Canadian
Food Grains Bank Ethiopia
Project
Tour
February
2, 2019
Migbarey
Senay Children & Family Support Organization/MSCFSO (February 5-6 2019)
The
MSCFSO project is in the final year of a three year food for work project In
East Gojam of the Amhara Region. Land degradation here, like so many other
areas of Ethiopia, has seriously affected soil fertility and availability of
farmland and grazing land for households. This results in chronic shortfalls in
food production at the household level, with households often facing up to a
four month food gap each year. The Migbarey project addresses food security and
food gap shortages using cash-for-work on watershed rehabilitation projects
during food deficit periods. The work being done is transforming bare, deep
gullies and hillsides into productive land with improved soil fertility levels.
These achievements have resulted in more
successful harvests and improved food security in the affected areas. Working
with nearly 2,400 farm households and nearly 900 landless youth, all at times participating
in cash-for-work or food for work project related activities, the project overall
stands to benefit more than 12,000 persons.
Our
2019 CFGB project tour group visited the central office and management staff of
Migbarey Senay Children & Family Support Organization (MSCFSO) in Debre
Marcos on late afternoon Feb 5th. The Migbarey organization is a
Mennonite Central Committee Canada (MCCC) partner in the project along with
CFGB. CFGB’s ETH Regional Representative Sam Vander Ende formally introduced our
group to the MSCFSO Program Manager Yihenew DeMessie, to the Organization’s Founder
and Executive Director Mr. Meheretu and other staff members. Mr. Yihenew then presented a power point describing
various key aspects of this Migbarey Senay project. The points that he covered included
the techniques being used in practicing conservation agriculture, particularly the
use of green manure/ cover crops, minimum tillage practices in helping to restore
soil fertility and the related application of agro-forestry, reforestation techniques
and other measures being used for soil and water conservation and land
restoration. All of these practices he said are central to the project and were
viewed by our group on-site during morning and afternoon field visits the
following day.
Below: Project
Manager Yihenew Demessie Explains Key Components
of the Migbarey Senay (MFCFSO)
Mr. Meheretu is Founder and Executive Director of Migbarey Senay Childrens Project Family Support Organization (MSCFSO) pictured above with Allan and Lydia Sorflaten
As
described by Sam Vander Ende of CFGB ETH, the problems of farmland productivity
and food security in the Migbarey Senay/East Gojam area are largely associated
with;
-
land fragmentation and deforestation
-
continual and sometimes erratic cultivation techniques
-
the application of traditional farming practices that often are inadequate for
the job
- the prevalence of inadequate and unsafe water
supplies
MSCFSO Project Manager Yihinew Demessie Discusses
Teff Cropping Practicew with Dennis Reimer of Hudson Bay SK
Teff is
an annual grass native to the
northern highlands and the Teff seed is a staple food crop for all Ethiopians.
As
a consequence of the MSCFSO Project, issues of food security are being
addressed by various activities to do with soil and water conservation, and by
measures to control land degradation using reforestation activities that
incorporate the use of tree seedling raised at on-site tree nurseries. In their
application, cash for labor and food for labor options have had favorable
impacts on the food security of participating households.
Results
are being experienced as improved household incomes by participating families.
Farmers now are finding that they are able to purchase some of their needed
farm inputs, for instance through use of the revolving seed pools. As well, new
crops are being recognized for their cash value in the market place, for
instance sweet lupin seed. Women (farmers) are becoming socially and
economically empowered through their abilities to become involved with and
influential in the adoption of CA farming practices. Women farmers also are
said to show better savings habits than the men. Farm Radio International increasingly
has had an important influence on the rate of adoption of CA farming practices
as more and more farmers throughout the East Gojam appear willing to give it a
try.
Several of the MSCFSO Project Participating Farmers
The
project manager estimates that by next year there will be close to 6,000
participants using CA practices in Migbarey Senay. This represents an increase
of about 50% from the 2,000 that were reported to be part of the original
project in the year 2000. The average land holding he also said is about .72 ha
or about 1 ½ acres.
MSCFSO
Day Two Field Visit Showing Eucalyptus Hedgerow or
Bunde
Plantings On the Contour for Watershed Erosion Control
All
of the above is not to say that gaining the needed further adoption is not
without its challenges.
One
such challenge is the existing lack of awareness about CA practices which is
itself made that much more worse by the current mindset of non-participants who
have the awareness but simply remain unconvinced. They are the potential late
adopters. According to reports, some 14,000 overall have been reached with the
message.
There
are also other associated challenges. For instance, weed growth is probably one
of the more major challenge in growing the crop using CA farming practices,
particularly during the emergent stage.
Another
challenge is associated with traditional cattle rearing practices that make it
difficult at times to cultivate cropland, particularly if the cattle at times
go untended. Some effort (intended or unintended) has been made to encourage
ranging cattle to stay in certain pastured areas by constructing watering
troughs at strategic locations separated from cropland areas. This is because
leaches that often occur in traditional watering places can be a big (health)
problem for the cattle. The permanent troughs if strategically placed can serve
as an incentive to keep cattle away from the cropped areas.
MSCFSO Staff Honour CFGB Guests With
Traditional Ethiopian Hospitality
at Debre Markos
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