Tag: list of flower farms in ethiopia

As part of its continued capacity-building activities, the Ethiopian Horticulture Producer Exporters Association (EHPEA) has conducted a training on food safety, nutrition, and management coordination for representatives from the textile, garment, and horticulture sectors.

The training conducted at Mado Hotel in Addis Ababa brought together about 35 participants representing different professional and functional areas, including Human Resources Management, Compliance, Occupational Health and Safety, Environment, and Health professionals.

It has provided participants with an opportunity whereby they can enhance understanding of workforce nutrition, food safety, and the role of management in creating a supportive workplace environment.

The training session has facilitated a good platform for active engagement of the participants as they shared experiences, practices, and challenges from their respective companies, creating a valuable peer-learning venue and allowing them to learn from approaches being implemented across different sectors.

It has served as an impactful venue for the participants to strengthen their existing workplace systems and integrate nutrition education, food safety, and healthy food practices into their organizational activities.

በኢትዮጵያ አዲሱ ዘመን አንድ ብሎ የሚጀምረው በውጪዎቹ ዘጠነኛው ወር በሆነው በሴፕቴምበር በሀገርኛው መስከረም ሲሆን፤ ይህ ወቅት ክረምቱ እየተጠናቀቀ፤ ዝናቡ እንዲሁም የወንዙ ጅረት ሙላቱ እየቀነሰ፤ ፀሓይ ስትደምቅ ምድሪቱ ጠፈፍ እያለች እየደረቀች የምትታይበት ወቅት ነው።

በዚህ ወር ምድሪቱ ለምልማ፥ በወቅታዊው አበባ አጊጣ፥ ጋራው ሸንተረሩ ለምልሞ ተሸልሞ ይታያል። በሁለትና በሦስት ወራት እድሜ ውስጥ የተፈጥሮው ውበት ይደበዝዛል፤ ይረግፋል። ምናልባት በመሀል ሰማዩ በተወሰነ ደረጃ ከብዶ ምድሪቱ ጠል ካገኘች ካልሆነ በቀር፤ ዞሮ ወቅቱ እስኪመጣ ይህ ወቅታዊ አበባ፥ የተፈጥሮ ልምላሜ፥ የፈካው ውበት አይገኝም።

በዘመናዊው ሆርቲካልቸር ንዑስ ዘርፍ ነገሩ የተለየ ነው። በዘመናዊው ግብርና የአበባ፥ አትክልትና ፍራፍሬ (ሆርቲካልቸር) ልማት ዓመቱን ሙሉ አበባው ያብባል፤ የአትክልት የፍራፍሬ ሰብል አዝመራው ይጎመራል፤ ምርቱ ይሰበሰባል። የጥረት፥ የትጋት፥ የድካም ዋጋ በሚገባ ይከፈላል።

እኮ በምን ምክንያት ዓመቱን ሙሉ?            

ከግማሽ ክፍለ ዘመን ጀምሮ እስከ አንድ ክፍለ ዘመንና ከዚያም በላይ በሚቆጠር ደረጃ የግብርናውን ንዑስ ዘርፍ በተደራጀ መልኩ እየተገበሩ ከሚገኙ ከሌሎች ሀገራት ጋር ሲነጻጸር በኢትዮጵያ ዘመናዊው የሆርቲካልቸር ልማት በጣም ልጅ ነው። ይሁን እንጂ በዚህ አጭር ጊዜ ውስጥ በተነጻጻሪ በአነስተኛ የመሬት ሽፋን ላይ እየተካሄደ ያለው ዘመናዊ የሆርቲካልቸር ልማት ከፍተኛ የሆነ ኢኮኖሚያዊና ማኅበራዊ አስተዋጽኦ እያበረከተ ይገኛል። በውጤቱም በግብርናው ዘርፍ ከቡና ቀጥሎ ትልቁ የውጭ ምንዛሪ አስገኚ መስክ ለመሆን በቅቷል።

የከርሰ ምድር ውሃን በማልማትና ከብክለት ነጻ በሆነ መንገድ በማከማቸት፥ በከፍተኛ ቴክኖሎጂ የጠብታ (Drip Irrigation) እና የተመጠነ በቀጥታ ለተክሉ የሚደርስ መስኖን እንዲሁም ማዳበሪያን (precise irrigation & fertigation) በመጠቀም የተፈጥሮ ሀብትን እንዲሁም ግብአትን ቆጣቢ በሆነ አሠራር የሚተገበረው ዘመናዊው ሆርቲካልቸር ከግማሽ ቢሊዮን በላይ የአሜሪካ ዶላር የውጭ ምንዛሬ ወደ ሀገር በማስገባት፥ በመቶ ሺዎች ለሚቆጠሩ ዜጎች በተለይ በገጠራማ አካባቢ ለሚገኙ ወጣቶችና ሴቶች የሥራ እድል በመፍጠር እንዲሁም በግብርናው ዘርፍ ለተሻለ አሠራርና ምርታማነት ፋይዳው የጎላ የእውቀትና የቴክኖሎጂ ሽግግር አስተዋጽኦ በማድረግ ላይ ይገኛል።

