Despite the extensive modernization and land reform in the country during the last 120 years, especially under Emperor Haile Selassie, as of 2016, about 80% of the population are poor farmers who still live from harvest to harvest and are vulnerable to crop failures. List of famines See also 1958–1975 Wollo–Tigray famine Agriculture in Ethiopia Food security in Ethiopia List of famines References External links Disaster Prevention and Preparedness Agency (DPPA) of Ethiopia Home page Ethiopia History of Ethiopia Food and drink in Ethiopia