The Amhara region of Ethiopia produces many cool season vegetables: Cabbages, carrots, beetroot, Swiss chard and lettuce are widely grown and supplied to local markets throughout the year. However, cauliflower, the most expensive cool season vegetable is not well-known to smallholder or commercial farmers in the region.

In Bahir Dar, cauliflower, like cabbage, is eaten roasted, boiled, fried, steamed or raw. Both crops require similar agro-ecology. Yet, the price for one cauliflower in the Bahir Dar open market is about 50 birr while the price of the same size cabbage is 5 birr.

Considering the financial benefits that a farmer may get by producing cauliflower, LIVES regional experts set out to introduce and demonstrate cauliflower production with irrigation in North Gondar zone. The team selected nine farmer fields as demonstration sites and bought ‘seed of snow ball’-a popular cauliflower variety from Harvest General Trading. The first seeds were sown in November 2013 and in March 2014, snow white cauliflower curds are flourishing in the farmers’ fields.

From this promising start, the regional team is now setting out to organize a field day for farmers, extension experts, vegetable traders, input suppliers, big hotel managers, and decision makers to scale up this practice. Since the product is new, the team is working on linking producers with hotels to market the current produce. As the vegetable is a relatively new product in the region, and not widely produced in the country as a whole, greater work remains to scale up and find sustainable markets.

So far, there is no technical knowledge available on agronomic practices, pest and disease management, best suitable varieties and production practices of the crop in Ethiopia. The farmers and development agents involved in the demonstration activity have learned ‘by doing’ but they need further training and skills for deeper knowledge.

To support the field days, the regional team will produce a cauliflower production guide in Amharic and bring more reference materials and guidelines from the national research institute and other places to the district and zonal knowledge centers. Since it is an unexplored area, it may also be useful to have some researchers examine planting dates, spacing, fertilizer rates, pest management practices, and adaptable varieties for the region. Another important fact to act on is market linkage and promotion on cauliflower use in household and hotel kitchens.

Contributed by LIVES regional team, Amhara

Irrigated vegetables such as tomato and onion can easily be produced in the lowlands of Gamo Gofa Zone in Ethiopia. However, despite  growing market demands by local hotels, restaurants and lodges in Arba Minch town, there are only a few farmers who produce irrigated tomato and onion in Arba Minch and Mirab Abaya districts. The Central Rift Valley areas around Ziway and Meki were regular suppliers of onion and tomato until recently.

The main reasons for low yields of locally produced vegetables in Arba Minch include; lack of proper inputs such as seeds and agro-chemicals, frequent damage by pests and diseases, limited knowledge and experiences of improved production techniques, and poor access to market information and linkages.

For years, Ayele and his wife Amarech produced irrigated banana and maize with gravity irrigation from the Sille River. This year however, they decided to try  market-oriented irrigated vegetables as well and they allocated a hectare of land to tomato and another hectare for onions.

After receiving proper training on vegetable production – the quality and amount of seed required, the couple spent ETB 5,000 (approximately USD 250) to buy the Marglobe tomato variety and the Adama red onion variety. They were also trained on proper techniques of seedbed preparations, sowing, watering, field preparation, transplanting in proper spacing, furrow irrigation techniques, weeding, staking of tomatoes, proper applications of fungicides and harvesting.

To fill the gap in the supply of high quality tomato seeds, the couple started extracting tomato seeds. They supplied their neighbours and community with high quality seed and earned about ETB 5,000 from seed sales.

On their farm, the yield of tomato and onion was 254 quintal/ha and 224 quintal per hectare, respectively. As they were linked with potential traders, restaurants and hotels at Arba Minch town, they sold the tomato and onion for ETB 6.50/kg and ETB 5.50/kg on average, respectively.

Ayele and Amarach at their irrigated onion farm. Photo: Tesfaye Dubale

The overall cost-benefit analysis revealed that Ayele and Amarch earned a gross revenue of ETB 191,000 per hectare and a net return to family labour of about ETB 110, 000 per hectare (ETB 98,000 per hectare from onion and ETB 122,000 per hectare from tomato) per season.

Although tomatoes have high initial investment costs and require lots of engagement through the production season, the profit is still higher than onions.

Given their success, Ayele and Amarach are trying to produce twice a year by rotating these two crops. This makes profit margins high while also reducing pest and disease cycles.

Following a field day that was organized to share the couple’s story, several more farmers showed interest in irrigated vegetable production.

It’s the hope of LIVES staff that improved production techniques of irrigated tomato and onion will be adopted by many smallholder farmers, satisfying demand from Arba Minch town. Attention should be given, however, to stagger planting in order to avoid excess supply.

The case of Ayele and Amarech proves that smallholder farmers can transform themselves to a more market-oriented production system with proper extension services that build their capacities and foster market linkages.

Written by Birhanu Biazen, LIVES Regional Expert, SNNPR With contribution from the SNNPR LIVES team and Dirk Hoekstra

Onions from the Koga irrigation scheme prepared for distant markets (Photo:ILRI\ Yigzaw Dessalegne)

Ethiopia has diversified agro-ecology with altitudes ranging from 200 meters below sea level to 4,260 meters above sea level, various soil types and different seasons. This has enabled Ethiopian farmers to produce and supply different types of fresh vegetables throughout the year. Vegetables produced in the north are marketed in the south, west or east and vice versa.

Unlike in developed countries, the majority of vegetables in Ethiopia are transported and stored at room temperature. These poor transportation and storage methods result in high post-harvest losses and subsequently trigger daily market price oscillation. As a result, vegetable traders in Ethiopia, both at high and low level, take time and great care in monitoring vegetable varieties and prices across the country daily, often using their mobile phones, so that they only buy the small quantities they need for short periods.

