27-year-old Amiat Ahmed and her two-year-old son live with Amiat’s parents in the South Wollo Zone of Amhara Region, Ethiopia. Like many other young people in her region, Amiat used to feel that there were limited opportunities to earn income in her village, which led to her decision to migrate to Saudi Arabia.
“I witnessed young people from my village sending money back to their families,” Amiat says of those who inspired her to make a similar move. “I thought I could do the same thing for my parents.” Read more
Changes in the Omo Valley
Improved Agricultural Solutions (IAS) Project, initiated and funded by DFID, is supported by FAO with the coordination of overall implementation process, technical backstopping, guidance and facilitations. VSF Germany implemented IAS project in Dasenech Wereda, South Omo Zone, SNNP Regional State. The wereda shares border with Kenya in South West and is inhabited by about 63,000 people of eight different clans.
Dasenech are generally very traditional community, and make a living from small farming and looking after animals. Despite the availability of cultivable land in Dasenech, there is low productivity of crop cultivation due to low precipitation, erratic nature and unreliability of rainfall. Livestock serves as a main source of food and income, wealth accumulation, and social prestige.
Strengthening highland fruit production among rural farmers
Strengthening of fruit and cactus pearl production project was initiated to promote cactus pearl and temperate fruits, such as plum, apple, apricot and almond in Tigray and Amhara Regions. Farmers in these areas benefitted from awareness education and economic benefits of this food security improvement project through diversification of horticulture crops and conducive market opportunities.
In view of this, essential trainings were given for nurserymen and technicians, farmers and agricultural extension workers on fruit nursery management and fruit tree multiplication practices. This was complemented by learning visits to similar good practices for farmers and agricultural extension workers.