Ethioplant

We wanted to do more. Much more.

The Hawassa area has vast agricultural and horticultural potential that can help address the problem of food insecurity. According to the most widely used definition: “Food security exists when all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and lead an active and healthy life.” (FAO, 1996).

The poverty experienced by many families also affects their access to essential services such as education, healthcare, and adequate housing.

What We Want to Do

Create two social, educational, and productive spaces.

Our strategy to achieve food self-sufficiency and generate new sources of income is based on the use of two plots of land in the parish of Tullo. One field will be transformed into a vegetable garden—a productive space essential for the project’s long-term sustainability, but also a demonstration site. Here, women from the community will learn how to care for their own home gardens. Training and exchanges between technical experts and the people involved in the project will be ongoing. Sparking this kind of social interaction and familiarity will help overcome the practical challenges families may face, especially in the early stages of managing their gardens. On the second plot, a nursery will be established. This is where participating families will receive plants to populate their home gardens. Both vegetable and fruit plants will be available, allowing them to begin producing food for their own consumption. In this second space as well, dialogue with the nursery growers will be key. Any surplus produced in either space will be sold at the local market to ensure the long-term economic sustainability of the activities.

Improve food security and dietary diversity by raising awareness and building nutritional skills within the communities. Provide new income opportunities for women through ongoing agricultural training in the social vegetable garden and nursery.

Small-scale agricultural self-production

In recent years, the effects of the climate crisis have become increasingly evident in Ethiopia as well: the distribution and intensity of rainfall have changed, disrupting the usual agricultural calendar and negatively affecting crop yields—particularly maize. Maize is the most widely cultivated crop in the region, and in some cases, production has been almost completely wiped out, with devastating consequences for many families’ livelihoods. Ethioplant promotes diversified agricultural production by adopting resilient strategies in both the preparatory and production phases. This includes the selection of appropriate indigenous crop varieties, rich in nutritional value and suitable for cultivation in small home gardens. Home-based food production and the introduction of new fruit tree varieties can immediately help improve both the diets and economic conditions of the families involved in the project.

Capacity-building through continuous learning

ASPEm always focuses on women, as key drivers of both individual and collective change. Alongside specific training on crop management, there will also be courses on nutrition, aimed at making the most of the new foods grown in the gardens and from fruit trees. These will not only provide theoretical knowledge but also simple recipes to help families immediately incorporate the new ingredients into their daily meals. Special attention will be given to the diets of children under the age of 5, where quantity, variety, and quality are crucial for healthy physical and cognitive development.