Agriculture is the backbone of Ethiopian economy. The sector contributes almost to one-third of the nation’s GDP and creating more than 70 percent of the job opportunities in the country. The sector also remains at the top in export commodities and earnings of the country. Despite the sector’s huge role in the country’s economy, it has been facing a lot of challenges that needs a very especial intervention to address the problems sustainably.
Ethiopia is striving to modernize the sector and enhance product and productivity of the agricultural sector and to improve livelihoods of smallholder farmers. With this goal, the government is undertaking various initiatives to modernize the agriculture sector. Especially, the agricultural mechanization initiative and modern irrigation systems bestowing are among the interventions that are bringing meaningful outcomes in transforming the sector as well as enhancing productivity of crops. The Ethiopian Agricultural Transformation Institute (ATI) has been applying various initiatives like, the Farmer’s Hotline and National Market Information System. These helped to enhance advisory systems, farmer data profile and access to essential inputs which catalyze change in the agriculture sector.
On last Tuesday, Ethiopia launched Digital Agriculture Roadmap (DAR). It is a national comprehensive framework designed to be implemented from 2025 to 2032. It aims at envisioning an inclusive, affordable and sustainable digital agricultural ecosystem. According to ATI and DAR, a digital strategy in the agriculture sector, prioritizes building digital infrastructure, enhance digital literacy for farmers and ensure accessibility to digital technology mainly for smallholder farmers and pastoralists across the country.
Track and trace inputs, procure and distribute inputs, access better markets and buyers, deliver timely interventions are the primary focus areas of the DAR during its first phase. ATI disclosed during the launching ceremony of DAR that the new framework is a national framework that embarks a groundbreaking journey to transform Ethiopia’s agriculture by laying the foundation for a digitally empowered future.
“Agriculture is the lifeblood of Ethiopia’s economy. It employs 70% of the population and contributes 35% of GDP to the nation. However, the challenges related to climate change, fragmented practices and limited resources demanded innovative solutions. The DAR is the response to these challenges and ambitious plan to integrate digital tools across entire agricultural value chain,” ATI underlined. Digital agriculture is set to revolutionize the way farmers and pastoralists’ work, market system and sustain the livelihood of smallholder farmers and pastoralists through extension services, market linkages, financial inclusions and climate resilient agricultural systems.
DAR is a robust framework which was launched by the Ministry of Agriculture in partnership with Ethiopian Agricultural Transformation Institute (EAI) and Gates Foundation. The goal of the digital agriculture roadmap is to ensure smallholder farmers to be at the center of every solution. The launching of DAR, according to ATI, is a transformational milestone in Ethiopia’s agricultural history. The roadmap also aims at enhancing digital solutions to inclusivity, fostering efficient and sustainable agricultural ecosystem, benefiting smallholder farmers and pastoralists across the country.
Speaking at the official launching ceremony of DAR, Minister of Agriculture, Girma Amente (PhD) said, “The center of digital agriculture roadmap is creating digital farmers and digital pastoralists to transform the agriculture sector sustainably and comprehensively.” According to Girma, DAR is a landmark for the achievement of Ethiopia and can foster the transformation of the sector. He added that “the roadmap is not only the backbone of Ethiopia’s economy but it is also central to the reliabilities of our citizens and our national identity.”
According to the minister of agriculture this is the foundation of Ethiopia’s economy. It could create a good number of job opportunities for the people and contributes one-third of Ethiopia’s GDP. Girma said, “As we strive for inclusive and sustainable growth, the launching of DAR is crucial to embrace innovation and technology to unlock the full potential in the process of transforming the sector,”
In recent years, the productivity of the agriculture sector is registering significant improvements. Still, according to Ministry of Agriculture, compared to the country’s potential, the productivity is still under average. The encountered threats according tpo the data gained from the sector said, limited access to improved inputs, lack of modern technology in the agriculture sector, weak marketing linkages especially for smallholder farmers and pastoralists, poor and traditional farming practices, poor post-harvest handling mechanisms and climate change. These challenges still remain serious that hindered the development of the sector so far.
Accordingly, to address these challenges that led to production lose, rural poverty and income inequality, it becomes mandatory to adapt and introduce comprehensive, inclusive and sustainable method for sustainable solutions in the sector. Recognizing the transformative power of digital technology, agriculture sector remains at the heart of the nation’s digital transformation strategy. Hence, the DAR is developed to serve as a holistic framework to guide the development of agricultural solutions to address the listed challenges and enhance productivity, Girma reiterated mentioned the roadmap is going to apply impactful cases and outline actionable initiatives.
The minister further explained, “DAR is a testament to Ethiopia’s broader vision for digital transformation. Our goal is to leverage digital technologies across all sectors to stimulate growth, create jobs opportunities and to improve the lives of all Ethiopians. Through a digitally enabled agricultural ecosystem, we aim to empower our smallholder farmers and pastoralists strengthen value chains, and ensure food security for all Ethiopians,” The minister calls stakeholder for collective effort for the successful implementation of the roadmap.
Minister of Innovation and Technology, Belete Molla (PhD) said that the launch of Digital Agriculture Roadmap (DAR) is a landmark achievement in Ethiopia’s journey to growth and it is an aspiration towards transforming agriculture and agriculture community through digital innovation. DAR is a comprehensive transformative approach that targets to digitalize the agriculture sector and the agricultural community.
According to Belete, agriculture is not just one sector, but it is the foundation of Ethiopia’s economy, employing approximately 70-80 percent of the population and contributing approximately 32 percent to the nation’s GDP. Recognizing the sector’s role in the nation’s overall development, Ethiopia is striving for inclusive and sustainable growth of the agriculture sector through embracing innovation and technology to unlock the full potential of the sector and to boost productivity and improve the livelihoods of smallholder farmers and pastoralists.
For Belete, DAR is a strategic initiative designed to revolutionize Ethiopia’s agriculture sector through the integration of digital technologies and innovations. The initiative is crucial to address existing challenges in the sector, to enhance productivity, to create market linkages for smallholder farmers and pastoralists and improve livelihoods of smallholder households as it targets in creating digital farmers and pastoralists. “DAR reflects Ethiopia’s broader vision of leveraging digital technologies to stimulate growth, create wealth, empower farmers and pastoralists, and ensure food security,” Belete emphasized.
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. It targets modernizing Ethiopian agriculture and bridge the gap in the sector’s development. The implementation of DAR not only helps developing the agriculture sector, it contributes significantly to the overall economic growth of the nation.
Meanwhile, 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, pledging the foundation’s support for the successful implementation of the roadmap to promote the sector’s growth and prosperity.
The new roadmap targeting enhancing digitalization in the agriculture sector aligns with the nation’s digital economy strategy with a transformative power to impact the entire economy and ensure food security. In addition to its role in modernizing agriculture and enhancing agricultural productivity, the initiative aims empowering communities and improving lives, especially targeting smallholder farmers and pastoralists across the country. Developing digital agriculture is crucial in developing competition, bridging local markets as well as drives growth.
BY DARGIE KAHSAY
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD FRIDAY 7 FEBRUARY 2025
