Urban Agriculture the Overlooked Opportunity in Ethiopia

The Case study of:

CDCB Ongoing Model-Innovative project

In partnership with

September, 2017

Finfinne

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 Contents pages

1. Part I. Introduction ................................................................................................................... 3

1.1 About CDCB........................................................................................................................ 4

1.2 Project Background .............................................................................................................. 4

2. Part II. Project implementations and current status ................................................................ 5

2.1 Project launching participants (right) ............................................................................... 6

2.2 Assessment ....................................................................................................................... 6

2.3 Training ............................................................................................................................ 6

2.4 Input supply and Supportive Follow-up ........................................................................... 7

2.5 Project Expansion and Cooperative Formation ................................................................ 8

2.5.1 Chicken Food Processing Plant ............................................................................................ 8

2.5.2 Animal feed processing Machines........................................................................................ 9

2.5.3 Training section ...................................................................................................................... 9

2.6 Key Achievements of the project ................................................................................... 10

2.6.1 Beneficiaries’ Testimony ..................................................................................................... 10

2.6.2 Local administration and non-beneficiary local communities view .............................. 12

3.1 Summary of the project’s Success, Bottlenecks and way-out ........................................ 13

4. Part VI: Way for ward ........................................................................................................... 14

4.1 Creating Model Community .......................................................................................... 14

4.2 Scaling up and institutionalization ................................................................................. 15

5. Annex: Non-Beneficiaries (Neighbors and Local Administration workers) view ................ 16

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 1. Part I. Introduction

The contribution of urban agriculture in income generation, employment generation and food
security is indispensible. However, this huge opportunity is overlooked; it is with this
understanding that CDCB initiated a project entitled “Urban Rural Linkage and Urban
Agriculture for livelihood diversification and food security in Oromia Special zone
surrounding Finfinne” in 2014. The long term objective of the project is to influence policy
makers and development actors to give due attention to this overlooked opportunity and address
the challenges fast urbanization processes in Central Oromia. It was a one year project with a
limited budget given its expected outcome. Although the project faced-out more than a year ago
CDCB is still working towards the realization of the project objectives with its own meager
resources and with the limited support of its partners; nevertheless, this didn’t bring the project to
the expected level. Given the urgency of the challenges of urbanization and timely nature of the
project it is apparent to call upon development actors and all concerned stakeholder and citizen
to support the realization of the project. Hence, this document is to briefly communicate the
project to potential partners, government body and concerned citizens to support the initiative.

The document is divided into three parts: part one gives highlights of the project, part two briefly
describes major activities carried out and their influences. Finally, part three points out key
challenges and areas of intervention to realize the project objectives.

CDCB kindly requests interested individuals, organizations and potential partners to support the
project taking into account areas of intervention indicated in way-forward part (Part-III) of this
document.

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 1.1 About CDCB

Centre for Development and Capacity Building (CDCB) a local, non-governmental, civil society
non-profiting making organization established in 20212 by a group of practitioners, civic
organization leaders and academia with the view of working in partnership with the regional
states and local governments. The prime objective of CDCB is to support regional states and
their respective local governments through independent and external professional inputs in
scientific research, expertise advisory services and tailor-made capacity building trainings,
organizing forums for Government, private and academia and civic societies and implements
innovative projects to be scaled up by government and development partners, currently with
emphasis on Oromia Regional State.

1.2 Project Background

Ethiopia is one of fast growing sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries that has been registering
modest growth rate for nearly one decade. Ethiopia is among the least urbanized countries in the
world and the urbanization rate is even less than the average SSA countries in the past, currently
it is one of the countries in region where the urbanization is expanding at fastest rate. The
country doesn’t have policy and strategy to sustaining the livelihood of farmers dislocated due to
urbanization and urban agriculture policy vis-à-vis institutional framework to support urban
agriculture.

Urban expansion in Ethiopia, particular Finfinne (Addis Ababa) is dislocating and marginalizing
indigenous farmers surrounding the capital. These farmers are forced to be jobless due to two
reasons. Firstly, they are not included in the rural Agricultural extension package anymore as
they become urban dwellers, and secondly they cannot cope up with the life of cities as they are
landless framers and the only “opportunity” they have is to be a guards and subjected to
miserable life.