በሽታን እንዲሁም ሌሎች ችግሮችን የሚቋቋሙ፥ ምርታማነትን በእጅጉ የሚያሳድጉ ከፍተኛ ዋጋ ያላቸውን የተሻሻሉ የሆርቲካልቸር ሰብል ዝርያዎችን፤ በጣም ዘመናዊ በሆነ ቴክኖሎጂ የተመጠነ መስኖንና ግብአትን በመጠቀም የሚተገበረው ግብርና አረንጓዴዎቹን አብያተ-ዕፅዋት (Green Houses) ዓመቱን ሙሉ በልምላሜ ያደምቃቸዋል።  

እነዚህ ዓመቱን ሙሉ በልምላሜ የሚደምቁት ዘመናዊ አብያተ-ዕፅዋት (Green Houses) በኢትዮጵያ የአበባ፥ አትክልትና ፍራፍሬ አምራች ላኪዎች ማኅበር ሥር በተሰባሰቡ አባላት በሀገሪቱ የተለያዩ ክፍሎች በክምችት በሚገኙ (clustered) ሰፋፊ የንግድ እርሻዎች ላይ ተንጣለው ይገኛሉ።  

አዳዲስ ዘመናትን በዘመናዊነት

በአጭር ጊዜ ውስጥ አመርቂ ውጤት እያስመዘገበ የሚገኘው የኢትዮጵያ ሆርቲካልቸር ንዑስ ዘርፍ በማኅበሩ ስልታዊ ሚናዎች፥ በአባላቱ ተነሳሽነትና ቁርጠኝነት፥ በዓለምአቀፍ ገበያ ፍላጎትና የጥራት መስፈርቶች አዎንታዊ ግፊት እንዲሁም በመንግሥስት ልዩ ትኩረትና ድጋፍ በፈጣን ዕድገት ላይ የሚገኝ ሲሆን አካባቢያዊና ማኅበራዊ ኃላፊነትን በሚገባ በመወጣት ዘመናዊ እርሻን በተሻሻለ አሠራርና በላቀ ቴክኖሎጂ በማቀላጠፍ ላይ ይገኛል።

ንዑስ ዘርፉ ከጊዜ ወደ ጊዜ አሠራሩን በማዘመን፥ አካባቢን በሚገባ በመጠበቅና በመንከባከብ፤ የሥራ ላይ ደህንነትና የሠራተኞችን ጤና በማስጠበቅ እጅግ ከፍተኛ ጥራትና ዋጋ ያላቸውን ምርቶች ደረጃቸውን በጠበቀ መልኩ በማምረት ላይ ይገኛል።

በሀገሪቱ የሆርቲካልቸር ንዑስ ዘርፍ በአጭር ጊዜ ውስጥ በተመዘገ ውጤት ኢትዮጵያ በአፍሪካ ከኬንያ ቀጥሎ አበባን በጥራትና በብዛት በማምረት ሁለተኝ ስትሆን በዓለም ደግሞ የአምስተኝነትን ቦታ ይዛ ትገኛለች። በአበባ የተመዘገበውን ስኬት በአትክልትና ፍራፍሬ ኢነዱስትሪዎች ለመድገም ብሎም የበለጠ ውጤት ለማምጣት በተጀመሩና ተጠናክረው በቀጠሉ ሥራዎች ጉልበት የሚሆኑ የሚያበረታቱ ፍሬዎች እየተገኙ ነው። ለዚህም ከሌሎች እትክልትና ፍራፍሬ መካከል በብዛትና በጥራት እየተመረቱ ያሉት የሙዝ፥ የአቮካዶና የስትሮበሪ ምርቶች ተጨባጭ ማሳያዎች ናቸው።

