Questions de développement ...

Thinktank accuses Ethiopian government of stirring ethnic tensions as marginalised group are displaced to make way for large plantations, writes David Smith.

Inside the Ethiopian Institute of Biodiversity's unassuming office complex in Addis Ababa, a series of vaults houses tens of thousands of seed samples tightly sealed into small envelopes and neatly catalogued in cold storage – a treasure trove of genetic diversity painstakingly assembled and set aside for future generations.

Rich in calcium, iron and protein, gluten-free teff offers Ethiopia the promise of new and lucrative markets in the west. Claire Provost and Elissa Jobson investigate

 

After enabling foreign firms to grab vast stretches of land, the government has begun to review its land policy.

When in private, Ethiopian officials admit that the agricultural policy based on renting vast stretches of land to foreign firms at a low price has been a failure. The foreign companies have held on to the land for speculative reasons, and have frequently only cultivated small portions of it. Under this programme, 300,000 hectares were attributed to the Indian company Karuturi Global LTD (ION 1324) before the Growth and Transformation Plan (GTP) was adopted in 2010, after which a further 470,000 hectares were attributed to other companies under the said programme. - See more at: http://farmlandgrab.org/post/view/22621#sthash.Ko7iXwoD.dpuf

Ethiopia has an estimated 70 million smallholder farmers, many of whom only grow sufficient amounts of crops like grain and coffee to support their families like those in Lalibela, Amhara Region. Climate change will inevitably have an impact on people’s lives.

Land degradation is one of the most serious problems facing Ethiopia today. In order to improve crop yield in the region, the Bureau of Agriculture and Natural Resources in Tigray (BoANR) adopted the Sasakawa Global (SG) 2000 package, which is based on high input demanding varieties and chemical fertilisers. Since 1996, the Institute for Sustainable Development started a project in four selected rural farming communities in Tigray, aiming to establish productive agricultural systems. Its results were then compared with the performance of the SG package in neighbouring villages.

Ethiopia's national seed bank has embraced participatory planting since the 1980s, working with farmers and rural communities as a means of preserving diversity.

 

After a successful trial, the Food and Agricultural Organisation of the United Nations in 2013 began introducing high yielding seeds to Ethiopia’s small-scale farmers. The farmers are now reporting significantly increased crop yields and greater crop resilience to disease and drought because of the new seed varieties. IPS spoke to the farmers about the improved seeds and how it has impacted their household income and food security.

Thousands of Ethiopians are being relocated or have already fled as their land is sold off to foreign investors without their consent.