Last Thursday Ethiopia has launched Agricultural Commercialization Clusters (ACC) program. The program aims at boosting the historically low yields of smallholder farmers by organizing them into crop-specific clusters. That way it will boost farmers’ income. According to the program, the crops grown in clusters will be a major source of quality raw materials for food production in Ethiopia’s agroindustry parks, which will again create thousands of new jobs for rural youth.
This is a good step in deed. Because Ethiopia is a country in which more than 80% is engaged in subsistence agriculture. Despite the attempts underway to expand the industry sector with emphasis on the manufacturing sub-sector, agriculture still plays a major role as a source of food production for the growing population and also as a raw material source for the manufacturing industries.
For more than 3,000 years and still today, Ethiopian farmers all over the country are using archaic wooden agricultural implements with cast iron tips. Most of the attempts made to improve these agricultural implements suited to the needs of farm households never left the workshops appropriate technology centers across the country.
Government policy on agriculture primarily focuses on the introduction of new technologies in agriculture on small patches of farm households to boost production and productivity.
In terms of improving production and productivity the government has already introduced three levels of irrigation schemes including large scale, mid-level and small scale irrigation programs that target promotion of market oriented food security objectives.
Irrigation programs are meant not only to produce crops but also serve as raw material sources for the newly developed agro-industrial parks. The pace of the development of these agro industrial parks is being challenged by lack of appropriate infrastructures, adequate and quality raw materials suited to the needs of these industries.
The government is attempting to promote agricultural mechanization even on small scale farm plots which are mostly less than 0.5 hectares both in south and northern farming areas. Given the challenges in the choice of viable agricultural technologies, one could easily observe that the size of the household farmlands were always inadequate for introducing new technologies that could help to produce food for alarmingly growing population.
The government has always encouraged commercial agriculture and had processed operational licenses for a number of them but the sector is again marred with corruption and defaulting on repayment of loans from the Development Bank of Ethiopia.
The challenges in timely input provision has been frequently addressed by the government and private exporters but inputs on small plots of land will never bring about the increment in productivity per hectare because the plots of land are so small that it is difficult to actually measure the level of productivity.
Shortfalls in agricultural diversification and lack of utilization of various technologies in smaller spaces for household income generation are not properly practiced among the vast majority of farmers, except for selected model or contact farmers, the vast majority of Ethiopian farmers are still practicing only traditional crop production.
For instance, modern technologies in bee keeping and honey production for exports and local consumption, silkworm fabrics, small scale value added production of canned or bottled fruit products all can be practiced on backyard spaces.
I think the introduction of new technologies and agriculture mechanization in Ethiopia should be based on the capacity of small holders.
Introducing technologies needs to begin with selected and apparently highly productive agro-ecological areas simultaneously introducing areas specialization. In the meantime, it would also be appropriate to choose and implement technologies that are most suitable for moisture stress and semi-arid ecologies in the country.
Ethiopian has done a lot in introducing new and improved varieties of crops through agricultural research centers which are contributing a lot to the agricultural development of this country but the main hurdle is extending these technologies into other commodities like root crops. There are various attempts here and there but their impact in my opinion is minimal.
The introduction of new technologies in the agriculture need to tally with attempts towards exporting value added agricultural commodities which can help to boost the export sector.
Again, the issue is not only about agricultural modernization or introduction of new technologies but it is also about what types of environmentally friendly technologies we need to select.
Agricultural modernization or the introduction of new technologies in agriculture may not be conducted only in a couple of months but the process should continue as Ethiopia would still retain agriculture led economy with gradual transition to the manufacturing sector.
In view of the above challenges, the 5-year Agricultural Commercialization Cluster program of Agricultural Transformation Agency becomes a big step. Because, as has been disclosed by the agency, it focuses on 10 high-value commodities in a geographically clustered areas with the target of doubling the income of nearly 5 million smallholder farmers in five years.
The Ethiopian Herald November30, 2019
BY SOLOMON DIBABA