Understanding this policy and institutional gaps CDCB initiated innovative Urban-Agriculture
project to generate evidences for policy inputs and to recommend appropriate institutional
framework to support urban agriculture. This Urban-Agriculture project is an innovative and
model project under implementation in the peri-urban area of Oromia special zone surrounding
Fininfine, Berek district, in Laga Bari Lega Bollo kebele since October, 2014. It is a pilot
project intended to improve the livelihood of the dislocated and marginalized community
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members due to investment and urban expansion in the area to and generate evidence and draw
lessons for policy makers in designing the region’s policy in this regard. The project was
designed on Poultry and Horticulture farms engaging selected households of the locality.

Oromia Special Zone Surrounding Finfinne was selected as a project site due to high urban
expansion and severity of its negative externality in the area. The district was chosen among the
districts in the special zone because there is no urban agriculture initiative as compared to other
districts of the special zone.

Following district selection locality and project beneficiaries were selected on meticulous criteria
and through participatory approaches. First, a team comprising different community groups and
local authority (DA, HEW, kebele officials, and Representatives from district offices) was
formed to undertake the selection of potential beneficiaries. Second, the team developed
selection criteria using different parameters including: education level, age, sex, interest, income
level and motivations of the beneficiaries. Finally, the team preliminary screened out 185
households out of 465 households. The target was to engage 100 households; hence the team
selected those households ranked from 1 to 100 for poultry and Horticulture farm.

2. Part II. Project implementations and current status

The project is intended to generate evidences for policy inputs and institutional reform that
contributes towards addressing the challenges of the fast urban expansion process particularly
around the capital Finfinne (Addis Ababa) and towns in the central part of Oromia. Encouraging
results has been gained so far to use the intervention for policy inputs and scaling-up. However,
there are a number of key activities need to be done for scaling-up and generate sufficient
evidences to advocate for institutionalization of urban-agriculture in the region. Despite
challenges and a need for further interventions there are key activities undertaken in the course
of implementing the project. Brief description of implemented key activities would help in
evaluating the current status, drawing lessons and setting roadmap to attain the ultimate goal of
the project.

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 2.1 Project launching participants (right)

The project was officially commenced by

launching workshop conducted at Sandafa Town
on 25th April 2015, with 50 participants drawn
from target beneficiaries, relevant district, and
invited guests from two Regional Bureaus. On this
workshop, consensus was reached among all
stakeholders with regard to the importance of the
project and its commencement was officially
declared.

2.2 Assessment
Before implementation of the project, systemic assessment was conducted to investigate urban
agriculture opportunities in Oromia special zone in general and Sandafa Bakke district in
particular. The assessment identified various urban agriculture opportunities in the area,
nevertheless, horticulture and poultry farm were identified to be the best urban agriculture
practices because of budget limit of the project. The study also helped to develop proper project
implementation strategy and best criteria to select beneficiaries. The assessment also reviewed
various urban agriculture policies and different country’s experiences and their relevance to our
context. The finding of the assessment is available as a reference for further studies and could be
used as evidence for policy dialogue and scaling up of the project.

2.3 Training
Five days generic training was provided for the selected beneficiaries on poultry and horticulture
farms. Accordingly, 51 households (household heads) on poultry and 14 on horticulture farm
received training as per the type of farm they selected to involve in. To this end:

a) Two standard training manuals on Poultry and Horticulture farming were developed by
pertinent professionals in the field.
b) Intensive training was provided for the target beneficiaries for five days.

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 Poultry farm training participants

2.4 Input supply and Supportive Follow-up

After completion of the training, on May 25, 2015 CDCB provided six hundred (600) chickens,
anti-disease chemicals, and one month chicken food for the entire target beneficiaries (51
persons-16 male and 35 Female). On July 9, 2015 eight quintals (800kg) of improved potato seed
acquired from Holeta Research Center was supplied to the target beneficiaries (14 persons _ 13
male and 1 Female). Similarly, 1.8 quintal (180kg) Garlic/onion seed provided for the same
beneficiaries.

