Promoting gender equality and women empowerment within the horticulture industry, the Ethiopian Horticulture Producer Exporters Association (EHPEA) has continued its strengthened interventions in ensuring safe, conducive and sustainable working environment through different measures.
Women make up 80% of Ethiopia’s workforce in the horticulture industry generating hundreds of millions of hard currency among other significant socioeconomic benefits.
As part of ongoing efforts, EHPEA has organized experience-sharing visits among commercial farms with focus on creating inclusive, safe, and conducive workplaces, particularly for women and youth employees.
The experience-sharing tours were made to farms with cases of childcare facility as well as with strategic gender intervention and workforce nutrition program, providing valuable insights into practical approaches for creating inclusive and supportive workplaces in the horticulture sector.
The first stop of the tour was at Florensis Group Farms in Koka, which established a daycare facility in the neighborhood currently serving more than 35 children of women employees.
During the visit, discussions were held on push factors to the establishment of the daycare center as well as on the operational and management challenges. The business case and long-term benefits of providing onsite childcare services were also discussed on the occasion.
The Farms management highlighted that the daycare center has contributed to improved employee productivity, reduced absenteeism, enhanced staff retention, and increased job satisfaction among women workers.
The next tour was made to Zuquala Horti Farm where strategic gender intervention and workforce nutrition programs are being implemented.
The participants drawn from Holeta, Bishoftu, Sebeta and Batu clusters had the opportunity to see firsthand insights into the Farm’s ongoing gender-inclusive and empowering initiatives, workforce nutrition program, worker safety and occupational health practices, clinic services to employees as well discussed on the functional grievance handling mechanisms and workers’ rights protection systems.
It was learnt on the occasion that the Farm is demonstrating strong commitment to improving working conditions, promoting gender equity, and ensuring employee wellbeing through structured systems and practical interventions.
The initiatives at Florensis Koka and Ziquala-Horti Farm serve as good practices that can be replicated and scaled up across other commercial farms to enhance women’s participation, productivity, and overall workforce wellbeing.
It was also strongly emphasized that local government support plays a critical role in promoting and facilitating access to land for the future establishment of such daycare facilities which hugely contribute to the ongoing interventions in empowering women within the industry.