Some traders buy their vegetables and collect them from as far as 700 kms away from their home towns. In previous years, vegetable traders incurred high operational costs in transportation and travelling time. Nowadays, however, they are able to solve this problem by using their mobile phones. Traders in Bahir Dar, for example, now use their mobile phones to order for supplies from Adama, Shashemene or Asela, towns which are an average of 800 kms from Bahir Dar. They deposit payments directly in the wholesalers’ bank account and receive their goods without having left their home towns. Traders also explained that, in most cases, they have never even seen their suppliers or bulk customers in person.

This situation illustrates that mobile phones are easing vegetable marketing problems in Ethiopia and they have great potential in providing market information services to vegetable producers and traders. The use of mobile phones to access market and other value chain information is an area that the Livestock and Irrigation Value Chains for Ethiopian Smallholders (LIVES) Project should build on.

Written by Yigzaw Dessalegne (PhD) with contribution from the LIVES Amhara team. 

Hybrid tomato seedings at Florensis Ethiopia PLC (photo credit: ILRI\Amenti Chali).

In recent years, use of hybrid varieties of vegetables has become common in East Shoa zone of Oromia region of Ethiopia. This zone is endowed with favourable climatic and edaphic conditions and is close to major markets. At the moment, East Shoa is the source of fresh fruits and vegetables for major markets including those in Addis Ababa.

Hybrid vegetables reduce environmental pollution as high productivity reduces expansion of irrigated land and thus reduces the aggravation of soil salinity, especially in the Rift Valley areas.  In addition, hybrid vegetable varieties are more resistant to disease and pests compared to conventional ones (open pollinated varieties) and thus help reduce the amount of fungicides and pesticides that need to be applied.

In the past few years, farmers have started using hybrid varieties for better yield and to fetch higher prices. Greenlife Trading and Markos PLC are some of the pioneer suppliers of hybrid vegetable seeds in the country. In East Shoa, farmers estimated revenue from the sale of hybrid tomatoes is 200 times more than the open pollinated varieties (OPVs); which means that there is higher yield and better market price. Farmers in Bora and Dugda districts of East Shoa zone say the yield of recently introduced hybrid tomato (Galilea variety) is about 80 ton/ha while that of OPVs is about 20 ton/ha. One farmer from Bora explained that farmers who grew hybrid tomatoes on 1.5 ha harvested 7 times more and earned 700,000 Birr (about 3,500USD) while, OPV tomato produced only twice more and earned 30,000 Birr (about 1,500USD) from the same size of land.

The practice of germinating and raising hybrid vegetable seedlings is emerging as a professional and commercial activity in East Shoa. Previously, farmers produced seedlings of open pollinated varieties at a relatively low cost in their own nurseries. The price for 200 seeds of locally produced tomato seeds was 0.46 Birr, while the price of one seed of hybrid variety is 0.46 Birr. Despite their higher price, there is increasing demand for hybrid seeds in the zone.

Initially, many farmers started raising seedlings of hybrid vegetables in traditional nursery beds but were unsuccessful. One model farmer in Bora District purchased Galilea hybrid tomato seeds which he planted, as a trial, in traditional nurseries in one hectare at a cost of 23,920 Birr (about 1,196 USD). But the seeds were of poor quality and most failed to grow and he lost about 11,960 Birr (598 USD).

In 2012, Florensis Ethiopia PLC, a private commercial company, started producing high quality tomato seedlings to make more hybrid tomato seedlings available to farmers. The company uses special media (peat moss) imported for rooting of flower cuttings, for seedling production on trays. The seedlings are then sold to farmers in the zone and to those in other parts of the country like Alamata, Dire Dawa, Arba Minch and to commercial farms like Upper Awash Agro-industry PLC.

After the failure of his first trial, the model farmer from Bora District entered into an arrangement with Florensis Ethiopia to raise seedlings on 2.25 ha. He bought the seeds for 23,920 Birr and paid a service charge of 18,000 Birr (about 900 USD) to have the seedlings raised, incurring a total cost 41,920 Birr (2,096 USD). After three weeks, he collected healthy  seedlings from the company for planting. He gave away excess seedlings to a relative, who planted them on a 0.5 ha piece of land. Had he followed his own traditional way of seedling management using seeds of hybrid variety, he would have paid 65,780 Birr (about 3,289 USD).

Despite the success of such arrangements, Florensis Ethiopia allocates only 5% of its time and resources to raising seedlings for farmers.

Smallholder growers therefore have to wait at least two months to submit their orders and a minimum of 19 days is required for the seedlings to be ready for transplanting. This supply delay has forced some farmers to pay about 2.80 Birr per seedling from farmers with excess seedlings grown at Florensis Ethiopia (at only 0.35 Birr/seedling). Lack of hybrid seedlings is therefore a major bottleneck for expanding hybrid tomato production in East Shoa and other parts of Ethiopia.  Also, no attempt has been made so far to substitute the imported rooting media with locally available materials except from ongoing research efforts at Adami Tulu Agricultural Research Centre.

To ensure sustainable hybrid tomato production in the zone and beyond, alternative sources of quality seedlings supply are important. Hence, the Livestock and irrigation value chains for Ethiopian smallholders (LIVES) project is exploring options for formulating and demonstrating vegetable seedling growing media from locally available resources by improving previous attempts with technical support from local players.

For more information:

Effect of seedling management on yield and quality of tomato at Adami Tulu Jiddo Kombolcha District, Central Rift Valley of Ethiopia

Written by Amenti Chali and Zewdie Adane with contributions from Kahsay Berhe, Dirk Hoekstra and Abule Ebro.

Participants of the Oromia regional irrigated fruits and vegetables commodity platform establishment meeting (photo credit: ILIRI\LIVES)

Oromia region is endowed with vast natural resources and a huge potential for irrigated agriculture. The region has about 23 billion cubic metres of surface water, 58 billion cubic metres of ground water and 1.7 million hectares of irrigable land. However, only about 30% of the irrigable land is utilised by about 45 % of households mostly using traditional farming practices on a small scale. Despite the region’s proximity to input importers, producers and potential domestic and export markets, residents are not fully benefiting from its resources and the area’s agricultural potential is underdeveloped.

