International Development Enterprises (IDE-UK) is one of a small number of partners we are working with on three year projects in Africa, supporting communities move from subsistence to sustainable livelihoods. This partnership gives us the opportunity to support a new, innovative initiative in Ethiopia which has the potential for significant impact and builds on learning from IDE's experience in other countries.
This project is based in the Oromia region, to the West of Addis Ababa, and aims to provide poor farmers with small scale solutions to income generation. Low cost irrigation equipment will enable 150 farmers to diversify the crops farmed to those including high value apple and banana trees, where it would be impossible without it.
By selling the surplus produce, we hope that annual net income should increase by £100.
While most designers focus their efforts on developing products for the richest 5% of the world's customers, IDE design and develop low-cost products, such as irrigation technologies, for poor farmers living on less than 60p a day in Africa and Asia. They make links with local manufacturers and dealers who make and sell these products to farmers at an affordable price which they can repay in one growing season.
These products help poor farming families to dramatically improve their productivity and move from living hand to mouth to selling surplus produce at local and regional markets for a good price.
For this project they are working with HUNDEE Oromo Grass Roots Development Initiative (in short HUNDEE) - an indigenous NGO established in 1995 which operates with grassroots communities of Oromiya Regional State.
The innocent foundation is helping fund a three year project based in the Oromia region of Ethiopia. It is being implemented by Welmera/Ejere Area Development Office of HUNDEE, and aims to enhance the livelihoods of smallholder farmers. It hopes that by creating access to markets and affordable micro-irrigation technologies it will help them to produce high value fruits, namely apples and bananas, and vegetables.
It will also establish a supply network for irrigation equipment and all profits will be invested back into the project to support operational costs, making the project self-financing and eventually sustainable.
Objectives
More specifically, it hopes to impact by:
- Distributing 200 apple seedlings, 15 drip kits of different sizes, and 12 treadle pumps to the farmers.
- Developoing t wo demonstration plots to show how drip kits work as well as roof-water catchment.
- Providing training in apple cultivation, including 34 family heads and 35 farmers on drip irrigation.
- Encourage well construction - most of the small holder families have started to dig hand dug wells in their compounds, both for home use and irrigation.
- Training farmers in the benefits of intercropping the apple orchards.
- Increasing the food security of families with the production of short term vegetables, including onions, cabbages, carrots, garlic and potatoes in addition to the long term orchards and groves.
We'll report back as soon as we have an update from IDE.
Ayetu's experience
Ayetu Gonfa, aged 55, is a smallholder farmer living in the Oromia region. With training and support from IDE she has started growing apple trees and is now looking forward to growing irrigated vegetables on the remainder of her small plot.
"I'm very proud of my garden," she says. IDE has identified the potential for smallholder farmers to boost their income by selling apples in Addis Ababa where they are currently imported from France, Israel and South Africa.
Aberach's story
Aberach Gonfa is also a new apple farmer. At the start of the project, Aberach and h
er husband had to dig a 12m well to irrigate the land in order to plant the apple trees. Aberach's family is now also growing vegetables for home consumption and to sell, which is making a significant difference to the family income.
Aberach and her husband have seven children who all help out on the farm. Their daughter Natsanat (pictured) looks after 10 apple trees on her parents plot.
"I do the weeding and water the apples. Before the drip-kit I used to get water from the well and water with a bucket. It's my job to look after the apples".
www.ide-uk.org/