Ethiopia has various agroecological zones conducive for the cultivation of vegetables. Farmers engaged in producing the crops utilize both traditional and modern technology. According to studies, the demand for vegetables in the urban centers is growing. Therefore, if the sector is boosted to the higher commercial level, in addition to meeting the demand, it enables to create job opportunities to thousands.
Dr. Ralph Roothaert is the Country Director of World Vegetable Center located in Kenya. As to him, currently The World Vegetable Center in collaboration with the government and the Netherlands Development Organization implementing the project with the motto “Veggies for the Planet and People” (VPP) in the selected woredas in the Oromia region that includes Wolemera near to Holeta, Woliso and Ijere which lasts for five years.
The initiative aims at creating employment opportunity for the youth and women within the vegetable value chain in Ethiopia. Through the initiative, close to 80 vegetable business networks will be established in Ethiopia. It will also engage 4,000 women and youth in market activities designed to improve their livelihoods and diets. The initiative will also work with policy makers and implementers to facilitate an enabling environment for vegetable business networks.
As to him, currently the center works with 30 farmers’ groups each comprise 30 members and totally engaged with 900 farmers who have their own households. Farmers showed interests to work with the project and in the last one year they could benefit and enable to improve their livelihood.
Gemechis Jaleta is the coordinator of veggies for Planet and people in Ethiopia. As to him, the project is underway in multi countries including Kenya and Ethiopia and the selected woredas are located in the 100 kilometers radius of Addis Ababa which can supply fresh vegetables to the consumers.
Mostly farmers utilize chemicals as inputs for their farms such as, inorganic fertilizer herb and pesticides which damages the soil and the environment at large.
The chemicals also hurt their health because they don’t use the proper equipment when they spread chemicals. It also affects the consumers’ health. In addition, it hampers the utilization of soil in a sustainable manner. As it is known, consumers need to ensure whether the products are safe or not and unless it is safe, they give up purchasing the products.
Therefore, they need to utilize organic fertilizer by giving up chemicals. The project introduced and encourages regenerative technologies which protect soil from harmful elements, improve utilization of water and applying integrative pest management.
To that end, training is provided to the pertinent people at woreda and Kebele levels. In addition, it provides capacity building training to selected leading farmers. The training is conducted both in theoretical and practical platform. Currently, 31 vegetable networks and value chain actors are embraced in the network.
Farmers have organized themselves to meet the project’s objectives in a proper manner and to enhance their bargaining power in engaging the market. There are the (VPP) demonstration sites where trainees are practically trained and work. After they draw lesson, they go to their plot of and apply it. In general, there are 900 farmers embraced in the VPP project and 29 percent of them are women and 45 percent of them are youth. Currently, they began to reap the outcome of the project.
According to Gemechis, as a nation, getting improved seed for the cultivation of vegetable is a challenge not only for horticulture but also for other crops.
In Ethiopia, both the government and private sector enterprises engaged in supplying cereals. In this regard, the project works with the agricultural research institutes such as the Holeta research center and experts.
In addition, the project established the community-based seed production groups in which it supply seeds to the local areafarmers. In this regard good results are witnessed. In the surrounding areas of Holeta seed production on the Habesha Cabbage is undergoing and farmers are getting seeds from known seed sources.
Moreover, in the various parts of the country there are agro-dealers who supply various farm inputs including seeds. Therefore, strengthening them and creating connection with seed importers helps farmers to get access to inputs easily. In line with this, training is provided to farmers to establish their own seeds’ warehouse to keep and store their seeds.
Study is conducted by the World Vegetation Center on value chain of the products. The product must go in line with the surrounding environment, it must also have high demand in the area and the farming work must be participatory. Currently, horticulture can be cultivated in the various agro-ecological zones. The Holeta area is preferred for the cultivation of the Habesha cabbage, salad and spinach. In the Ejere woreda, onion, tomato and the Habesha cabbage is preferred and cultivated. In the Woliso woreda cultivating onion, tomato, Habesha cabbage and paper is preferred.
Vegetables are nutritionally rich crops. In addition, unlike animal products such as meet and milk they are cheaply obtained. As they are vital for ensuring nutritional food security, awareness creation works on the community is undergoing.
According to the World Health Organization report, as compared to other African countries, the Ethiopian vegetable per capita consumption is below the average level. In this regard, the project is expected to fill the gap.
However, according to the Ethiopian Agricultural Transformation recent report, vegetable brought significant improvements in reducing malnutrition in the last two decades internationally and to that end, global antipoverty efforts and rapid income growth contributed for the change.
Increased awareness and improving access to protein and micronutrients proved to be important for physical growth, cognitive development, and overall health. This contributes to human capital, labor productivity and for future economic success.
Complete nutrition requires regular consumption of wide range of food items. Recent nutritional research emphasized the importance of achieving a diverse diet. Overarching implication is the need for rethinking to change attitude towards previous nutrition practice, agricultural food system, and health policies.
Working to provide more diverse diets enriched with calories, protein, and micronutrient is essential.
As to Dr. Ralph, vegetable products cannot stay for long safely unless they are kept in a modern cooling machine but obtaining the machine is very expensive. Hence, unless they get traders which took their products while it is harvested on farm, they might supply their products in the reduced price which benefit more brokers than farmers.
However, as to him, it must be also understood as farmers are living in the rural parts, brokers some time play positive role in connecting farmers with market.
BY ABEBE WOLDEGIORGIS
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD OCTOBER 19/2021