As a result, the yield and quality of irrigated crops is far below potential. In addition, low return on investment due to limited markets access also poses challenges to the development and sustainability of the agricultural sector. Some of these problems result from poor linkage and collaboration among relevant stakeholders and a weak link between research, extension, policy and action/practice which results in inefficient practices along the agriculture value chains.

Therefore, establishment of strong linkage among stakeholders including value chain actors can help tackle some of the major bottlenecks to the development of irrigated crops in the region. One of the strategies of bringing together different actors to address agricultural production challenges and identify opportunities is by establishing a specialized regional innovation platform for different commodities. The platform can be used to link farmers, input suppliers, extension system, research institutes, output traders, processors, development partners and other governmental and non-governmental service providers. It can also serve as space for linking research to action/practice to better and jointly articulate existing problems and lay foundations for participatory diagnosis of problems, participatory action research and identifying possible solutions.

To encourage irrigated crops commodity development in the region, the Livestock and Irrigation Value Chains for Ethiopian Smallholders (LIVES) project and the Oromia Irrigation Development Authority (OIDA) with partners Greenlife Trading PLC, Agricultural Transformation Agency (ATA) and other institutions, held a meeting, on 12 January 2015, to start the process of setting up an irrigated fruits and vegetables innovation platform for the Oromia region.

The initial meeting was conducted at a cost of 103,000 Ethiopian birr (ETB) [USD5000] which was shared among OIDA (ETB68000), LIVES (ETB34000) and Greenlife (ETB1000). Representatives of irrigation development authority from all zones of Oromia participated in the meeting, which was also attended by public service providers, input suppliers, Ethiopian horticultural agency, agricultural unions, farmers and government and non-government organizations.

In total, 44 participants of which two were women, attended the platform establishment meeting including representatives from OIDA, LIVES, Greenlife Trading and Oromia Agricultural Research Institute, who each made presentations on the status, major challenges and opportunities of the irrigated crops development in Oromia. A representative from SNV Netherlands Development Organisation-Ethiopia also shared experiences in managing multi-stakeholder commodity platforms in other countries in Africa.

Following the meeting, participants agreed on the need to establish a regional innovation platform for irrigated fruits and vegetables in order to speed up the development of the sub-sector. To ensure the effectiveness of the platform, a committee of 11 members was elected to lead the process of formalizing the innovation platform. Accordingly, representatives from OIDA and LIVES were elected to serve as chair and secretary to the leadership committee, respectively. In addition, a draft term of reference (ToR) on platform membership with the roles and responsibilities of members as well as that of the leadership committee was discussed, reviewed and ratified. Capacity development for leadership committee, is now planned and will be offered by the LIVES project and the Africa-RISING Program.

Read a related story on LIVES supports creation of new dairy platform in Oromia.

Written by Amenti Chali and Zewdie Adane.

Teklemariam Simie (right), a farmer in East Shoa zone practicing multifunctional agriculture and agritourism (photo credit:ILRI\Zewdie Adane).

The practice of agritourism and multifunctional agriculture may be less familiar to audiences in developing countries compared to developed ones.  Agritourism and multifunctional agriculture, as alternatives to conventional farming, emerged mainly in recent versions of the European Union’s common agricultural policy (CAP). In the era of rapid urbanization, rural and urban areas have become mutually reliant on each other and the concept of multifunctionality refers to agriculture, that is not only assessed in terms of its contribution to food and fibre production, but also for its wider range of social, environmental and economic benefits. In Dugda District of Oromia Region’s East Shoa Zone, Teklemariam Simie, a 79 year-old farmer is engaging in what may be considered an emerging version of multifunctional agriculture. He integrates livestock rearing with crop production as well as a cafeteria business in his small-scale farm of five hectares in total. Before embarking in the farming business, Teklemariam was a taxi driver in Addis Ababa for 11 years. However, the income he earned did not allow him to provide for the ten family members he was supporting at the time. Therefore he started the farming business in 1973 as an alternative means of livelihood. Teklemariam recounts that his childhood experience and knowledge in rural Bulga, Central Shoa, gave him the confidence to start farming as a business. In the 1980s his farm activity was hampered as a result of the unfavorable socialist policies regarding asset ownership and security. After some time, things became easier and he was able to focus on his farm activities full time. Teklemariam performs much of the farm activities himself although he is supported by his daughter and a handicapped son who lost one of his hands. He grows fruits such as papaya, mango, avocado, lemon, peach, guava, grape and custard apple; and he also grows cotton, silk worm and about 11 types of fodder. In addition, he cultivates basil, green beans, garlic, onion, soya bean and moringa. Cotton was the first crop he planted with the support of the Melkasa Agricultural Research Center. Teklemariam informed us that income from cotton sales was enough to buy two oxen which were then used to expand the farm.