The beneficiaries entered an agreement not only for receiving the inputs but also to implement
the project as per the training and the manual which guide the practice. The Development Agents
were highly engaged in the whole process of the project with a responsibility to support the
implementation in addition to the CDCB project officer.

pullets delivered to the beneficiaries

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 During supplying improved seeds of Vegetable

2.5 Project Expansion and Cooperative Formation

Beneficiaries are collecting eggs daily for sale and their income is improving. As one can learn
from the interview conducted with some of the beneficiaries, it is not only their income that
changed as a result of the project but also nutritional diversification as they have been using eggs
for feeding their family. Although there are positive changes market is becoming a serious due to
lack of regular buyers. Chickens food is supplied at high price because the supply is
monopolized by only two suppliers. To address these problems CDCB with the financial support
of OXFAM-USA constructed animal food processing center with the necessary machineries. The
project beneficiaries are supported to form cooperative and legally registered.

2.5.1 Chicken Food Processing Plant

Following the cooperative formation of the project beneficiary they secured land from local
authority for the purpose of establishing animal food processing plant, office and product sales
site. The chicken food processing plant is furnished by user friendly machines to be operated by
the beneficiaries (local community). The food processing plant is also designed for multi-
purposes as a center for animal food processing and training center for the community, for office,
and for sale center.

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 The multi-purpose center (animal food processing and training Center)

2.5.2 Animal feed processing Machines

With the financial support from Oxfam America, CDCB procured animal food processing
machines (miller, and mixer) simple and user friendly one.

Picture: Mixture, Miller, and Balance (from left to Right)

2.5.3 Training section

The animal food processing center has a section designed to serves as community training center
and office for the cooperatives and furnished for this purposes.

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 Picture: partially showing Training room

2.6 Key Achievements of the project

The result of project evaluation shows that, the innovative project in spite of its magnitude and
duration has changed the attitude of the community (beneficiary and non-beneficiary) and local
administrations towards diversified income generation schemes and urban agriculture. The
beneficiaries’ income improved and motivated non-beneficiaries to take part in similar activities.
An average of 320 household members including women and youth are directly or indirectly
engaged in poultry management.

2.6.1 Beneficiaries’ Testimony

Obbo Sisay Demise

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Once I was engaged in small-business (with no profit but high risk) driving donkeys in the
lowlands of Minjar until I heard about the innovative project of CDCB. It was at critical time for
me when I was selected as one of the project’s beneficiary. I have attended the training provided
by CDCB but I could not wait until the start of the project that I had started irrigation of
horticulture like potato and onion on my plot.

With the support and follow up of CDCB I proceed and I sold potato to ETB 10, 000 (Ten
thousand Birr) and Onion to ETB 8,000 (Eight thousand Birr) form on harvest (the house
consumption is not included). Having seen this result, I progressed to using pump and now I
have recruited 4 workers in my farm. From this success, I have started poultry farm by receiving
chickens from CDCB along with their food and disinfecting chemicals.

Today I built my own house in the town and pay ETB 420 (Four hundred twenty) for my
children’s school fee a month. Observing the positive change in my life, friends and neighbors
are requesting only training and technical support to start poultry and horticulture farm on their
own.

Adde Aberash Tadase (beneficiary)

I was working for Arab families in Kuwait and regularly sending my wages to my fiancé when I
came back home; he was married to another woman and refused give my money back. When I
learned this I was distressed, my Dad gave me a plot of land and built house for me with what I
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had and with his own. I started my life by selling local alcohol (Arake). Then I was married to a
person working in one of the sectors of the district. My marriage could not sustain for more than
a year as I got pregnant and gave birth to twin babies my husband betrayed me leaving the kids
with me, the worst time in my life. While I was in this situation, CDCB staff Mr. Soboka and
local administration told me that I am selected to participate in the project which was about to
start in my kebele that I realized good time would appear again.

I participated in trainings and received chickens, chicken food and disinfecting chemicals home
and started poultry farm on my own plot of land. Now in addition to the income I earn from the
farm coupled with local Alcohol, I am now selling soft drinks in my house that my life is
improving from then on wards.

2.6.2 Local administration and non-beneficiary local communities view

Local administration and non-beneficiary local community members also expressed their view
regarding the project’s positive influences on their attitude, motivation, and in initiating similar
activities and management of small business. (Refer to annex one- regarding the view of Local
administration and non-beneficiary local community on the positive influence of the project).

