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Experience sharing among cooperatives: The case of Genet Lerobit dairy cooperative

January 10, 2023 by abbey.kunkle

The International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) is undertaking research with three dairy cooperatives (Genet Lerobit, Habebo and Mishigida Etta). Genet Lerobit is in Amhara region, Northern Ethiopia and Habebo and Mishigida Etta are located in SNNPR. As much as there are similarities between these two locations, there are also variations in cultural practices, crops grown, livestock management and feeding practices. Moreover, the three coops vary in their level of growth and capacity, knowledge and experience in cooperative management and input-out markets.

Therefore, ILRI arranged experience sharing programs among these cooperatives with the aim of fostering their capacities through cross-learning and adopting new working practices and technologies that go well with the respective environments.

The visit

A six-day visit was arranged for 5 cooperative management teams of Genet Lerobit cooperative, from Bahir Dar zuria district, to the two cooperatives in SNNPR during the last week of November 2022. The visit was designed to share the indigenous and acquired knowledge and practices of Habebo and Mishigida Etta dairy cooperatives in green production, fodder marketing, milk handling, processing, and backyard and homestead management by farmers..

The Bahir Dar zuria District visiting team at Habebo Dairy Coperative (SNNPRS)

Visit to green fodder markets

Green fodder market is not well practiced in Bahir Dar zuria district, whereas there is a vibrant green fodder market in Durame, Kedida Gamela district where Mishigida Etta dairy cooperative is located. Farmers around the zonal town and neighboring villages bring in fresh forages (mainly desho grass, Napier grass, native grasses, sugar cane tops,) and seasonal feed like teff straw, maize stover and wheat straw) on the backs of donkeys, mule carts, human heads and backs every day. The buyers are livestock producers mainly from urban areas and farmers from villages who have animals but little or no forage plots.

Lemo unique house construction

Housing of Lemo community is unique in the region (and probably in the country too). The grass -thatched roof (keeps the house cool during the day and warm in the night), wood-rope interwoven ceiling, wood walls tightened with rope from enset or false banana (a drought tolerant and multi-purpose plant unique to the SNNPR), flower decorated homestead gives a unique pleasure to the residents and to anyone who visits the families.

*Lemo Housing style (Photo Credit: Fikadu Tessema)*

Backyard and homestead management

At Jawe kebele of Lemo woreda individual farmers’ homesteads and backyards are fully vegetated and decorated. Ato Adinew Ayele, one of the many model farmers in Jawe owns crossbred dairy cows, which are well fed and produce milk for family consumption and income generation for the household. Adinew always seeks new innovations and works closely with development and research projects. His backyard is full of improved forages and other native forage varieties. He uses solar pumps to lift water from hand dug wells and irrigate his fodder and vegetable plots.

Bekelech is an innovative woman farmer in Jawe. Like that of Adinew, her backyard is also full of forages and vegetables and fruit spices, etc. Bekelech entertains many visitors due to her presentable and popular farm management and enthusiasm.

Visit to Mishigida Etta and Habebo dairy cooperatives – both supported by the ILSSI project

Habebo dairy cooperative was established in 2008 with 18 male and 30 female members and started operation by collecting about 5 liters of fluid milk. Nowadays, it has about 223 members and collects about 500 liters of fluid milk daily. Mishgida Etta dairy cooperative was established in 2011 with 50 female members. Currently, it has about 250 female members and collects about 100–150 liters of milk daily .

Habebo dairy cooperative produces cream, butter, buttermilk and cottage cheese for consumers in Hossana city and surrounding areas. It also produces yoghurt (Ergo) from buttermilk increasing income for the cooperative. Mishgida Etta produces yoghurt (Ergo), butter and cheese in their dairy product shop and new buildings which were built by the cooperative with the support of ILSSI project and stakeholders.

*Habebo dairy cooperative visit Lemo District*

Visitors’ reflections

Green fodder marketing is a new practice for Bahir Dar zuria farmers, and the visitors appreciated the potential of such a market to change the lives of farmers. They noted that such markets would create job opportunities for farmers who want to sell forage as a cash crop. Visitors were encouraged by the competitive price (ETB 6.60/kg of fresh matter) at which green fodder is sold in the local market and vowed to promote it in their locality. They said, “When we go back home, we will teach fellow cooperative members how important it is to start an open fodder market, and link buyers and sellers.”

“We thank ILRI/ILSSI project for making this visit happen and giving us a chance to learn from our fellow farmers.”

Visitors stated that such markets would also create income generating opportunities for dairy producers who do not have land to grow forages and to landowners who can grow forages but have little or no animals.

They noted that both cooperatives are well organized and functioning properly, and appreciated the valuable information, saying,

IWMI connects locals for collaborative efforts to expand solar irrigation in Ethiopia

January 9, 2023 by abbey.kunkle

With the support of the USAID-sponsored the Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Small Scale Irrigation (ILSSI) and Africa Research in Sustainable Intensification for the Next Generation (AfricaRISING), the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) organized a series of workshops, engaging stakeholders to facilitate the scaling of solar-based irrigation in different parts of Ethiopia.

Undertaken in partnership with Rensys Engineering Plc. and in collaboration with local government, the first workshops were organized in September 2022. Contributions from 155 participants helped to establish a better understanding of farmer market segments for solar innovation bundles at Wereta (near Bahir Dar) and Ziway. The workshops engaged farmers and others in the field to discuss land and water access, financial potential for investment, and farmer technology preferences.