መልካም የግብርና አተገባበርን (Good Agriculture Practice) በሚገባ በመከተል ዘመናዊ እርሻን የሚያካሂዱት የማኅበሩ አባላት ዘመናዊ አሠራራቸውን ከሚያሳዩባቸው መንገዶች መካከል ከጊዜ ወደ ጊዜ እየተስፋፋ የሚገኘው የተቀናጀ የተባይ ቁጥጥር (Integrated Pest Management) አንዱ መገለጫ ነው። በዚህም በሰው-ሠራሽ የተባይ ቁጥጥር ላይ የሚደረግ ጥገኝነትን በመቀነስ ሕይወት ያላቸውን ኃይሎች (Biological Agents) መጠቀምና ሁለቱን በማቀናጀት ዘመናዊ እርሻዎቹ ሰብሎቻቸውን ይከላከላሉ። በዚህም በተቀናጀ የተባይ ቁጥጥር እርሻዎች የሠራተኞችንና የአካባቢ ደህንነት ይጠብቃሉ፤ ለዓለምአቀፍ ደረጃ የሚቀርቡ እጅግ ከፍተኛ ጥራት ያላቸውን ምርቶች ደረጃቸውን ያስጠብቃሉ፤ ጥብቅ የዓለምአቀፍ ገበያ የጥራት መስፈርቶችን በሚገባ ያሟላሉ። በዚህ ረገድ ከውጪ ገቢ የሚያደርገውን ምርት ለማስቀረት የራሱን የተፈጥሮ ተባይ መቆጣጠሪያ ለማምረት የሚያችለውን ዘመናዊ ማዘጋጃ ቤት (mass rearing facility) አቋቁሞ በተጠናቀቀው ዓመት ምርቱን የጀመረ እርሻ እንዳለ ልብ ይሏል። ይህም ጅማሮ በሌሎች እርሻዎች እንደሚስፋፋ ይጠበቃል።

ኮምፖስትና ለመስክ ሥራ የሚያገለግሉ አንዳንድ ግብአቶችን በቀላሉ በዚያው በእርሻ አካባቢ በማዘጋጀት፤ ተረፈ ምርትን መልሶ ጥቅም ላይ በማዋል ውጋጅን በመቀነስና ወደ ሀብት በመቀየር (from waste to value) የአካባቢንና የኅብረተሰብን ደህንነት በጠበቀ መልኩ እርሻን ኃላፊነት በተሞላው መንገድ ማከናወን እንዲሁም ዘመኑን የዋጀ ግብርናን ማሳደድ፥ በተለይ ከጊዜ ወደ ጊዜ ጥብቅ እየሆነ የመጣውን በዓለምአቀፍ ደረጃ አዋጭ ከሆኑ ገበያዎች የሚወጣ የጥራት መስፈርትን እግር በእግር እየተከተሉ አሠራርን ማዘመን፤ ከጊዜ ወደ ጊዜ ቁመናን ማሻሻል፤ እጅግ ከፍተኛ የሆነ ሀብት – ገንዘብ፥ ጉልበት፥ ጊዜ፥ እውቀት የፈሰሰበትን ሥራ መና እንዳይቀር ይታደጋልና ይዋል ይደር የማይባል ጉዳይ ነው። ስለሆነም በአባላቱ ተነሳሽነት፥ በማኅበሩ የቁርጠኝነት ጥረት፥ በልማት አጋሮች ትብብርና በመንግሥት ከፍተኛ ድጋፍ የሀገሪቱ ሆርቲካልቸር ዘርፍ በተለይ በሰፋፊ እርሻዎች የሚካሄደውን ግብርና የማዘመን ሥራ እንደቀጠለ፥ ከጊዜ ወደ ጊዜ እያደገም ይገኛል።

ከውጭ ምንዛሪ፥ ከሥራ እድል ባለፈ ያሉ ሰናይ ተግባራት – በተለይ በአዲስ ዓመት

ዘመናዊ፥ ሰፋፊ የሆርቲካልቸር የንግድ እርሻዎች (Commercial Farms) አነስተኛ አርሶአደሮችን ባሳተፈና በደገፈ መልኩ እንዲሁም የእውቀትና የቴክኖሎጂ ሽግግር በማድረግ ሲንቀሳቀሱ በርካታ የማኅበራዊ ኃላፊነት ተግባራትን ያከናውናሉ።

ለአካባቢው ነዋሪዎች በተለይ ለወጣቶችና ሴቶች የሥራ እድልን ከመፍጠር ባሻገር የሆርቲካልቸር እርሻዎች በሚንቀሳቀሱበት አካባቢዎች ከዚያም ባለፉ ቦታዎች ትምህርት ቤቶችንና የሕክምና ተቋማትን ይገነባሉ፥ በቁሳቁስ ይደግፋሉ፥ በእድሳት እገዛ ያደርጋሉ። ለዚህም በባቱ (ዝዋይ)፥ በቆቃ፥ በዝቋላ፥ በሰበታ በሌሎችም ክላስተሮች የሚገኙ እርሻዎች የተከናወኑ ሥራዎች ተጠቃሽ ናቸው። በበርካታ እርሻዎች የንጹህ ውሃ አቅርቦት፥ የንጽህናና የመጸዳጃ ቤት ፕሮጀክቶች የተከናወኑ ሲሆን በሆለታ፥ ዝቋላና በሌሎች አንዳንድ እርሻዎች ደግሞ ሕዝብን በከፍተኛ ደረጃ የሚያገለግሉ ማገናኛ መንገዶች ተሠርተዋል።

