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Head of
Department, Dr. Paulos Dubal |
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The Problem
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The country
has been food insecure, at least, for the past three and a half
decades. The whole of the Derg
era was food insecure. Civil war, the war with Somalia, the
political system and drought had played significant roles in the
deep-rooted food insecurity.
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Potentials and
opportunities
Diverse
Agro-ecologies:
- 18 major agro-ecological zones exist ranging from arid to humid
conditions. The moist to humid moist agro-ecology covers wide area
of the country and the soils are also relatively fertile except for
the problem of mismanagement. Areas of High Potential Cereal zones,
High Potential Perennial zones, High Potential for Irrigated
agriculture are to some extent producing enough or surplus food,
cash crops and feeds in some places. The Semi-arid to semi moist
areas that also cover quite significant part of the country suffers
food shortage.
Opportunities :
the current policy of the government to agriculture and rural
development; certification of land user right; market oriented
approach of production; civil service reform; the committed and
unreserved assistance of genuine partners, all are seen as a
positive step in the policy aspect.
Constraints:
land degradation (the components are soil erosion, deforestation,
nutrient and soil organic matter decline, continuous nutrient
removal without replenishment, loss of plant biodiversity; etc), the
threat of drought, and soil moisture deficit, etc. In the area of
water supply, provision of safe water for drinking at national level
covers not more than 38% leaving the rest exposed to subject to
water born diseases and under extreme cases children are at risk of
their lives. In the cities and rural towns the number of street
children and destitute families are quite high. Hence, IFSP
strategy tries to address in an integrated manner and convert them
to a productive citizen.
Efforts done to address the problem: The
Government and NGOs have put a lot of efforts to alleviate the
problem but the progress was very low. It is probably because of
the disintegration of the natural resources base that it has been
difficult to attain solution to the problem. Hence, an integrated
and holistic approach is required to address the problem from
different angles.
Integrated Food
Security
Food security is availability of and access to sufficient
food by all members of the household at all times for an active and
healthy, physical, social, mental, and spiritual life. Integrated
Food Security Program of EKHC has four subprograms under it.
One of these is Integrated Rural Development and Relief Service (IRDR)
and its major role is divided into three - development,
rehabilitation and relief. Significant attention is given to
development-projects as this is the key out of food insecurity and
marching to poverty alleviation. Emphasis will be given to natural
resources rehabilitation, particularly soil and water conservation,
combating soil nutrient depletion, replanting of agro-forestry trees
and reafforestation, crop and feed management and livestock
husbandry and small scale irrigation.
The second
sub-program is Integrated Water Sanitation & Hygiene Development
(IWSHD): This sub-program has three major components under it,
Water Drilling, Surface Water Development (spring) and Bio-sand
filter Water cleaning). Water supply, hygiene and sanitation have
now become totally integrated in all EKHC water development
programme. Irrigation activity is temporarily attached to the
drinking water development subprogram but will soon expand because
of its emphasis in the agriculture sector. The beneficiaries of
clean water developed by EKHC are approaching to one million. The
water program will also be addressing integrated watershed
management where proper land management and soil and water
conservation will be an integral part of this activity. The
approach takes into consideration the community members as
implementers, and EKHC as facilitator. The work may cover much
wider domain than project -bound areas. It is our hope to reduce
soil erosion significantly and increase ground water recharging as
well as increasing water availability around the root environment of
crops.
The third
Subprogram:
Integrated Urban Development Department (IUDD): The subprogram
addresses the socio-economic problems of the poorest of the poor in
towns and cities. Street children and the disadvantaged people are
the beneficiaries. Currently the subprogram is engaged in
empowering the community particularly the women to enable them to
make their own decisions about their lives specifically through the
creation of a saving and credit associations. The subprogram is
also empowering the local churches to become the champions of
community transformation. The local churches are seen as innovator
of the communities thus becoming change agents. The church leaders
and progressive change agents in the church will be examples to the
rest of the community residents to learn from the lives of their
fellow community members.
The fourth
subprogram of IFSP is the Kuriftu Children’s and Integrated
Development Centre near Debrezeit town. The Centre was
established in 1988 adjacent to the dried Kuriftu crate on the
western side. The centre consists of the children’s centre, a dairy
unit supplying milk to the children’s centre, a poultry unit
generating income for the children support, extensive drip-irrigated
fields for vegetable production, fruit orchards and a green house,
and an assembly hall, and accommodation. The centre now sponsors
the poorest of the poor family based caring for their living and
schools. The income generated from the different activities is used
to support the children’s development at the centre.
The Strategy
Complement the
ongoing efforts of the Government and other NGOs to bring about food
self-sufficiency and food security in the country mainly through 1)
increased crop production and diversification of food sources, 2)
increasing livestock production and productivity, and 3) improving
the natural resource base by continuous training of the farmers and
change agents designated by the farmers to demonstrate and coach
them, and by establishing on farm demonstration plots and nurseries
(somewhat similar to farmers field school). Flyers and posters of
pictorially illustrated technology and knowledge demonstrations will
be used to bring the mind set change of the farmers. Regular in
service training will be given to the farmers until the farmers
institutionalize the new culture of improved agricultural practices
and natural resources management. The same strategies also apply for
IWSHD, IUDD and Kuriftu Centre. |
