Ethiopia: Summer Irrigation Enhancing Food Security, Export

Summer irrigated wheat cultivation is one of the agricultural sectors that has been widely implemented and has been effective in the past seven years of national reform. This has enabled Ethiopia to not only reduce its wheat imports but also export the surplus.

In 2019, the current reformist government of Ethiopia put in place structural, economic, and sectoral reforms, with wheat chosen as a strategic commodity for food security, raw material for the agroindustry, import substitution that transits to export, and job creation along the value chain.

With a total of 2.6 million hectares of land cultivated under both rain-fed and irrigated systems, followed by a record amount of wheat harvest (8.2 million tons) in 2022, Ethiopia achieved a wheat self-sufficiency ratio of 100% and more than 1 million tons of surpluses for export. This indicated that the new irrigated wheat initiative of Ethiopia has been found transformational and is becoming a game changer.

In return, this enhanced the modest case scenario projections that revealed that Ethiopia will become a net exporter of wheat by 2023, signifying that the country is achieving not only wheat security but also championing the possibility of replicating Asia’s Green Revolution in Africa.

Yet, the sustainability of the current initiative relies on an efficient water management system, private sector engagement, sustainable input supply, well-established input and output marketing systems, and leadership commitment at all levels.

As well, in the summer irrigation program of 2024 about 82 million quintals of wheat was produced up to May from the three million hectares of land, according to the report of the Ministry of Agriculture. Some 1.7 million hectares of land were harvested via traditional techniques; combiner harvested the remaining.

Ethiopia has been significantly increasing wheat production due to the summer irrigation program that it exported over 120 million quintals of irrigated wheat. In addition, it has been focusing on irrigation farming in the autumn and spring seasons to increase wheat production and productivity.

Oromia has the largest irrigated wheat farm. In this fiscal year, many areas of the State have scaled up the summer wheat irrigation experience. The Ministry has recently disclosed that more than 3 million quintals of irrigated summer wheat have been harvested from 158,000 hectares of land in the West and Kellem Wollega zones of Oromia.

Kellem Wollega Zone Agriculture Office Head, Mulleta Wakjira noted that more than 129,000 hectares of land have been cultivated with summer wheat irrigation. Agricultural experts have provided professional support to farmers to prevent wastage during the production process. The development of summer-irrigated wheat is increasing the benefits of farmers and has a great importance in ensuring food security.

Likewise, the West Wollega Zone Agriculture Office Head, Feyisa Hambisa, said that 158,190 hectares of land in the zone have been cultivated with summer-irrigated wheat. “More than two million quintals of irrigated wheat have been harvested from 101,766 hectares of land, which was previously idle,” he said, explaining that the harvest process was carried out in a waste-free manner by integrating human resources and technology.

He also stated that the farmers were provided with professional support on summer-irrigated wheat from field preparation to harvest for the success of the summer wheat cultivation.

Similarly, East Hararghe Zone of Oromia State farmers noted that summer irrigated wheat cultivation has not only ensured food security but also changed work culture and practices enhancing summer production.

The zone is one of the areas where summer irrigation wheat cultivation is widely practiced. Farmers in Meta Woreda told ENA that they have been able to produce wheat that is not only self-sufficient but also marketable since the start of summer irrigation.

Farmer Jemal Abdi said that the summer irrigated wheat cultivation that began during the transitional years has enabled a change in work culture by enhancing summer production practices. “We are ensuring our food security and are earning income by selling it to the market.”

Equally, farmer Batira Mume, on his part, said that the summer irrigated wheat cultivation has enabled farmers to use all their farmland properly. “The government is providing us with necessary inputs, and thus we are increasing our production and productivity. We are now expecting a better yield as we have received complete inputs, and cultivating our crops in cluster farming which has a wide range of benefits in terms of increasing productivity.

Meta District Administrator Werdi Kemal said that the summer irrigated wheat cultivation has covered more than 5,000 hectares of land this year. “The attention given to wheat production and productivity growth since the reform is increasing the benefits of farmers.

And the government is providing resources to ensure the effectiveness of summer irrigated wheat and further increase production and productivity, through the provision of soil fertilizers, high-quality seeds and water pumps have been made widely available.”

Furthermore, farmers in the Ari Zone of the Southern Ethiopia Region have reported that they have increased the productivity of their limited farmland by using deep well water for irrigation for the first time. The development of well water irrigation has not only helped to achieve the goal of increasing productivity by producing three or more times a year, but it has also stabilized the market by increasing the source of income.

Witnessing this, Lisanu Ferenja, a farmer from Baka Dawla District of Ari zone, noted that farmers have been successfully cultivating our farm yards using deep well water for the first time this year. “We are currently getting benefits from our harvests and selling them to the local market at a reasonable price. I expect to collect up to 80 quintals from a quarter-hectare plot.”

The other farmer of the area, Kebede Adanew, also noted that the new government proposed deep well water irrigation is a way to see an alternative to use irrigation outside waterlogged areas. “Our first effort has been successful. We have earned more than 130,000 birr by selling tomatoes they have grown using deep well water on their limited land of less than half a hectare, covering the cost of digging the well and selling it to the market.

The Ari Zone Chief Administrator, Abraham Atta, also mentioned that he has been able to irrigate more than 11,000 hectares of land by exhaustively using all available water options in the zone. “We are working hard to ensure sustainable food security at the family level and to increase their income by expanding the area of deep well irrigation.”