Ethiopia: Agricultural Transformation Boosting Productivity in Oromia State
Five years ago, the Oromia State Government established the Agricultural Transformation in Oromia (ATO), an office in charge of overseeing and executing the agricultural production and productivity interventions through employing scientific methods to resolve challenges in the agricultural sector.
The transformation has been playing a great role in modernizing the sector, improving water management, enhancing market access for farmers, providing seed for farmers, and building capacity for farmers on technology.
The third phase council of Agricultural Transformation in Oromia has been held this month in the presence of high-ranking officials, policymakers, agricultural experts, and researchers to assess the progress and challenges of agriculture in the state.
Oromia State Administration President Shimelis Abdisa, speaking at the forum, said that though agricultural production has increased, the state should work more to achieve the result that matches its potential. He further underscored the gaps that prevailed in the implementation of agricultural initiatives.
Underlining the importance of taking into account the issue of climate change and global status to achieve the intended agricultural goal, he noted that to achieve the goal, it is important to plan and work in line with agro ecological zones that exist in the state.
Minister of Agriculture Girma Amente (PhD) said that while there is progress in enhancing production of some products, there are delays in other products at both national and regional levels. Currently, the productivity in wheat is increased from 27 quintals per hectare to 35 quintals after the wheat initiative.
In contrast to wheat initiatives, even now productivity in coffee products is very low, adding that the sector has been obtaining 7.8 quintals of coffee per hectare of land, though the agro-ecology of the country is conducive for coffee production.
The Minister noted that a clear understanding of roles among stakeholders is critical. Only through cooperative action can Ethiopia hope to realize the vision articulated by the Agricultural Transformation Council: a self-reliant, food-secure nation anchored by strong rural economies.
Case Team Leader in Analytics Team with Agricultural Transformation Institute (ATI) Amanuel Hadush, on his part, presenting the performance of the transformation, said that from its establishment, the Agricultural Transformation in Oromia (ATO) has been leading the efforts to transform Oromia’s agriculture. Stakeholders are implementing intervention following the identification of nine thematic areas, namely technology generation, input supply system, irrigation, agricultural mechanization, agricultural extension, agricultural financing, agricultural commercialization, natural resource management, institution, and enabling environment.
Regional fruit production has increased significantly, five times as compared to annual production before its establishment, especially remarkable yield increases for banana and avocado crops, by 229% and 71%, respectively, after ATO.
The state maintained its dominance over the national average on dairy productivity; in addition, the dairy production has nearly doubled in the last five years with a decreasing livestock mortality rate, compared to the national figure across the years. This was achieved by providing artificial insemination for about three million cows in the last four years.
Formulating the national mechanization strategy, the state is registering a good result in agricultural mechanization; the number of farmers utilizing tractors has almost tripled following the intervention by ATO, with 54% penetration against suitable land. The mechanization department has been established and gone operational at all levels in the state.
Providing support for suppliers, significant growth in farm machinery has been observed, where the number of tractors increased by 132% and combined harvesters by 116%.
The total area of land cultivated via mechanization has reached 4.8 million hectares. The number of farmers accessing tractors has doubled to 2.8 million, while the number of tractors and combined harvesters in the region has also grown by more than double after the implementation of ATO.
Though the agriculture machinery lease financing has been implemented, only three banks are actively providing credit for machinery purchases. Access to mechanization has progressed well, while capacity building has room for improvement; interventions on regulation are lagging behind, he added.
Since technology generation is among the thematic areas of the transformation, 189 varieties and 56 agronomy technologies and 150 equipment have been developed and released, and 123 livestock-related technologies were generated. About 80 % of the technologies were successfully scaled up, and over 10,000 participants were trained on different technologies, Amanuel added.
Amanuel said that Oromia has a great potential for irrigation development adding that the state has 7 basins with a total capacity to irrigate 6.7 million hectares of land, of which 65 % is surface water potential.
Post ATO, annual irrigation project spending has reached over five billion birr, as a result the total irrigated area have increased significantly driven by pump irrigation, Currently, pump irrigation covers more than 44 percent of the total irrigated land in the state.
Emphasizing enabling environment on irrigation Amanuel said that a revolving fund has been established to help farmers purchase irrigation pumps in credit terms where farmers form groups and save 10 percent of the total pump price, contract farming proclamation has been recently approved and irrigation equipment like pump is being imported duty-free. However, access to construction materials is still the major challenge.
Explaining the recent irrigation development of the state Amanuel said that currently, 160 projects are under construction by different owners including the regional state and None Governmental Organizations. Likewise 93 irrigation project studies have been completed.
Groundwater potential is untapped in the state, adding that less than one percent of the potential area is cultivated via groundwater. A wastewater treatment and reuse system for irrigated agriculture has not been started. Currently 70 irrigation projects have been delayed due to various factors, including security concerns, contractor capacity issues, design flaws, right-of-way challenges, and shortages of raw materials like cement.
As to Amanuel, the next focus areas should be promoting small-scale irrigation for sustainability, tapping groundwater irrigation, focusing on water efficiency, expanding the solar power irrigation system by taking key learning’s from previously implemented projects, and Accelerating ongoing project construction.
The Oromia Irrigation Development Bureau itself announced that it has been benefiting the people who were previously suffering from famine in desert areas through expanding irrigation programs, especially following the reform administration led by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmad (PhD).
Communication Director with the bureau, Zeyede Teshome, said that as the reform administration focuses on development, the bureau has recorded successful achievements in the past seven years to change the living standard of farmers and pastoralists.
Explaining the progress of the state, he said that only 400,000 hectares of land were cultivated in irrigation before the reform period. Now, more than four million hectares of land are cultivated in irrigation annually. Likewise, the number of pumps increased from three thousand to 88 thousand.
Crédito: Link de origem