From Famine to Farming. The ‘success’ of Ethiopian farming.

In this blog post, I will focus on Ethiopia's agribusiness and what has enabled it to be successful. Likewise, I will highlight lessons that we can learn from Ethiopia; a country with a varied climate and landscape.

 

In the 1990s, images of Ethiopia in popular discourse (like that seen below) often revolved around its chronic famine which claimed thousands of lives; such as; Live Aids’ ‘Feed the World’ campaign. Such connotations regarding Ethiopia have stuck, with many individuals appropriating the nation as a 'desert' lacking the ability to sustain its food and water supply (Haile 2015). However, in reality, the latest statistics suggest that agriculture accounts for half of Ethiopia’s GDP, namely from cash crops like coffee beans, legumes and cereals (World Bank 2006). Ethiopian agricultural success is highlighted as it employs approximately 80% of Ethiopia's workforce, making it a vital poverty alleviation tool.

Why is Ethiopia so productive?

Many might ask how a country has such a successful agribusiness, even though decades ago they suffered one of the worst famines in history? The answer is complicated. However, Ethiopia's agricultural success is primarily focused in its Highlands. Awulachew et al. (2007) estimated that annual runoff in Ethiopia was more than 122 billion m³; likewise, groundwater potential was estimated at 2.65 billion m³. However, this ample water supply is incredibly uneven, as is the case with most of Africa. The map in fig. 7 displays how rainfall is concentrated in the western region of the country where the Highlands are located, this region is also where 85% of the population live (Bekele et al. 2012). However, regions near the Somali, Djiboutian and Eritrean borders see far less rainfall, and therefore these are the same regions where agricultural yield is low (Jones 1997). This uneven distribution of water has, therefore created a spatial inequality in food production in Ethiopia. Hence it would be wrong to claim that all of Ethiopia has seen a successful agribusiness because that is not the case.

Figure 7: A map displaying the variation in rainfall patterns across Ethiopia (Pinterest n/a) 

Smallholder farming in Ethiopia:

However, Ethiopia is at an advantage over other African states as most agriculture is completed by smallholder farmers, which are arguably more efficient and productive through the implementation of local indigenous knowledge compared to large scale farming operations yield focused (Haile 2015). Smallholder farmers in Ethiopia utilise two main irrigational techniques. These can be divided into ‘traditional schemes’ like channelling or ‘modern schemes’ like drip systems. Arguably, modern schemes are more efficient as they require less maintenance (FAO 2016). Therefore, the acknowledged benefits of modern irrigation systems have seen a rise in modern schemes being developed by smallholder farmers. However, as Ethiopian farmers move to more efficient irrigation systems, it is paramount that indigenous knowledge is integrated into modern irrigation systems, as this is what has enabled Ethiopia’s agribusiness to thrive (Makombe et al. 2011; FAO 2016). However, as I stated, not all of Ethiopia has the same scale agribusiness than that of the Highlands. Henceforth, would it not be in Ethiopia's best interest to increase agricultural production as currently in Ethiopia, 10 – 12% of potentially irrigable land is being utilised according to MoA (2011)? Or could Ethiopia distribute water resources to more arid regions in its south and east?

 

Below I have highlighted some opportunities and challenges for Ethiopia’s agribusiness (Haile 2015).

 

Opportunities:

- Poverty alleviation through employment, sale of produce

- Implementation of local indigenous knowledge enabling efficient farming

- An abundance of labour increasing production and yields 

 

Challenges:

- Limited knowledge of ‘modern irrigation schemes’ therefore reduce efficiency of the industry

- Limited baseline data about irrigation and water resources to compare new data

- Initial set up costs of modern irrigation systems reduce their use in more impoverished regions

- Uncertainties of climate change, and its influence on inputs/outputs 

 

The rest of Africa can learn a lot from Ethiopia. Even though the country suffered one of the worst famines, its ingenious integration of indigenous knowledge, sustainable use of groundwater and smallholder farming techniques have alleviated millions from poverty and has provided a stable food supply for much of the nation. Perhaps, other African states may recognise that their poverty problems can be solved by harnessing the water below their feet or their neighbours' water. Though, I recognise that utilising agriculture to alleviate poverty is solely dependent on ample water supplies, which not all of Africa maintains. Hence could there be a way physically transport water to areas that need it? Next week’s blog will explore the potential capabilities of water transfer projects in increasing water and food security.