ትምህርት ቤቶችን ከማሰራት፥ ከማሳደስና ቁሳቁሶችን ከማሟላት በተጨማሪ ይህ ወቅት የአዲሱ ዘመን ትምህርት የሚጀመርበት ጊዜ ነውና በርካታ እርሻዎች በአካባቢያቸው ለሚገኙ የገንዘብ አቅም ለሌላቸው ወላጆች ለልጆቻቸው የትምህርት ቁሳቁስ ይለግሳሉ። በአንዳንድ አካባቢዎች እርሻዎች የአቅመ ደካሞችን ቤቶች አሠርተዋል፥ ለአንዳንዶችም የገንዘብ ድጋፍ ያደርጋሉ። እንደ ዝቋላ ያሉ እርሻዎች የአረጋውያንንና የአካል ጉዳተኞችን ተቋማት ይረዳሉ።

በዘመናዊ የሆርቲካልቸር ልማት ምንጩን መንከባከብ

የአካባቢንና የማኅበረሰብን ደህንነት በመጠበቅ፥ በማልማትና በመንከባከብ ኃላፊነትን በሚገባ በመወጣት በንግድ እርሻዎች የሚተገበረው የሆርቲካልቸር ልማት ሠራተኞቹን፥ ምንጩን በመንከባከብ ረገድ የሚያከናውነውና ከጊዜ ወደ ጊዜ እየተጠናከረ የመጣው ሥራ በጣም የሚያስመሰግን ነው። የሥራ ላይ ደህንነትን መጠበቅ፥ የሠራተኞችን ጤና መንከባከብና አስፈላጊ የሆኑ ተቋማትንና ክፍሎችን በማሟላት ምቹ የሥራ ቦታ መፍጠር የእርሻዎቹ ልዩ ትኩረቶች ናቸው። በሥራ ቦታ በነጻ እንዲሁም በከፍተኛ ድጎማ የሚከናወን ምገባና የጤና ክብካቤ አገልግሎት በሆርቲካልቸር እርሻዎች የሚሰጥ በምርትና ምርታማነት ላይ ከፍተኛ አስተዋጽኦ ያለው ተግባር ነው። ለሠራተኞች በተለይ ለሴት ሠራተኞች ምቹ የሥራ ከባቢና ሁኔታ ለመፍጠር በሚደረጉ ክንውኖች የንጽህና መጠበቂያ፥ የልብስ መቀየሪያና የእረፍት መውሰጃ ክፍሎችና ቦታዎች ደረጃቸውን በጠበቀ መልኩ በበርካታ እርሻዎች መገንባታቸው ለምንጩ ክብካቤ የተሰጠውን ትኩረት የሚያሳይ ነው። በአንዳንድ እርሻዎች በሚከናወነው የምግብና የሕፃናት ማቆያዎች የመሳሰሉት ልዩ ድጋፎች ወላድ ሠራተኞችን በእጅጉ እየረዱ ይገኛሉ። 

በኢትዮጵያ ዘመናዊ ሆርቲካልቸር ልማት፥ በሰፋፊ የንግድ እርሻዎች በመቶ ሺዎች ለሚቆጠሩ ዜጎች የሥራ እድል የተፈጠረ ሲሆን ከእነዚህም 80 በመቶው ሴት ሠራተኞች ናቸው። በዚህም ረገድ ንዑስ ዘርፉን በዘላቂነት ለማሳለጥ ለእነዚህ ሴት ሠራተⶉች ምቹ ሁኔታ ለመፍጠር፥ ፆታን መሠረት ያደረጉ ችግሮችን በሚገባ ለመከላከል እንዲሁም ሴት ሠራተኞችን በአመራር ቦታዎች ለማስቀመጥ በማኅበሩ ቁልፍ ሚና ተጫዋችነት በአባላቱም ተነሳሽነት የተለያዩ ስልታዊ ሥራዎች በመከናወን ላይ ይገኛሉ። የስነ-ተዋልዶና የአጠቃላይ ጤና አጠባበቅ፥ የስነ-ምግብ እንዲሁም ሌሎች ተያያዥ ባላቸው ጉዳዮች ዙሪያ ሙያዊ ስልጠናዎች በተጠናከረ ሁኔታ በመካሄድ ላይ ይገኛሉ። ፆታዊ ጉዳዮችን በሚገባ ለመቃኘትና ተገቢውን እንቅስቃሴ በተደራጀ መልኩ ለማድረግ በማኅበሩ የፆታ ክፍል (Gender Department) መሪና አስተባባሪነት በእርሻዎች ደረጃ የፆታ ኮሚቴዎች (Gender Committees) ተቋቁመዋል። በዚህም ምክንያት እጅግ አመርቂ ውጤቶች ተገኝተዋል።