Teklemariam Sime’s hive on a tree (Photo credit:ILRI\ Zewdie Adane)

The farmer grows various fodder seeds such as cowpea, lablab, pigeon pea, alfalfa, sesbania, leucaena, rhodes and elephant grasses, vetch, and bracharia. In 2003, his first year of fodder seed production, he earned about 8,400 Birr (USD 410) from the sale of 110 kg of cowpea. Motivated by this income, he expanded fodder seed multiplication and has invested more than 22,000 Birr in fodder seed production in recent years with the aim of becoming a fodder seed supplier in his village. He says he provides fodder seeds to fellow farmers, some of whom he met at a training on fodder production in Debre Zeit last year (2014). Teklemariam’s farm also serves as a demonstration and field-level practice teaching site for farmers allowing him to share his experiences. In the livestock sub-sector, Teklemariam is involved in poultry, dairy and apiculture production. He buys day-old chicks from Debre Zeit which he rears and sells after three months and has innovatively constructed a traditional incubator out of mud that is heated with wood fire to mimic the electrical incubator. He is currently expanding his poultry business and plans to buy at least 3,000 day-old chicks for commercial broiler production. In terms of apiculture, he plans to increase his 10 hives to 50 by the end of the year. Teklemariam values diversification over specialization in Ethiopia’s weather-dependent and risky farming context. The farm solely depends on manure and natural fertilizer from decomposed parts of trees and crops in the farm but he also conserves and efficiently uses water by among other methods, covering the roots of the trees and the surrounding soil with grasses and other materials to help the soil retain moisture. Teklemariam also started operating a small grocery adjacent to the farm to sell food and drinks to visitors and other customers. He performs all of these activities with only 4 years of formal education. He says that his main teacher was the problems he faced and his commitment to get out of poverty. An interesting aspect of his farm is how all activities are integrated and complement others in terms of inputs and outputs. For example, the apiculture business benefits from access to crops which provide nectar while at the same time, the bees pollinate the crops. On the other hand, the fodder crops provide feed for his dairy cows and manure from the livestock fertilizes crops and is used to produce biogas for cooking and lighting. The farm is not only a source of income for Teklemariam but is also a source of amenity value for his community. Young couples reportedly take shelter in the beautiful green farm for a day or so during weekends particularly during dry seasons when the surrounding vegetation is dry; making the farm one of the few remaining options for shelter from the sun in the area which lies in the East African rift valley. This service, is an opportunity for Teklemariam and can be commercialized as a result of increasing demand from urban dwellers. The farmer supplements his indigenous knowledge on the production and management of his activities with additional knowledge obtained through trainings. He has received trainings and advice from the office of agriculture on improved farming practices such as water harvesting techniques and row planting. He was, recently, the champion of a water harvesting campaign in his peasant association. Teklemariam has also been trained by the Livestock and Irrigation Value Chains for Ethiopian Smallholders (LIVES) project on improved poultry production and marketing which he says has enabled him to better plan his poultry expansion project. Some of the major challenges at the farm are water shortage, lack of someone to take over the farm as Teklemariam is aging and low awareness of opportunities offered by the farm such as its touristic potential. It’s also Teklemariam’s concern that he may not have a capable successor to expand the farm as he envisions it. Time seems to be against him. His daughter who is managing the cafeteria business and his son are the only family members around him. Empowering these two young people to manage their father’s five hectare land through coaching and mentoring is an option. LIVES and its partners could look into ways in which this exemplary farmer could be supported to make the farm more attractive to tourists, marketing and awareness campaigns and value-addition procedures for the farm’s produce such as eco-labeling of products from the farm could increase his income and make it a model of rural agritourism and multifunctional farming. Teklemariam Simie can be reached on his mobile phone at +251 91 957 6853. His farm is about 2.5 kilometres north of Meki town, on the way to Addis Ababa. GPS coordinates: N = 08` 11.668’ E = 038` 51.628’ Written by Zewdie Adane and Abule Ebro. 

The ‘Establishing and strengthening irrigation water users association (IWUAs) in Ethiopia’ training manual explains how to set up and manage IWUAs which were announced by the Ethiopian government. Features of IWUAs compared to other farmers’ organizations such as cooperatives are described and even though the training manual also addresses transfer of irrigation and drainage infrastructures that are part of the associations, its focus is on IWUAs and not irrigation practices directly.

The manual includes a potential training schedule with a detailed program of training sessions, and information on ‘training support’ and models of legal documents that can be used when establishing an irrigation water users association.

It was produced by Philippe Lempériere, Fitsum Hagos, Nicole Lefore, Amare Haileslassie and Simon Langan of the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) as part of IMWI’s contribution to the implementation of the Livestock and Irrigation Value chains for Ethiopian Smallholders (LIVES).

Download the training manual.

Kelifa is one of the farmers from Jimma who joined the training and study tour to learn about improved vegetable production techniques in Holeta and Meki (photo credit: ILRI\Gemeda Duguma.

Tomato is one of the most important irrigated vegetables in Seka Chekorsa District of Jimma zone, Oromia. According to an April 2013 report by the Livestock and Irrigation Value chains for Ethiopian Smallholders (LIVES) project, tomato is the third largest irrigated vegetable in the district, preceded only by potato and cabbage. Land under potato production is about 1375ha while that of cabbage and potato are 2438ha & 5277ha, respectively. Most tomato farming in Seka Chekorsa relies on use of local cultivars and traditional production practices.

Tomato staking is one of the practices that, if improved, could help smallholder farmers in Jimma improve the crop’s production. Staking is the process of supporting tomato plants with a wooden or metallic rods or mesh wire so that they take up less space and the fruits don’t weigh down the plant close to the ground risking damage from dirt, disease and infestation by insects or rot. Staking also makes harvesting easier but it needs to be done systematically to save time and make it resource efficient.

Traditionally, farmers in Seka Chekorsa, stake their tomato plants in two rows leaving a wide space in between rows. The farmers find this approach tedious and laborious particularly during peak seasons. For this reason, some tomato producers do not stake their plants resulting in damage and loss.

Cognizant of this fact, in November 2014, the LIVES project organized a tailor-made study tour and training for farmers in the project intervention districts to the Holeta Agricultural Research Centre and to five farmers involved in high-value vegetable crops farming in Holeta and Meki towns. Farmers from LIVES intervention households and extension staff from two of the project’s intervention zones in Oromia (Jimma and West Shoa) took part in this event. The objective of the training and study tour was to give participants opportunity to learn and experience the processes of improving irrigated vegetable production using improved techniques of tomato, onion and potato production. Nine farmers and seven extension experts from Jimma zone attended this event.

