Provision of seeds for Meher 2003 cropping season and veterinary drugs in drought-affected areas of Tigray, Southern Nations, Nationalities and People's Region (SNNPR) and Oromiya regions
| Tags | |
|---|---|
| Countries | Ethiopia |
| Start date | 30/04/2003 |
| End date | 07/08/2005 |
| Status | Completed |
| Recipient / Target Areas | Ethiopia |
| Budget | 2 282 000 USD |
| Project Code | OSRO/ETH/303/NET |
| Objective / Goal |
The overall objective of the intervention is early recovery of agricultural activities, resulting in an average Meher crop production in 2003. The specific objectives of the project were to:
|
| Beneficiaries | 485 452 |
| Activities |
The project distributed almost 35 250 quintals (one quintal equals 100 kg) of cereal and pulse seed to 105 533 households, enough to plant about half a hectare of land per household. The project also distributed some 8.3 million cuttings of sweet potato and 1 802 kg of vegetable seeds. In addition, the project distributed 1 510 000 doses of veterinary drugs in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region (SNNP) and Tigray regions. Community-based small-scale irrigation support was carried out on some 536 ha of land, directly benefiting 2 055 farmers. Finally, technical training sessions on seed production and water management were organized for both farmers and experts at local levels. |
| Impact | Many disaster-affected farmers were able to resume farming activities and regain their livelihoods as a direct result of the project. The average grain production per household was 300 kg, contributing to the family food supply for a period of 4.3 months. In addition, 15 668 farmers each produced some 750 kg of vegetables and a further 2 076 farmers produced some 750 kg of sweet potatoes. Furthermore, the improved irrigation schemes enabled the target farmers to produce crops twice a year. In all, a total of 527 635 rural people were able to reduce their dependency on external food assistance, improve their nutritional status and regain their livelihoods. The project conducted technical training sessions for experts and farmers covering both crop production and water management. In crop production, the training methodology included a 5-day training session for subject matter specialists (SMSs) from each target woreda. The SMSs then trained development agents (DAs) who, in turn, trained farmers. Seed selection, pre-harvest management, improved soil fertility, pest and disease control, post-harvest management and marketing were the topics covered. On average, each SMS trained 400 DAs who then trained 800 farmers. |