ማኅበሩ በቁርጠኝነት የሚጫወታቸው ሚናዎች

ለሆርቲካልቸር ኢንቨስትመንትና ቢዝነስ ምቹ ሁኔታ እንዲፈጠር፤ ስነ ምህዳሩን ለመንከባከብና ለማሻሻል ማኅበሩ ከሚያከናውናቸው ተግባራት በተጨማሪ የሀገሪቱ ንዑስ ዘርፍ ችግርን በመቋቋም በዘላቂነት እንዲለማ፥ ከንዑስ ዘርፉ የሚገኘው ኢኮኖሚያዊና ማኅበራዊ ጥቅም በእጅጉ እንዲያድግ እንዲሁም በዓለምአቀፍ ደረጃ ተወዳዳሪ እንዲሆን በርካታ ስልታዊ ሥራዎችን ያከናወናል። አባላት የዓለምአቀፍ መልካም የግብርና አተገባበርን (Global Good Agricultural Practices – GlobalG.A.P.) በመከተል እንዲተጉ፥ አዋጭ የሆኑ ዓለምአቀፍ ገበያዎች የሚያወጧቸውን የጥራት መስፈርቶች በማሟላት ምርታቸው ተቀባይነት እንዲያገኝ እንዲሁም ምርትና ምርታማነትን የሚያሳድጉ አሠራሮችን እንዲተገብሩና ለዘርፉ ስጋት የሚሆኑ የፀረ-ሰብል ችግሮችን እንዲቋቋሙና እንዲቀርፉ ማኅበሩ የተለያዩ የአቅም ግንባታ መርሃግብሮችን በማከናወን ሥልጠናዎችን ለአባላቱ በመስጠት በእጅጉ ይደግፋቸዋል። ከዚህም በተጨማሪ በዓለምአቀፍ ገበያዎች ምርታቸውን በማስተዋወቅ እንዲሁም የገበያ ትስስሮችን በመፍጠር ሚናውን በቁርጠኝነት በመጫወት ላይ ይገኛል።

ንዑስ ዘርፉን በተመለከተ ከሚጫወተው ሚና በተጨማሪ ማኅበሩ የተለያዩ ማኅነራዊና ኢኮኖሚያዊ እንቅስቃሴዎች ላይ በንቃት ይሳተፋል። በአዲስ አበባ ከተማ አስተዳደር አርሶአደር እና የከተማ ግብርና ልማት ኮሚሽን የሚከናወኑ የከተማ ግብርና (Urban Agriculture)  እና የሽቅብታ እርሻ (Vertical Farming) ሥራዎችን በመደገፍ፤ በአነስተኛ ቦታ እጅግ ከፍተኛ ጠቀሜታ ያለቸውን የሆርቲካልቸር ምርቶች ለማምረት የሚያስችል ቴክኖሎጂና አሠራር እንዲስፋፋ፥ በከተማዋ የምግብ ዋስትናንና ሉዓላዊነትን ለማረጋገጥ፥ ለወጣቶችና ሴቶች የገቢ ማስገኛ ምንጮችን በመፍጠር የዜጎችን የኑሮ ሁኔታ ለማሻሻል በሚደረጉ እንቅስቃሴዎች ውስጥ በሚገባ እየተሳተፈ ይገኛል። ለዚህም ከሁለት የልማት አጋሮች ጋር በመተባበር ከ11 ክፍለ ከተሞች ለተወጣጡ ወጣቶችና ሴቶች በተግባር የተደገፈ ሥልጠናዎችን በመስጠት፤ የተጀመረው ልማት ይፋጠን ዘንድና እየተመዘገበ ያለውም ውጤት እንዲልቅ ማኅበሩ አስፈላጊ የሆኑ የግብርና ማከናወኛ ቁሳቁሶችን በቅርቡ ለግሷል። 

ማኅበሩ የአባላቱን ስኬታማነት የሀገሪቱን የሆርቲካልቸር ንዑስ ዘርፍ በእጅጉ ለማሳደግ በቁርጠኝነት የሚያደርገውን እንቅስቃሴና ጥረት በተጀመረው አዲስ ዓመት አጠናክሮ የሚቀጥል ሲሆን ለዚህም ከግብርና ሚኒስቴር፥ ከግብርና ባለስልጣንና ከሌሎች የሚመለከታቸው የመንግሥት መሥሪያ ቤቶች እንዲሁም ከልማት አጋር ድርጅቶችና ዓለምአቀፍ ተቋማት ጋር በትብብር ይሠራል።

ሆርቲፍሎራ – ዓመታዊው ዓለምአቀፍ የሆርቲካልቸር የንግድ ትርዒት

የሀገሪቱን የሆርቲካልቸር እምቅ አቅም ለተቀረው ዓለም ለማሳየት፥ የውጭ ባለሀብቶችን ለመሳብ፥ ለአባላቱ የገበያ ትስስርን ለመፍጠር፥ በአጠቃላይ ዘርፉን ለማዘመንና ለማሳደግ ማኅበሩ ከሚያከናውናቸው ተግባራት መካከል አንዱ የተለያዩ ሁነቶች ወይም መድረኮች ላይ መሳተፍና በሀገር ውስጥ ሁነቶችን ማዘጋጀት ሲሆን ለዚህም ከዚህ በፊት በሁለት ዓመታት አንዴ ይካሄድ የነበረውና አሁን በየዓመቱ የሚካሄደው ሆርቲፍሎራ ታላቁና ዋነኛው ዝግጅት ነው።