Post-training progress showed that two farmers from Seka Chekorsa District applied knowledge from this training in their irrigation schemes. These farmers, Kalifa A/Sambi (from Ushane Koche peasant association (PA)) and Tadesse Teshome (from Alaga PA), took pictures and recorded videos during the study tour using their smartphones. Upon returning to their districts, they reported to the district Irrigation Development Authority (IDA), which upon learning of the new-found best practice from the farmers, organized a one day district-wide farmers’ conference where the two farmers shared their experiences with 282 other farmers.

Using the smartphone pictures and videos from the training and their newly-gained knowledge as a reference, Kalifa and Tadesse staked their tomato plants that had been planted prior to the training event. Nearby farmers observed their new approach and started using this new method as well. The district administration office and IDA then invited journalists to the two farmers’ fields to document the best practice that was now being used by more farmers.

Tadesse realized that he could use the extra space gained by staking his tomato plants differently to plant cabbages. He also intercropped khat with cabbage, green pepper and tomato for optimal use of his land. This is a new practice in the Jimma area where farmers mostly farm coffee and khat.

Tadesse has been praised by the district administration and the IDA for intercropping of khat with irrigated vegetables. The local authorities are now seeking to promote the best practices of these farmers to wider areas in collaboration with the zonal LIVES office by organizing field days for farmers.

Read related stories:

Improving seedling supply for smallholders to boost Ethiopia’s hybrid tomato production

Tomatoes and onions improving livelihoods in Gamo Gofa Zone

Bulb to seed method of onion seed production demonstration in Kalu District, South Wollo zone (photo credit: ILRI\Yigzaw Dessalegne).

Different vegetables require different climatic conditions and agronomic practices to produce good yields. Ethiopia’s agro-ecology is suitable for producing both the edible parts and seeds of temperate and tropical vegetable crops. Majority of these vegetables are grown for their edible parts but seeds of most vegetable crops are imported from African, Asian and European countries. As a result, high prices and inadequate supply of seeds are primary bottlenecks in vegetable crops production in the country in general and in the Amhara region in particular. Vegetable seed production is a lucrative but untapped activity for Ethiopian smallholder farmers and these seeds have the potential to provide a viable export commodity for the country.

Onion (Allium cepa) is a recently introduced and one of the few widely-grown vegetable crops in Ethiopia. It is mostly grown using irrigation and the amount of land under onion cultivation is steadily increasing as a result of expanding irrigation systems and other factor. Unlike other bulb crops, onion is propagated by seeds. However, the onion seed in Ethiopia is either imported or produced by informal seed producers. The price for such seed is often high, the quality low and the supply is largely inadequate. Also, farmers in the country lack knowledge and experience in onion seed production and handling.

To address this challenge, the Livestock and Irrigation Value Chains for Ethiopian Smallholders (LIVES) project team in Amhara demonstrated onion seed production practices in Kalu District of South Wollo zone. The demonstration took place in the farms of six intervention households (four male-headed and two female-headed) from August to December 2014.

Each of the households planted a mother bulb of the ‘Adama red’ onion variety on a 100m² plot of land in August 2014. The household managed the plot using recommended onion seed production practices. LIVES and horticulture experts from the Amhara Office of Agriculture coached and mentored farmers in these households at all stages of the project including in site and mother bulb selection as well as harvesting and processing. LIVES contributed mother bulbs while the households contributed land, fertilizer, water for irrigation and labour for the demonstration.

The mother bulbs planted on the demonstration plots started flowering in the first week of November 2014 and seeds were harvested at the end of December 2014. The whole process of ‘bulb to seed’ took five months in Kalu District. According to reports, in the central Rift Valley region, which is the major onion seed production area in the country, a similar process takes 6-7 months.

Once the onion seeds were ready, LIVES organized a field day to demonstrate onion seed production practices to officials, experts, input suppliers and farmers. A total of 86 people attended the event.

Farmer retailing onion seedlings after planting on his own plot in Kalu District (photo credit: ILRI\ Mesfin Tefera)

The seed yield from the demonstration plots ranged from 8-10 quintals per hectare. The six households sold onion seeds to 35 fellow farmers in surrounding areas at a price of ETB 800/kg (USD 40), obtaining a total income of  ETB 6,400 to 8,000 (USD 320-400) from each 100m² plot of land in just five months, which is more lucrative compared to onion bulb production.

The farmers from the intervention households shared this method with fellow farmers and organized themselves into an onion seed producers group in Woraba tulu Peasant Association of Kalu District. In addition to being suppliers, these farmers have also sown seeds on 40 seed beds to produce seed for their own use and also to sell onion seedlings.

The farmers who bought the onion seeds from the newly established seed producers group have sown the onion seeds on 90 seed beds in total and recently planted their seedlings on a larger area of land (3.5 hectares).

As a result of this success, LIVES is carrying out similar demonstration in the farms of three intervention households of Dembia and Gondar Zuria districts of North Gondar zone and promising results are being observed and documented. Next, LIVES and its partners will establish certified onion seed producer groups in these districts and provide short-term training on onion seed production, processing and handling practices for these groups. The groups will then be linked with seed suppliers and other onion producers

Read related stories:

The rift between variety development and seed supply in Ethiopia

Vegetable seedlings: An emerging business and alternative input supply system in Ethiopia

Mobile phones boost vegetable marketing in Ethiopia

Written by  Yigzaw Dessalegne and Mesfin Tefera.

The first Horticultural Farmers Day was celebrated here in Ethiopia at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) campus on 29 April 2015. The event was organized by the SupHort project in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture, the Livestock and Irrigation Value Chains for Ethiopian smallholders (LIVES) project and other partners. About 200 participants took part in this event. The major focus of the event was in bringing together farmers and other key stakeholders to share and discuss their experiences and challenges in the horticulture sector and its impacts on their livelihoods; creating linkages with agri-business sector players and improving market access; and putting down recommendations on issues needing attention by stakeholders in the sector.

