Ethiopia

Sustainable livestock farming in the southern mountains

Goal(s) : Reduce food insecurity, increase the income of farming families and reduce the impact of their activity on the environment.

Project dates : 2020 - 2024 

Number of beneficiaries : 40,000 families (250,000 people) overall; 1,350 families supported in optimizing milk production

Place of execution : Kembata area

Highlands Agroecology Project: improving production and incomes for farming families by increasing agricultural productivity, ensuring access to clean water and building the skills of women herders.

In the mountainous areas of southern Ethiopia, the vast majority of farms are small family holdings of less than one hectare. On their plots, families combine livestock with crops to maintain soil fertility, consume milk and sell dairy products. AVSF supports these families in optimizing milk production, by working on :

  • improving cow feed (concentrated fodder)
  • breeding conditions
  • increasing water supply and access to clean water
  • improved genetics

The benefits are threefold: less food insecurity, less impact on the environment and better family incomes!

This action is part of a larger project run by Inter Aide. In fact, the “Highlands Agroecology” project intervenes more broadly to help the population, reduce inequalities and improve production and incomes for farming families by acting on :

  • Access to clean water: a priority need in Ethiopia
  • Strengthening the resilience of rural families by improving soil fertility on farms, diversity of production (human and animal) and sustainable access to water.
  • Increased agricultural and livestock productivity will reduce the risk of famine in an area historically affected by “green famines”.
  • Capacity-building for women cattle breeders.

What’s more, the project is aligned with the country’s climate policy and will contribute to a low-carbon trajectory, with a reduction that exceeds the threshold of minus 10,000 tonnes of CO2 equivalent per year.

Partners

INTERAIDE, RCBDIA

Financing

Agence française de Développement, with the support of the Alstom Foundation

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