ሆርቲፍሎራ ኤክስፖ የሆርቲካልቸር ንዑስ ዘርፍ ባለሀብቶችን፥ አምራቾችን፥ ላኪዎችን፥ ገዢዎችን፥ አግባብነት ያላቸውን የመንግሥት ተቋማትን፥ ቴክኖሎጂና ግብአት አቅራቢዎችን፥ ምርጥ ዘር አባዢዎችን፥ ኢንዱስትሪ መሪዎችንና ባለሙያዎችን፥ የትምህርትና የምርምር ተቋማትንና ሌሎችንም በእሴት ሰንሰለት ተሳታፊ አካላትን በአንድ ጣሪያ በማሰባሰብ ለሦስት ቀናት የሚካሄድ ታላቅ ዝግጅት ነው። ለዚህም ማኅበሩ ከኤችፒፒ ከተሰኘ ዓለምአቀፍ ተቋም ጋር በመተባበር በመዲናዋ አዲስ አበባ በየዓመቱ ያዘጋጀዋል። የ2019 ሆርቲፍሎራ ኤክስፖ (HortiFlora Expo 2027) በመጋቢት ወር በአዲስ ዓለምአቀፍ ኮንቬንሽን ማዕከል የሚካሄድ ሲሆን ለዚህም ዝግጅቱ ከወዲሁ ተጀምሯል።

የመንግሥት ልዩ ትኩረትና ድጋፍ

ከጊዜ ወደ ጊዜ እየዘመነ እያደገ የመጣው የሆርቲካልቸር ንዑስ-ዘርፍ በመንግሥት ልዩ ትኩረትና ድጋፍ የዕድገቱን ዘላቂነት በሚያረጋግጥ ሀዲድ ላይ ይገኛል። መንግሥት ንዑስ-ዘርፉን ለማሳደግ የተለያዩ ማበረታቻዎችን ማለትም- የግብር እፎይታ፥ ከቀረጥ ነጻ ግብአቶች፥ የብድር ማመቻቸት፥ የመሬት አቅርቦትና ሌሎች ድጋፎችን ከማድረግ ባሻገር በተለያዩ የሕግና የፖሊሲ ማዕቀፎችን በመቅረጽና ወደ ተግባር በማስገባት ሆርቲካልቸሩን እየደገፈ ይገኛል። ለዚህም ከአንድ ዓመት በፊት በግብርና ሚኒስቴር ይፋ ሆነው ወደ ሥራ የተገባባቸው የ10 ዓመት ብሔራዊ ሆርቲካልቸር ስትራቴጂና የ15 ዓመት የአቮካዶ ልማት ምርሃግብር ተጠቃሽ ናቸው።  ከዚህም በተጨማሪ ለአዳዲስ ባለሀብቶችና ለነባር እርሻዎች ማስፋፊያ የሚሆን መሬት አቅርቦትም እየተከናወነ ይገኛል።

አዲስ ዓመት ተጀምሯል – ትጋቱ ይቀጥላል። አበባው ዓመቱን ሙሉ ያብባል፤ አዝመራው ይጎመራል።

The Ethiopian Horticulture Producer Exporters Association (EHPEA) handed over horticultural farming tools to the Addis Ababa City Administration Farmers and Urban Agriculture Development Commission as part of an initiative implemented to expand urban agriculture and vertical farming technologies and create economic opportunities for young people in urban settlements.

In partnership with Mastercard Foundation and Digital Opportunity Trust as well as in close coordination with the Commission and offices at sub-city level, EHPEA has been implementing a one-year project designed to equip young people in urban areas with practical skills and technical knowledge in modern vertical farming, thereby contributing to improved food systems, job creation and employment opportunities in urban settlements.

The project has reached out 687 trainees drawn from 11 sub-cities, women making up 65% of the participants, providing them with the training consisting of days-long indoor theoretical sessions and hands-on field demonstrations on the premises of relevant facilities, according to Yodit Girma, the Project Coordinator on EHPEA side.

The following tasks as part of the project, the Coordinator said, would be follow-up and support in production and marketing the produces, conduct consultative and exchange sessions with pertinent bodies, and organize awareness raising event for participants among other activities.

The purchase and handover of the farming tools including seedling trays, three-hand cultivators, shovels, watering cans, water tankers and variety of horticultural seeds were made in accordance with the indicated needs for the implementation of the project.

Highlighting the progress and achievements over the last 7-8 years in practicing urban agriculture in the city, Mohammed Ligani, Deputy Commissioner of the Addis Ababa City Administration Farmers and Urban Agriculture Development Commission, commended EHPEA for the project in general and the donation of the tools in particular.

