Kahsay Berhe and Yohannes Mehari

LIVES – Commodity Value Chain Development Inception Workshop EIAR HQ, Addis Ababa

January 21-24, 2013

Irrigated crop commodity value chains in three Amhara zones

Introduction

• Outline– Intervention zones and districts– Commodities and PAs– Constraints in value chains– Cross cutting issues

LIVES intervention districts, North Gonder zone

LIVES intervention districts, West Gojam zone

LIVES intervention districts, South Wello zone

Commodities and intervention PAs

Zones

Districts

PAs

Intervention Total

North Gonder

Gonder zuria 22 49

Lay Armachoho 20 34

Dembia 26 45West Gojam Bahir Dar zuria 20 42

Mecha 19 42Yilmana Densa 15 34

South Wello Kalu 24 41Dessie zuria 17 38Tehuledere 18 22

Constraints related to irrigated crops Fruits• Input supply

– Few government nurseries sourcing seedlings• Few number of seedlings• Majority of the seedlings are un improved

– Improved seedlings transported from long distances– No farmer based fruit seedling suppliers (except in Kalu)– Lack of value chain approach– Food insecurity environment creating dependency (free

handouts/subsidized fruit seedlings)– Less regulatory activity (Kalu district)

• Marketing– Poor quality fruit produced – No marketing group for apple fruits, except for seedlings (Kalu)– Some fruits sold cheaply (farmers discouraged)_papaya

,

Irrigated crops continued• Fruit production

– Fruit production not widely practiced (mainly WG and NG)– Lack/poor quality fruit seedlings – Lack of skilled manpower– Limited types of water lifting equipment in use– Diseases and pests– Fruits irrigated only at seedling stage

Irrigated crops continued Vegetables• Marketing

– Poor/no market linkage, – No marketing group– Farmers price receivers, no bargaining power– Lack of post harvest infrastructure– Sometimes lack of buyers (shallot_Gonder z.)– Lack of market information– Monopolistic marketing regime– High price fluctuations due to seasonal supply imbalances– Lack of institutional linkages between actors in the vegetable value chain

Irrigated crops continued….

Irrigated crops continued• Input supply

– Lack of value chain approach– Lack of improved varieties– Lack of water pump repair services in the rural areas (except Dembia)– No farmer based vegetable seed/seedling supply system– Lack of private crop spraying service– High priced input, poor priced output (garlic)

• Vegetable Production– Disease outbreak – Slow replacement of varieties, deterioration (potato)– Lack of skilled irrigation agronomists, horticulture expertise– Historically, government policies focused primarily on grain crop

production - food security;

• Platform– No platform on irrigated crops

Irrigated crops continued…• Forage/fodder production

– Livestock is a secondary activity– Livestock production is lead mainly based on traditional knowledge– No/poor research output on irrigated forage/forage– Lack of knowledge on irrigated forage production

• Input supply– Lack of planting material– Lack of post harvest equipment

• Marketing– No research output on cost benefit analysis of irrigated forage/fodder

Cross cutting issues• Knowledge management

– Training in FTCs is not practically supported– Insufficient technical equipment for training in FTCs

• Manpower– High staff turnover

• Gender– No/few women focused activities

• Environment– Win-win situation between apiarists and fruit and vegetable growers

(dry season bee forage/pollination)– Uncontrolled use of agrochemicals is leading to death of bees and may

pollute ground and surface water – Soil salinity

www.lives-ethiopia.org

Thank you

Proposed interventions• Fruits

– Youth groups/pump owners trained of maintenance of water pumps– Support private crop spraying providers– Establish farmer based improved fruit seedling suppliers– Establishment of water users association in schemes

Proposed interventions• Vegetables

– Introduction of new vegetable varieties– Introducing post harvest technologies (zero

energy cool chambers)– Training on vegetable seed production systems

• Regulatory body need to be strongly engaged

– Demonstration of irrigation equipment in FTCs– Market linkages– Creation of marketing groups– IPM application and appropriate chemical

application time