3. Part III. Project Challenges and way-forward

As briefly discussed in the preceding part, encouraging results have been witnessed to attain the
intended goal of the project. However, further efforts of deepening and broadening of the project
is needed for scaling-up and to generate sufficient evidences for institutionalization of urban-
agriculture.

Some of the key challenges are attributed to: beneficiaries’ skill and technical gaps on proper
management of poultry farm (feeding and maintaining house and health condition) is causing
negative impact on the success of the project. Animal food processing plant is constructed and
furnished with necessary machineries to address the problem of availability and quality chicken
food in the area; however, it is not functional due to electric power supply which needs
immediate action with the support of stakeholders. Due to the limited number of chicken per-
household, beneficiaries are not committing their full working time on the project. Increasing
each household’s number of chicken and size of horticulture so that beneficiaries practice poultry
farm and horticulture as fulltime job is very important. Due to budget limitation and
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 unavailability of fund CDCB is unable to supply additional inputs currently and need the support
of its partners and potential partners’. Above-all, to attain the intended project objectives, further
broadening and deepening of the project through solving the immediate challenges is
indispensable.

3.1 Summary of the project’s Success, Bottlenecks and way-out

Success Shortages/Bottlenecks Way-out

Income: beneficiaries daily Income: the number of chickens  Seek for additional fund to increase
income improved distributed is too few to bring about the number of chickens for each
significant change on their income. beneficiary. This is to bring about
significant change on the lives of
shortage of fund to supply enough the beneficiaries so as to make the
chickens and input project model for other parts of
Oromia and country as well.
Machine: Chickens food Machine: the machine is not operation  Additional chickens for each
processing machine procured due to electricity. beneficiaries helps to increase their
and installed but not functional. income and utilize the machine at
 Even if the machine starts producing its maximum capacity.
chickens food, the number of chickens
of the beneficiaries cannot consume all
the inputs which increase operational
cost.
Shade: land for shade for sale is Shade: Is not functional due to shortage  Seek fund to construct shade (sale
secured. fund. point).

Cooperative: Beneficiaries Cooperative: the cooperative formed is  This needs further trainings to raise
formed cooperative and legally at infant stage, it has not started working the awareness of all beneficiaries to
registered. as cooperative yet. act actively as a member.
 Increase their management capacity
to run the formed organization.
Attitudinal: starting from the Attitudinal: the impact of change in the  Need further partnership and
commencement of the project, attitude of the beneficiaries is only on the resources for deepening and
change in attitude on the surrounding community. broadening the project
beneficiaries with regard to
diversification of income and
urban-agriculture improved

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 4. Part VI: Way for ward

The innovative project is aimed at addressing the negative externalities of Urbanizations and
intends to exploit its positive influences for institutionally-Hard to reach peri-urban rural
community. The ultimate goal of the project is to institutionalize urban agriculture in Oromia
regional state, which lacks this key institution and to scale up the project to other part of the
region with similar context. Remarkable achievements have been made so far in creating interest
among the local community and local government of the project area yet still need follow-up and
technical support to attain the project’s goal. The immediate areas intervention to realize the
project objective could be categorized into two.

4.1 Creating Model Community

Strengthening the ongoing project activities by giving additional support and follow up to
beneficiaries to deepen and broaden the project’s impact and form the project beneficiaries as a
model urban agriculture practicing community. The formation of successful/model urban
agriculture practicing community will serve as experience sharing/learning for community of
similar context, civil society organization having interest to work in the area, policy makers,
relevant government institutions and different development actors working in the area or having
interest in to work on the area.

Key activities to be carried out to attain this objective are:

1. Provide additional input for target beneficiaries
2. Identifying potential market opportunities for beneficiaries and linking them to the end users,
3. Additional refreshment trainings and experience sharing within the cooperative members
4. Developing case study on urban-agriculture project; aiming to draw good practices and
lessons for the institutionalization and scaling up to be presented for policy dialogues and
consultations.

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 4.2 Scaling up and institutionalization
Policy dialogues and consultations are crucial to institutionalize urban-agriculture and scale up
the project to areas of similar context in the region and the country. The policy dialogues targets
policy makers, relevant government institutions, and civil society organizations working in the
area of livelihoods, food security and working on urban agriculture. Policy dialogues could serve
as a platform to engage various development actors, civil society organizations, policy makers
and NGOs to take part in designing appropriate institutions of urban agriculture and scaling up
the project to areas of similar context in the region and country. To this end the following major
activities need to be carried out to attain the ultimate objectives of the project.
1. Local level policy dialogue
Organize consultation workshop at grass-root level with district and local leaders to ensure the
sustainability of the project.