The event had different sessions; discussions, presentations and a marketplace displaying horticultural technologies and outputs. LIVES staff participated in all these sessions. At the marketplace, posters on assessing profitability and risk of irrigated crops, gender and agriculture and alternative media for raising tomato hybrid seedlings were presented. In addition, new technologies introduced by LIVES that can be used by smallholders such as Wetting Front Detector  (WFT) devices, zero-energy cooling chamber solar water pump, feed choppers, biogas digesters, feeding trough for small ruminants and many more were displayed.

Different varieties of watermelon and hybrid tomatoes produced by LIVES farmers in the Oromia region, as well as a new popcorn variety produced by LIVES farmers in Amhara region were displayed for tasting and testing preferences of participants (see the result of the taste test by event participants). In addition, two LIVES farmers, one trained on pump maintenance and another trained on grafting, joined the event to share their experiences and demonstrate how they are applying their new skills. Participants interacted with LIVES staff and farmers and discussed the various technologies introduced, outputs displayed and took publications of LIVES as well as from the former Improving the Productivity and Market Success of Ethiopian Farmers (IPMS) project for further reference.

Read a related story: News from MoA site

See pictures from the event: Album 1  and Album 2

LIVES Steering Committee members and LIVES staff members during the 5th PSC meeting at ILRI Campus, Addis Ababa (photo credit: ILRI\Aklilu Bogale).

The 5th meeting of the Livestock and Irrigation Value Chains for Ethiopian Smallholders Project (LIVES) Steering Committee was held on 12 June 2015 at the ILRI Campus, Addis Ababa. The meeting was chaired by Siboniso Moyo, program leader for Animal Science for Sustainable Productivity (ASSP) and director general’s representative in Ethiopia. Participants of the meeting included representatives from the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development (DFATD) of Canada, the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA), the International Water Management Institute (IWMI), the Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research (EIAR), Regional Agricultural Research Institutes (RARIs) and Regional Bureaus of Agriculture (BoAs).

During the meeting, the annual progress of the project in the areas of value chain development, capacity development, knowledge management, promotion, research and documentations at all levels were presented. In addition, committee members discussed the annual work plan and budget for the upcoming fiscal year April 2015 – March16.

The LIVES project manager Azage Tegegne noted the past year was a year of consolidation and expansion as LIVES moves into its third year of implementation. To this effect, there have been a series of revisions to key strategic directions, approaches and interventions. In particular, the Performance Monitoring Framework (PMF) was revised to make project targets more realistic, achievable and easier to monitor. In the upcoming fiscal year, project activities and interventions will be intensified further; and results and lessons learned will be scaled out beyond project areas. In addition, new beneficiaries will be selected and included to reach project targets.

Azage Tegegne (LIVES project panager) explaining about the new milking technology introduced through LIVES (photo credit: ILRI\Aklilu Bogale)

During the meeting which also consisted of plenary sessions, committee members provided productive thoughts and inputs on the way forward. It was stressed that further efforts need to be put in place to strengthen gender balance in capacity development and knowledge management activities of the project. It has also been noted to further align project strategies and interventions with the work plans of the Woredas.

LIVES ultimate outcome is  increased economic well-being for male and female smallholder producers in the regions of Oromia, Amhara, Tigray and Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Region (SNNPR) through the development of livestock and irrigated value chains .

LIVES/IWMI experts demonstrating the operation principle of WFD to smallholders (Photo Credit: ILRI\Yigzaw Dessalegn)

By Beamlak Tesfaye and Yigzaw Dessalegn

The Koga irrigation scheme in Mecha District in the West Gojjam Zone of Amhara is one of the largest irrigation schemes in Ethiopia. Under the scheme, 7,000 hectares are irrigated using 19.7, 42.3, 117 and 783 km of primary, secondary, tertiary and quaternary canals respectively, and 12 storage structures for delivering water to more than 10,000 smallholder farmers.

Farmers in the scheme use furrow irrigation to grow different crops which are planted at different times of the year. They access water at intervals (of eight or more days) depending on the amount of water available in the dam. But this method has resulted in under and over irrigation contributing to low productivity, lowering of the groundwater table, leaching of fertilizer, destruction of soil structure, higher labour costs and conflict over water access.

To address these challenges, the Livestock and Irrigation Value Chains for Ethiopian Smallholders (LIVES) project through the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) has this year (Jan 2015) introduced an irrigation scheduling device known as a ‘wetting front detector (WFD)’ for testing at the Koga scheme.

The wetting front detector, which costs 60 USD,  was developed in Australia in 2004 and is being used in different countries such as South Africa to improve water management in irrigation schemes.  The detector help farmers to judge how much water plants need throughout their growing period. LIVES provided eighteen WFDs  to Ambomesk, one of blocks in the scheme and field days and trainings were used to guide farmers and irrigation agronomists on how to use them.

Field day participants observing the popping of WFD indicators during the process of irrigation (Photo Credit: ILRI\Yigzaw Dessalegn)

The LIVES/IWMI intervention has started bearing fruit as the WFD has been acknowledged and valued by piloting smallholders at the Abomesk block with the efficiency of the easy-to-use devices demonstrated on two test crops (wheat and potato). Many farmers have expressed perceived benefits of the WFD during the field day conducted in April 2015.

One of the piloting farmers, Liyew Fetene said the WFD has helped him estimate the appropriate irrigation interval at different growth stages of the potato crop as well as during fertilizer application. ‘I am no longer in conflict with other neighbouring smallholders and the water users association executive committee,’ he said.

Other farmers say the WFD helps save water, time, labour, fertilizer and reduces conflict caused by competition for water. Likewise, the Abomesk water users association members and irrigation agronomists have appreciated how the devices has helped improve the productivity of farmers. In addition, all participants in the trial have witnessed higher productivity of vegetable crops irrigated with the help of WFD compared to crops grown in the control plot (using current practice of frequently irrigating) which uses more water and is less productive.

