Irrigated crop commodity value chains in
three Amhara zones
Kahsay Berhe and Yohannes Mehari
LIVES – Commodity Value Chain Development Inception Workshop
EIAR HQ, Addis Ababa
January 21-24, 2013
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
PAs
Zones
Districts
Intervention
Total
North
Gonder
Gonder zuria
22
49
Lay Armachoho
20
34
Dembia
26
45
West Gojam
Bahir Dar zuria
20
42
South Wello
Mecha
Yilmana Densa
Kalu
Dessie zuria
Tehuledere
19
15
24
17
18
42
34
41
38
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
Thank you
www.lives-ethiopia.org
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