Covering a bush land with a fruit

             Covering a bush land with a fruit (1)  

Ethiopia's vast mountainous terrain is barren and covered with bushes. Restoring this land resource and replacing it with useful fruits will help local farmers improve their incomes. As a result, ORDA Ethiopia’s Growth for the Future: strengthen, consolidate, and sustaining the market system for improved sustainable livelihood project has been being implemented since July 2020 in South Wollo Zone, Ambassel and Tehuledere woredas and Dewa Chafa Woreda of Oromo Nationality Administration Zone. It works to improve the income of farmers by cultivating fruits and creating market linkages.

The project is being implemented in collaboration with Farm Africa, ORDA Ethiopia, and Mercy Corps with funding from the Swedish International Development Aid. It is working to ensure food security by improving the income of 10,000 farmers by establishing a better market system. Integrated land use works are underway in affected basins to increase farmers' production and productivity. As a result, comprehensive land husbandry has been made for 33 hectares of the watershed basins. In particular, by doing bench terracing for bush-covered mountain areas, allowing 52 organized youths to grow vegetables and fruits. For instance, a work including in Dahadit Basin of Robit Kebele in Ambassel Woreda and Sitr Kebele of Haroye Basin in Dewa Chafa Woreda is found.

                 Covering a bush land with a fruit (2)1

In Haroye Basin, 35 youths organized in association and planted more than 600 mango seedlings on 12 hectares of land in April 2013. A young Avader is one of the members of the association. "We have not had a job before. Now we have job opportunities in this basin. We have planted mangoes. Next time we will cultivate maize and pepper, and we are preparing to sow in intercropping. Our hopes and destiny are great," said young Avader. Shimeles Ayalew is a member of the youth association which has 17 members in Robit Kebele, Ambasel Woreda. According to Shimeles, they are cultivating papaya, avocado, mango, and maize in the basin.

The project manager, Guangul Tegegne, said, "The basin development will play an important role in creating job opportunities for the local youth and diversifying their income. “Permanent fruit trees, such as mango and avocado seedlings, were planted. Extensive work has also been done to cover the basin with crops by providing tomato, pepper, papaya, and maize seeds for integrated agriculture. Large water tankers and water pipes have been installed to prevent the fruits from drying out in the Ethiopian winter," he said. He urged the youths to work diligently and with determination to take care of their watershed.


 

Copyright © 2012 ORDA Ethiopia.
All Rights Reserved.