LIVES/IWMI will continue testing the WFD for different crops, soil types in the Koga scheme and other parts of the country, prior to scaling it out to different parts of the country.

By Birhanu Biazin, Amare Haileslassie,Yoseph Mekasha, Tesfaye Dubale and Tesfaye Shewage

Asrat Tessema, a farmer pump repair service provider at Huro Tibiro Kebele of Bensa District in Sidama zone (photo credit: ILRI\Birhanu Biazin).

Interventions by the Livestock and Irrigation Value chains for Ethiopian Smallholders (LIVES) Project are now enabling Ethiopian farmers better maintain their irrigation water pumps to improve their food production and food security.

Many smallholder farmers in the country rely on water pumps to irrigate their farms to grow food crops. But many of the pumps, which are supplied by the government, non-governmental organizations and private companies, are poorly maintained and break down often.

Lack of appropriate and accessible repair and maintenance services for farmers is a serious problem in many parts of rural Ethiopia.

In some areas, such as in Mirab Abaya District of Gamo Gofa zone, farmers travel up to 80km to find pump repair services, often at private garages. The process is expensive and service is often delayed especially during critical irrigation seasons. In Bensa District in Sidama zone, lack of access to proper repair services has altogether discouraged farmers from acquiring pumps.

But new motor pumps repair and maintenance service providers, supported by LIVES and IWMI, are helping to tackle the problem.

The initiative has trained and coached groups of smallholder farmers and assisted them to establish motor pump repair shops at peasant association (PA) and village levels.  It is also working with commercial service providers such as garages.

In the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Region (SNNP’s) Regional Bureau of Agriculture, LIVES and IMWI offered skill-based training for private garages owners and smallholder farmers from district capitals and villages, respectively. The training was designed to enable trainees to ascertain major causes of damages of motor water pumps and basic maintenance tools were provided to trainees. LIVES is coaching and mentoring the newly trained service providers to expand their businesses by strengthening linkages, developing new business skills and promoting their businesses in various ways such as putting up signposts.

Asrat Tessema, a farmer engaged in irrigated vegetable farming at Huro Tibiro PA in Bensa District is one of the beneficiaries. He used to travel to Bensa to repair his water pump which was expensive and took up to two weeks and affected his ability to irrigate his farm. After training and coaching by LIVES, he can now carry out basic repair of his and other farmers’ pumps. He has already repaired more than 32 motor pumps for farmers in Bensa and Aroresa districts in three months referring just three pumps to Bensa town for replacement of major parts.

In the Yayke PA of Mirab Abaya District in Gamo Gofa, Yasin Seid, another smallholder vegetable farmer, has also managed to maintain more than 16 motor water pumps from his PA in two months. He has also expanded his business, and supplies fuel and oil at his repair shop.

Ermias Alemayehu, a private garage owner at Mirab Abaya District in Gamo Gofa (photo credit: ILRI\Birhanu Biazin).

Both Asrat and Yasin say most motor water pumps damage results from improper operations, use of adulterated fuel and oil, and lack of timely service such as changing oil and filters. They say farmers prefer to have their pumps repaired by service providers at the village level because they trust them more and because the providers share maintenance information with them. The services are also easily accessible and repairs take a shorter time.Moreover, the village level service providers request a relatively lower maintenance cost as compare to the garages for their labour.

Initiating and strengthening village level service providers has improved local knowledge of water pump management and maintenance. But private service providers are still important. LIVES is reaching out to garage owners like Ermias Alemayehu in Mirab Abaya who was trained and coached by the project team to intensify his motor pump repair and maintenance services and to train farmers through the Office of Agriculture. Ermias now plans to expand his business and supply spare parts and different types of motor pumps at the district level.

LIVES and partners are working to scale up the initiative to avail motor pumps repair services at village and district levels which is critical for small-scale irrigation of smallholder farms.

External monitoring mission visiting LIVES intervention site in Bona district, SNNP Region ( Photo Credit: ILRI\ Yoseph Mekasha)

The Livestock and Irrigation Value chains for Ethiopian Smallholders (LIVES) project is in a position to support the scaling out of the interventions across the project areas. While not final, this was the immediate perception of the external evaluation team after a five-day visit—between 16 and 21 November 2015—to LIVES sites in Bona, Bensa and Arbegona districts of  Sidama zone in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples Region (SNNPR) of Ethiopia.

During a debriefing with the LIVES leadership team in Addis Ababa, the evaluators—Douglas Clements, LIVES External Monitor and Haregewoin Admassu, Gender Advisor for Global Affairs Canada (GAC)—expressed their satisfaction about progress since the first monitoring and evaluation mission. They found evidence of more ownership of the project by local partners. This increased ownership—they said—will contribute to the scaling out of the interventions within the project areas in the future.

During the last three years, the number of LIVES intervention peasant associations—the lowest tier of government—has increased. Presently LIVES has demonstration households for various commodities in 351 peasant associations, and the evaluators have recommended a consolidation of this number in the four regions.

Prior to the visit, the external evaluators held a meeting with the LIVES team in Addis Ababa to discuss approaches on planning, implementation and documentation. The revised performance monitoring framework (PMF) was also discussed. While the PMF indicators remain the same, the project targets have been more clearly defined. In this reporting period, LIVES will conduct a survey on some PMF targets at an intermediate outcome level. This will give the LIVES team and partners clear evidence to determine whether or not they are on track to meet their targets.