Handing over the tools to representatives of the project participants from respective sub-cities, EHPEA Executive Director Tewodros Zewdie reiterated the significant role urban agriculture and vertical farming plays in promoting food systems and expanding economic opportunities for urban settlers, particularly for youth and women.

Hailing the Government’s committed initiatives to promoting urban agriculture and vertical farming towards sustainable and self-sufficient food systems and economic opportunities in rapidly expanding cities, which is bearing fruitful outcomes, the Executive Director expressed EHPEA’s continued support and committed engagement with the Commission, sub-city offices and individual participants to take collaborative initiatives to higher level and enhance gains from the horticulture subsector.

As part of its dedicated engagement in policy advocacy for favorable investment and business environment, the Ethiopian Horticulture Producer Exporters Association (EHPEA) today hosted a consultation session on issues related to customs and taxation with the participation of representatives of member farms and notch experts in the areas.

Implementing the Homegrown Economic Reform Agenda, massive reforms have been undertaken in Ethiopia, with more than 140 legal and policy frameworks, to create fertile ground for the private sector, thereby boosting local and foreign investments and strengthening ease of business doing here in the country.

The measures being taken with the reform have had significant contribution to improving and creating conducive business environment for the private sector in general and the horticulture subsector in particular.

Through EHPEA’s dedicated advocacy engagement and its sound coordination with key government bodies, several critical issues related to customs and taxation have been resolved, thereby significantly contributing to improving the business climate for and achievements of the horticulture subsector.

With a viewing of further boosting the subsector’s export performance in the 2026/27 budget year as per the plan, and as there are emerging issues related to customs proclamation amendments, the consultation was convened to deliberate on implementation challenges and ways forward in a structured manner.

Reiterating the several achievements in successfully addressing important issues that come across the subsector, EHPEA Executive Director Tewodros Zewdie highlighted the role of such venue in identifying policy implementation challenges and adopting structured approach to ensure enabling environment for horticultural investment and ease of business doing.

The Ethiopian Horticulture Producer Exporters Association (EHPEA) actively participated in an Event organized Sunday on the premises of the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA), marking the first Day of Ethiopia’s 13th Month Pagumen – ‘A Leap for Ethiopia’s Rejuvenation.’

The Event was opened in the attendance of H.E. Deputy Prime Minister Temesgen Tiruneh,

With exhibition and panel discussion, the Event brought together senior government officials, representatives of different organizations, partners and private stakeholders.

EHPEA has participated in the event showcasing the high quality horticultural products produced with hi-tech operation and the Association’s dedicated engagement in promoting resilient and sustainable horticulture in Ethiopia, and also its contribution to the agriculture sector as well as economic growth and social gains of the country.

The Ethiopian Horticulture Producer Exporters Association (EHPEA) in collaboration with CropLife Ethiopia today convened a workshop on Agrochemical Container Management to drive collaborative efforts meant to establish a practical and sustainable model specifically tailored to Ethiopia’s export-oriented horticulture value chain.

The initiative primarily aims at supporting EHPEA member farms in meeting environmental compliance, responsible-use, certification, sustainability, and market-access requirements while generating evidence and lessons to inform broader agrochemical container stewardship initiatives in Ethiopia.

The workshop brought together EHPEA member farms, government institutions, agrochemical suppliers, recyclers, certification bodies, and development partners to assess the current situation, learn from international experiences, identify practical solutions, and agree on a roadmap for piloting the system within the horticulture sector.

The day-long event featured presentations under topics including Ethiopia’s Environmental Legal Frameworks and Implementation; Agrochemical Container Management in Ethiopia’s Horticulture Sector; Global Insights: International Best Practices and Sustainable Container Management Models; Current situation in terms of misuse of empty pesticides container; and Practical Stewardship Models and Industry-Led Solutions.

In his welcoming remarks, Tewodros Zewdie, EHPEA Executive Director, noted that the EHPEA Code of Practice requires responsible operations of member farms, and the initiative would further reinforce the efforts and commitment to environmental stewardship and social responsibility.

The Executive Director emphasized on the need to adopt the standard and proper procedures of agrochemical container management, saying “Empty agrochemical containers must be triple-rinsed immediately after use. The agrochemical containers must not be reused for food or water.”

“It is important to crush after triple-rinsing and the containers should be taken to an approved disposal or recycling system,” noted Tewodros.

In her keynote address, H.E. Ferenesh Mekuria, Deputy Director General of the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) commended the joint initiative as it is timely and coincides with the ongoing Clean Ethiopia Campaign that drives nationwide collective commitment to safeguarding the environment sustainably and building a cleaner, healthier and greener Ethiopia.

The Deputy Director General noted that the Workshop plays an important role in further enhancing the gains in environmentally friendly and socially responsible operations of the horticulture subsector which is generating hard currencies and creating job opportunities in the country.

