Writing on 20 May 2019 on Fruits and Vegetables from a layman’s point of view, I said:
“The purpose of this expository writing is firstly conceptual, i.e. to differentiate between fruits and vegetables, and secondly to emphasize the importance of the two classes of food for balanced diet under the present horticultural conditions in the capital city. It could be tackled better by experts than by a layman. However, some basic ideas have to be raised to serve as a starting point.”
The above paragraph can also serve the following article which raises the same question in connection with farming and agriculture.
A very elementary school Atlas prepared for Ethiopian students more than half a century ago recognizes farming as the practice prevailing in this country. The first agricultural school to deal with farming scientifically is perhaps the Jimma Agricultural School. Considering the fact that it was followed with the establishment of the then Alemaya University, I doubt if it developed to a university level to deal with agriculture practice only.
For a good majority of Ethiopians, farming meant plowing the land and cultivating a variety of crops year by year. Subsistence farming is the term used very often and mostly restricted to supplying family household needs.
Cattle-rearing was also practised alongside farming. Dairy-cows that produced only a limited amount of milk and butter were kept together with herds of sheep and goats and heads of cattle. Other animals used for packing and transporting grain to a village market were also owned by individual farmers and their households.
One of the worst problems faced by the farming community was drought and animal diseases.
They not only impoverished them from time to time, but also threatened their existence.
In course of time, a modernization process was started such as vaccination of cattle in a grand scale and the assignment of extension workers. But natural calamities like the present locust invasion as well as floods and rainstorms occurred regularly. Thus, the practice of farming did not ensure food security neither for individual households nor for a locality or region.
In what way does agriculture differ from subsistence farming? It is apparently clear that agriculture implies a scientific approach to the practice of farming. Agri-business suggests a combination of agriculture and business. In a business environment, involvement in agriculture practice presupposes good management and profitability. A dairy-cow is, for example, kept in a stable for commercial reasons and not as a domestic animal that provides social security for overcoming distressing situations. It is weighed alongside other sources of income for, if its consumption of grass and other inputs do not measure up to the business challenge, it is sold and replaced in any way possible.
A farmer is compelled to specialize to keep afloat in a competitive business environment.
In a large scale, such as the application of scientific methods as envisaged by the Food and Agriculture Organization or FAO, which produces numerous studies and data on each type of agricultural activity, including fishing, apiary, forestry and wildlife, the concept of agriculture is wider and larger in scope compared with subsistence farming and even agri-business. In this regard, Ethiopian scientists have contributed a great deal to agricultural research so much so that they have gained reputation throughout the world. Some of them had graduated from what was previously known as Alemaya University from the historical perspective, but is now engaged in different academic persuit. Many of its graduates had gone for training abroad and had contributed immensely to the country’s development in the agricultural sector.
The fact that the country is one of the leading producers of coffee both in Africa and the world at large could be attributed directly or indirectly to this univesiy which benefited from expert training from professors who came from the U.S.A. at its earliest stage. It must also stressed in this connection that the graduates from the same university have played a key role in policy formation as part of the officials guiding and directing the Ministry of Agriculture. Similarly, professionals from the same university may be active in serving agricultural institutions in other countries as well as running their own business.
However, seen from the perspective of the needs of the country, agricultural professionals are a drop in the ocean. Trained manpower in the agricultural sector remains acute as ever. The problem of the so-called brain-drain has not been properly assessed or studied in depth. What then is the future of farming and/or agriculture in Ethiopia?
The answer depends on many factors. A good number of its population are young. They can properly channel their physical and mental strength for the growth and development of the country. Only if peace and security is guarded well and the rule of law maintained in every part of the country can they deploy their labour meaningfully for the purpose of realizing the country’s potential to the highest degree possible.
The Ethiopian Herald Sunday Edition 8 March 2020
BY BERHANU TIBEBU ZEWOLDE