Discussion was held on the progress in relation to value chain development, knowledge management, capacity development and agribusiness interventions. This is key given the importance of capacity development and knowledge management in supporting role the adoption and scaling out of commodity value chain development interventions. For instance, coaching and mentoring cannot be provided to all producers. LIVES so far identified 4,291 market-oriented input and output producers who had the skills, an entrepreneurial mind-set and resources, and showcased them as demonstration households. They also develop learning materials to support self-learning of market-oriented producers and service providers. Moreover, a number of input and service providers have been established—such as feed suppliers, fodder seed producers, bee wax producers, and short-cycle fattening and finished cattle marketing groups.

Community-based sheep breeders’ cooperatives, commercial concentrate feed suppliers, vegetable seeds and agrochemical suppliers and improved grazing land were among project intervention sites visited. In addition, zonal and district partner staff were interviewed to gauge ownership and interest in the LIVES project activities.

The external evaluators are expected to finalize their report by the end of December. The report serves as an input for LIVES to make the necessary adjustments to reach its targets, and feedback to GAC.

By Amenti Chali, Berhanu Biazin and Beamlak Tesfaye

Solar pump installation at Malima Bari peasant association of Bora district, East Shoa zone ( Photo Credit: ILRI\ Amenti Chali)

Household-based micro-irrigation systems can encourage smallholder farmers to start  small businesses based on water lifting technologies. In many parts of Africa, smallholder farmers use motor pumps, hand pumps, treadle pumps, rope and washer pumps and pulley systems to irrigate their farms.

In Ethiopia, motor water pumps are used commonly. But they have higher operational costs including for fuel, oil, labour and maintenance.

Solar water lifting pumps are a promising alternative that could lower costs for farmers because they have relatively lower operational costs in addition to contributing fewer carbon emissions and pollution, which makes smallholder farming more resilient to shifting rainfall patterns caused by climate change.

Additionally, pumps powered by solar energy are far more efficient than an equivalent AC powered pump and are cost-effective and reliable for livestock watering, irrigation, and domestic uses. Solar water pumps may be especially useful in small-scale or community-based irrigation as large-scale irrigation requires large volumes of water that require a large solar photovoltaic array.

Although these technologies are available and used across the world, the awareness and skills of Ethiopian smallholder farmers on these technologies is very low.

The Livestock and Irrigation Value chains for Ethiopian Smallholders (LIVES) project in collaboration with the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) has commenced the demonstration of solar water pumps with pilot households in Oromia and the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples’ (SNNP) regions.

Solar pump demonstration at Bekele Girisa peasant association of Dugda District, East Shoa zone ( Photo Credit: ILRI\ Amenti Chali).

Four solar water pumps were purchased by the project from India for USD 6,800 each of which discharges 0.5 litres of water per second from shallow wells with a maximum depth of seven metres. One solar water pump has the capacity to fully irrigate vegetables on 0.2 hectares of land.

In early December 2015, the solar water pumps were installed and demonstrated for selected households in Gamo Gofa and East Shoa Zones of the SNNP and Oromia regions respectively. The households, which were selected based on their access to shallow groundwater, interest in adopting the technology and previous experiences in household-based micro-irrigation, were briefed on the proper operation and minor maintenance services of the solar water pumps.

A business model will be developed by the end of the piloting test to demonstrate to policymakers the benefits of wider use of solar water pumps in the country. In addition, the system of irrigation water distribution and application to crops will be tested by using the drip kits and furrow methods.

For more information about the solar water pumps, please visit Practica Foundation

The performance of smallholder irrigation schemes are challenged by several factors: among which water insecurity and low land and water productivity are the main ones.

This working paper evaluates the on-farm management of nine smallholder irrigation schemes from four regional states in Ethiopia. The schemes are diverse in several aspects and we clustered them into three typologies: Modern, semi-modern and traditional. Indicators such as land productivity (LP), crop water productivity (CWP) were used in evaluating performances.

The results illustrates apparent variability of LP among schemes; scheme typology and reaches. The lowest value of LP was estimated for the traditional schemes and inter-scheme variation was also notable. For example for onion, the value for LP ranged between 7.13 and 14.55 tonnes/ha. For tomato the range was even wider: 0.9–10.29 tonnes/ha. The Meki scheme showed the highest land productivity for onion and tomato with the magnitude of 14.55 and 10.29 tonnes/ha respectively. For irrigated cereals (maize and wheat) LP values showed a similar trend as for vegetables. For example the LP value for maize range between 0.65 and 3.92 tonnes/ha and for wheat the range was narrower (0.6 and 1.56 tonnes/ha).

Generally these values are less than the values reported as sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) regional average suggesting the need to address yield limiting factors in smallholder schemes in Ethiopia. Water productivity by water supplied at field levels (WPf) for cereals was generally on the lower side; it is somewhat on the higher side for vegetables compared to observations from SSA.

Schemes and reaches with higher land productivity do not necessarily shows higher WPf. Modern schemes and head irrigators have usually higher land productivity but low water productivity. The opposite holds true for the traditional irrigation and tail irrigators. The traditional schemes and tail irrigator normally suffer from water shortage and most often practicing forced deficit irrigation and also select crops with low water requirement. Hence they save water while trying to minimize impact on the yield through crop selection. Implicitly future direction of improving smallholder irrigation need to acknowledge this reality and put efforts to save water on head irrigators and increase land productivity under traditional and tail irrigators and promote sustainability and equitable share of water in smallholder irrigation.

Probably alternatives such as valuation of water and a consumption-based water charge need to be taken into account in efforts to discourage over irrigation and enhance equitable water management by smallholders. It is also important to note that smallholder water management decisions are complex and so are the values for their performance indicators. Therefore, any development efforts dealing with smallholder irrigation need to disentangle and understand this diversity and ensure interventions are context specific

Download the working paper:

Haileslassie, A., Agide, Z., Erkossa, T., Hoekstra, D., Schmitter, P. and Langan, S. 2016. On-farm smallholder irrigation performance in Ethiopia: From water use efficiency to equity and sustainability. LIVES Working Paper 19. Nairobi, Kenya: ILRI.