2. Regional level policy dialogue for Civil societies and development actors
Awareness creation workshop for stakeholders including key professionals, NGOs and CSOs,
and key development actors operating at the regional level on how to institutionalize urban
agriculture, scale up the polite project.

3. Regional higher level policy dialogue

Organize a consultative meeting with Regional level key stakeholders’ leadership and key
development actors having regional influences, to design the strategy to institutionalize the result
of the intervention to enable transformation in to the modern urban agriculture, processing and
marketing of the product,

4. Taskforce formation and mentoring

To use the aforementioned policy dialogues inputs to institutionalize urban agriculture in a
relevant regional government office and scaling up of the project, it is important to have a
taskforces to work on the matter. Government and development actors’ commitment is to
empower and support the team for its realization. CDCB being with the concerned government
body and interested civil society and development actors would work on the formation and
strengthening of the taskforces through:
 Organizing a visit program to learn lesson from the pilot project and support the
institutionalization of the project,
 Preparation of a guideline on the institutionalization of the urban agriculture.
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 5. Annex: Non-Beneficiaries (Neighbors and Local Administration
workers) view
Obbo Tamiru Tadesse (Dweller of the locality and Neighbors of the beneficiaries):
Obbo Tamiru is not enrolled in the CDCB’s innovative project; he is
married and has one daughter living opposite to Adde Aberash Tadesse
(project beneficiary and sister). He has already acquainted profound
knowledge about poultry farm by observing his sister’s and has already
prepared a place for chickens waiting for CDCB’s training.

What Do District officers Say

Obbo Mindaye Magarsa (Barek district deputy Agriculture office): Due to rapid expansion of
investment and urbanization in our area we believe that urban agriculture is with no option to
sustain the livelihood of the dislocated farmers. CDCB’s
innovative project should be encouraged to cope up the
consequences of urbanization and investment expansions in our
district. There is untapped market opportunity for horticultural
products and poultry in our district due to the proximity to the
capital. On top of that, the way CDCB handled the project is so
good that beneficiaries could acquire technology transfer, the
spirit of working in team and increases their bargaining power.

Thus as district official, I ask the scale up of this effective

project in our district to expand the benefit of the project to all
residents of the district.

Obbo Fikadu Gerba (Barek district Livestock expert): Even though urban expansion is moving
at alarming rate in our area causing many dislocations, leaving many farmers landless and their
offspring’s jobless, there was no attention from policy makers and other higher officials to urban
agriculture as a remedy. This has affected many families in our districts that many farmers are
becoming hopeless because they neither cope up with economic situations for they do not have
knowledge and skills necessary for the competition in the towns nor continue as a farmer due to
loss of their land to the investors.
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In our district CDCB’s project is crucial as a solution of the problem. Thus, as I have
participated in the project many times, I learned that this project has created interest for urban
agriculture specially poultry on the beneficiaries and the surrounding community. Not only this
but also the way CDCB approached the beneficiaries and their problem is innovative which has
shown an impact on their interest for the work. I recommend the scale up of the project to other
areas in the district.

Obbo Abriham Alemu (Barek district Livestock expert):): I have made field visits to the kebeles
where the project is being implemented and grasped that changes between what was prevailing in
the area before the project was started and what is going on after
the implementation of the project. I remember similar endeavor
made by a given NGO in Yeka 3 kebele distributing chickens for
farmers with no follow-up due to this, the project is now ended up
and no impact of the project is left there. What I learned from
CDCB is that from the begging to an end every action was taken
with consultation with beneficiaries, training was given, interest
was created, chickens, disinfecting chemicals and chickens food
was given to them, follow up was made, problem of input is being
solved by installing milling machine and cooperative was formed
to solve their market problems. Now beneficiaries have started to buy chickens and their food on
their own especially when we see data from input suppliers most of their clients are from the
kebele where CDCB project is being implemented. I believe that the project is innovative and
sustainable so I recommend its scale up in other areas of our district.

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