In the Tiyo and Hitosa districts, the soil has suffered greatly from deforestation, monocultures and the use of artificial fertilizers and chemical pesticides. Due to enormous erosion, the rain often washes all the seeds away, and the water is barely able to drain off . Many farming families suffer from substantial crop losses.
On top of that, many people in the region have little experience in sustainable agriculture and management. The proportion of illiteracy is relatively high, especially among women. This reduces their chances of earning a secure income.
The project pursues three goals. First, the soil fertility in the region should be increased sustainably. Helpful measures would be dams that store valuable water or walls of trees that protect against wind and provide shade.
Second, farmers should cultivate their land so that the soil does not just recover, but also that farm yields increase through clever and sustainable cultivation methods. Permaculture, mixed cropping or keeping chickens and goats would help in this regard to create additional income opportunities so that farming families can rely on multiple means of financial support.
Ultimately, Biovision and its partners also want to help promote farmers’ self-sufficiency. Training both in sustainable agriculture and in management skills is helpful. Above all, this should strengthen the role of women in the region and enable them to earn a secure income. The aim is also for individual groups and producers to exchange ideas and network with each other, thereby pooling resources and developing strategies for sustainable agricultural production systems.
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ECC-SDCOM: Ethiopian Catholic Church – Social Development Coordinating Office of Meki
This project is supported by SDC
After the first phase of the project, we were able to see that the yields from individual farms are now significantly higher. In the Siraro and Arsi Nagelle regions, for example, 70% of the families involved have introduced an organic farming method for the long term. By the end of December 2020, food security in the project area had improved by 25%.
Soil fertility, biodiversity and resilience to extreme climatic influences are now also higher. Ditches, embankments, reforestation and clever systems for storing water in the soil are having an impact. The farmers’ groups mentioned above were important for this. In the project locations so far, 24 watershed management associations have been founded, and 6,050 farmers have been trained in water management.
Also impressive is the development in terms of continuing education for farmers. The educational and training courses and networking events have sustainably increased farming families’ self-reliance and independence. We have seen significant developments, especially among women. For example, while a few years ago it would have seemed unimaginable for a woman to lead a group of farmers in cultivating fields together, women now lead almost half of the farming groups that Biovision supports. More and more women are involved in decision-making and are part of agricultural production. This provides them with an important and stable income.
Now is the time to further improve and expand the sustainable management of the region’s natural resources. The pressure on those resources should be eased further through alternative income opportunities for households. With that in mind, we want to establish beekeeping and poultry farming, for example.
Over the long term, real knowledge platforms are to be created in which farmers can exchange ideas, receive and provide training, and comanage the region’s natural resources and arable land. This should contribute to the development of an agroecological and fair food system.