With active engagement of the participants, the Workshop entrained insightful deliberations on the presentations as well as on the follow-up mechanisms and next milestone.

Building on the momentum of recent national strategic dialogues highlighting Ethiopia’s fruit export potential, the Ethiopian Horticulture Producer Exporters Association (EHPEA), in collaboration with PUM Netherlands, has launched a targeted technical training program focused on banana postharvest handling and smart cold chain management.

Hosted in Arba Minch, South Ethiopia Region, one of the country’s major banana production clusters, the initiative is designed to translate high-level conference resolutions into field-level execution, addressing critical bottlenecks in the fruit supply chain from farm-gate harvesting to export-market delivery.

While the region boasts immense potential for commercial banana production, postharvest losses and cold chain vulnerabilities have historically constrained large-scale export growth. The joint EHPEA-PUM training directly targets these challenges by equipping regional producers, farm supervisors, and extension workers with hands-on expertise through a dynamic blend of indoor technical sessions and practical field visits to local farms.

Core components of the program include implementing precise protocols during de-handing, washing, and packaging to prevent mechanical bruising and latex staining; managing pulp temperatures, pre-cooling techniques, and climate-controlled transport to prevent premature ripening during transit; and aligning grading, sizing, and packaging practices with stringent international market requirements.

The collaboration forms a vital part of EHPEA’s broader capacity-building roadmap, working alongside international agricultural experts to bridge the gap between local farming practices and global market compliance.

Taking training participants directly to the production sites and packing lines of Arba Minch for immersive field demonstrations, the program ensures that teams can immediately integrate standardized quality management and hygiene protocols into their daily operations.

As Ethiopia continues to position itself as an emerging powerhouse in regional and global fruit trade, such targeted interventions in key production hubs mark a significant step toward securing higher export revenues, reducing food loss, and ensuring sustainable livelihoods across the agricultural value chain.

National Conference on Banana deliberates on ways of unleashing Ethiopia’s banana potential through enhanced product quality and addressing key issues within the industry, thereby boosting export revenues and enhancing decent employment opportunities among other socio-economic gains.

Organized by the Ethiopian Horticulture Producer Exporters Association (EHPEA) under the theme – ‘From Bunches to Breakthrough”, the National Conference on Banana is going on at Hilton Hotel in Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa.

The one-day Conference brings more than 200 participants together from across the agricultural, particularly the banana value chain, including agricultural experts, horticulturalists, producers, exporters, cooperatives, financial institutions, research and academic institutions, development partners, and other actors.

Featuring presentations and panel discussions with top-notch speakers and industry specialists, the Conference dwells upon the current status of Ethiopia’s banana industry, reviews global banana market trends, charts out ways to address supply chain hurdles and post-harvest handling as well as to expand export opportunities for the country’s high-value banana products.

Officially opening the Conference, H.E. Dr. Sofia Kassa, State Minister of Agricultural Investment and Input Supply Development Sector at the Ministry of Agriculture, underlined on the need to drive collective and committed efforts to achieve breakthrough in the banana industry through strengthened quality compliance to international standards and expanding the access to finance, among other strategic interventions.

“Breakthrough will not happen by production efforts alone. It requires us to address, with combined efforts and commitment, the real challenges that stand between our farms and the global marketplace,” said the State Minister.

To effectively drive the growth of Ethiopia’s horticulture and strengthening its value chain in the country, the Government has been taking favorable measures through sectoral policy frameworks and supportive initiatives, including the 10-Year National Horticulture Strategy launched by the Ministry exactly this time last year, noted the State Minister.

H.E. Dr. Sofia reaffirmed the Ministry’s commitment to working hand in hand with EHPEA, producers and exporters, development partners, and the financial and research communities, to translate the outcomes of the Conference into real policy action and committed investment on the ground.

The one-day Conference has brought more than 200 participants together from across the agricultural, particularly the banana value chain to primarily deliberate on ways of unleashing the country’s potential and positioning Ethiopia as global banana export powerhouse.

In his welcoming remarks, the EHPEA Executive Director Tewodros Zewdie noted that the Conference has been organized with focus on identifying local and global opportunities, laying strategies for improving production, research impact and further commercialization of the banana crop.

EHPEA spearheads strategic initiatives and interventions to support the successful implementation of such relevant polices and promote the subsector, ensuring robust and sustainable horticulture in Ethiopia that generates increased hard currencies and creates decent jobs for citizens.

Tewodros said the Association has been undertaking series of consultative platforms and capacity building interventions with the Ministry of Agriculture and its partners, reinforcing the efforts geared towards releasing the potential in the horticulture industry.

Presentations were made on pertinent topics including among others, banana production and research in Ethiopia, global banana industry, smart cold chain logistics, and the role of private sector in banana industry.
The Conference is accompanied by mini-exhibition displaying products and businesses along the banana value chain.