ADDIS ABABA – Ethiopia has officially launched its Digital Agriculture Roadmap (DAR) for 2025-2032, a strategic initiative designed to revolutionize the nation’s agricultural sector through the integration of digital technologies.
The roadmap, developed by the Ethiopian Agricultural Transformation Institute (ATI) in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture and the Gates Foundation, aims to transform agriculture across the entire value chain.
At the launch event, Agriculture Minister Girma Amentie (PhD) hailed the DAR as a landmark achievement in modernizing Ethiopian agriculture.
He emphasized the roadmap’s role in driving commercialization through digital innovation and technology, addressing critical challenges such as weak market linkages, climate change impacts, and limitations on production and productivity.
Girma stated that the roadmap will contribute significantly to economic growth, improve citizens’ livelihoods, and bridge the gap in agricultural development. He added that it aligns with the country’s digital vision, facilitating job creation, reshaping the agricultural system, and strengthening market value chains by promoting digital extension services, agricultural input tracing, market information exchange, and access to agricultural financing.
Innovation Minister Belete Molla (PhD) underscored the government’s commitment to digitization, highlighting the DAR as a crucial step towards digital agriculture and a digital economy.
He acknowledged existing challenges in the agricultural sector, including limited access to inputs and modern technology, post-harvest losses, and recurring droughts.
Belete expressed confidence that the roadmap will address these bottlenecks, enhance productivity, and unlock the sector’s vast potential. He affirmed that the DAR reflects Ethiopia’s broader vision of leveraging digital technologies to stimulate growth, create wealth, empower farmers and pastoralists, and ensure food security.
The Melinda and Gates Foundation Agricultural Development Deputy Director Obai Khalifa emphasized the roadmap’s significance for inclusive agricultural development, focusing on food security and market integration.
He pledged the foundation’s support for strengthening implementation across all scales of farming, particularly for youth and women, to promote sector growth and prosperity.
Prime Minister’s Advisor Myriam Said stated that the DAR, aligned with the country’s digital economy strategy, has the transformative power to impact the entire economy and ensure food security.
She emphasized that the initiative is not just about modernizing agriculture but also about empowering communities and improving lives. Beyond bridging local markets, digital agriculture will open doors for competition and drive GDP growth. Myriam stressed the importance of focusing on implementation through skill development, expanding digital infrastructure, and investing in agricultural technology and research to realize the roadmap’s broader vision.
The launch event brought together senior government officials, development partners, private sector representatives, and other key stakeholders.
BY ASHENAFI ANIMUT
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD WEDNESDAY 5 FEBRUARY 2025
