ORDA Ethiopia benefiting farmers with Saga small scale irrigation scheme which outlaid 12.5 million ETB

ORDA Ethiopia, which outlaid 12.5 million ETB for Saga Irrigation scheme, handed over to 393 beneficiary farmers of Dengolt kebele in Estie Woreda, South Gondar Zone, Ato Dejenie Minliku Deputy Executive Director said.

ORDA Ethiopia’s Sustainable Food and Nutrition Security (SFNS) Project financed with 55 million birr by the Federal Ministry of Germany for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), Welthungerhilfe and the Amhara Regional Government, is aimed at increasing productivity of farmers in various components.

Ato Kelemework Mihretie, South Gondar Zone Chief Administrator said the irrigation scheme, which was completed in one year, can develop 95 hectares of land and is changing the lives of local farmers. He also thanked ORDA Ethiopia for making the project effective and short-lived, noting that the support and responsibility of the local community and the woreda leadership was great.

While in the handing over program, Minister of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, Dr. Hirut Kassaw acknowledged ORDA Ethiopia’s commitment in realizing integrated developments achievements & changing the lives of farmers.

The Project targets to improve the livelihood of 13,284 beneficiaries in selected rural kebeles of Farta, Estie and Fogera and Guna Begemidir woredas from 2018 to 2020.

The project supplies farmers improved crop varieties like, tef, wheat, faba bean, potato, cabbage, and onion in a clustered approach and livestock resources like improved washera breed and egg laying hens etc for better productivity.

A 28-year-old farmer Kokeb Merie is a resident of Dengolt Kebele in Este Woreda. He is married and father of a child. He says that before the irrigation project was built, he had to move to another area for labor because he could not get enough produce on his small farm. However, with the completion of Saga Irrigation in 2020, he produced more than 102 quintals of potato and earned over 75,000 ETB. He further states that he is now preparing his land for the production of tomato, pepper, cabbage and water melon.

The project delivers improved crop & livestock resources, construction of safe water supply & irrigation canals, establishing village economic & social associations /VESAs/, creating job (like fattening) for youths, forming value-chain, gender mainstreaming, protection, promotion and support of healthy maternal, infant and young child feeding, encompassing infant and young child feeding, micro-nutrients and women's nutrition, and food security programs for improving nutrition practices among pregnant and lactating mothers and children under the age of two.

Thank you so much our strategic partners of ORDA #Germany people and the government, #BMZ, #WHH