In December 2022, IWMI and partners followed up with a workshop on ‘Linking demand and supply for irrigation technologies and services’ in Bahir Dar, Amhara region to develop demand-supply linkages for solar power-based for irrigation. Farmers, NGOs and government officials suggested ways to strengthen market linkages, especially to bridge the severe information and capacity gaps. Farmers expressed concerns about reliability and accessibility of services, recommending that suppliers work with existing local groups trained in irrigation and expand their services to solar technologies. As a starting point for information exchange, an ICT-based message platform was created with Rensys sales agents, extension agents, interested NGO staff, farmers, and young entrepreneurs.

Arranging ways for farmers to see how different solar pump models operate and perform in the field remains the most effective way to connect with potential clients. Rensys Engineering demonstrated the Lorentz Ps2-100 solar pump for 96 participants from NGOs, government offices of agriculture, energy and irrigation, farmer organizations, and private irrigation value chain actors. Over thirty farmers requested a follow up for purchasing a pump from Rensys, while MEDA (Mennonite Development Association) ordered Rainmaker Kubaw solar pumps for one of its projects.

Farmers look to solar irrigation: Building the irrigation equipment supply market in Ghana

January 9, 2023 by abbey.kunkle

November-December 2022

Will smallholder farmers invest in solar pumps to expand irrigated farming in Ghana? Studies point to the potential for solar irrigation in Ghana to enable farmers to adapt to climate change and to increase farmer incomes through various business models. But as farmers increasingly shift to self-supply in irrigation, the market is under the spotlight. While the current market system is fragmented and laden with risks, USAID-supported projects are building the foundation for a resilient irrigation equipment market. This is particularly urgent, given the onset of weather changes and increasing demand for irrigated produce.

The response by farmers and private sector actors is encouraging. Over 530 people attended workshops on solar irrigation in Jirapa (Upper West) and Tamale (Northern), while another 609 people attended workshops in Nandom (Upper West), Nalerigu (Northeast) and Bole (Savannah). Participants are primarily farmers but include companies and entrepreneurs, government, research institutions and NGOs. The workshops – aimed at ‘strengthening the sale and service networks for solar irrigation market linkages’ – were organized by the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) and Pumptech Ghana in November 2022 and co-funded by the USAID-sponsored Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Small Scale Irrigation (ILSSI) and Africa Research in Sustainable Intensification for the Next Generation (AfricaRISING) projects.

Under the projects, IWMI enables market-based scaling of solar-based irrigation bundles through local demand-supply linkage workshops that facilitate direct linkages across private, public and research sectors. Jointly, participants identify financial opportunities for farmers’ investment in solar irrigation technologies, products, and services, and establish networks and collaborations for business opportunities. Discussions also highlighted the need for local distribution centers in rural districts and targeted training of extension officers and private service agents on solar-powered pumps. Rural and community banks discussed approaches to improve access to financial services for farmers to acquire solar technologies on credit.

Demonstrations for solar-powered irrigation pumps (SPIPs) at each workshop and in communities across 9 locations in the Upper West, Northeast, Northern and Savannah Regions led 223 potential clients to explore purchasing solar pumps from Pumptech. With more such activities to build robust sales and service networks, especially for solar irrigation, farmers can begin to look at the sun in a whole new light.

Student Interview: Improving livelihoods with increased livestock productivity in Ethiopia

October 17, 2022 by abbey.kunkle

Mekuanint Tadilo, graduated with his BSc degree in Animal Sciences from Metu University, College of Agriculture and Forestry in 2019 and is currently working as an animal nutrition laboratory assistant and MSc student studying animal production at Bahir Dar University College of Agriculture and Environmental Science.

Why did you choose the discipline you work in? What pulled you towards this?

Livestock play a major role in smallholders’ livelihood by providing cash income, food, farm power, and other inputs such as manure to improve crop production in Ethiopia. However, the productivity of livestock is low due to feed shortages both in quantity and quality. The increasing demand for livestock products, together with the shortage of feed and of the complex layers of constraints posed by climate change, justifies the need for alternative feed production and supply systems in Ethiopia. This being the case, I chose this discipline, to study the effect of fertilizer rates on quantity and nutritional qualities of different forage varieties and to recommend the best quality fodders for livestock productivity and thereby improve farmers’ livelihood in the community and the region.

The ‘business-as-usual’ approach to livestock feed sourcing is no longer a viable option, and there is an urgent need to optimally use available land, inputs, water, and capital resources to produce high-quality forage for a sustainable livestock feed supply and production system.

What is your current focus of study? What social or economic changes do you hope to contribute to with your research?

Feed shortages have worsened due to limited investment in feed and forage development as well as the increased urbanization of cropland that has begun to encroach into grazing land. As a result, the ‘business-as-usual’ approach to livestock feed sourcing is no longer a viable option, and there is an urgent need to optimally use available land, inputs, water, and capital resources to produce high-quality forage for a sustainable livestock feed supply and production system. To mitigate feed shortages, the introduction and evaluation of adaptable and high-yielding forage crops by applying the manure and urea fertilizer that enable producers to get a large amount of fodder biomass with limited land and resources are essential. Moreover, the use of improved forages would reduce pressure on natural pasture and create higher productivity per area. With this research, farmers can learn the importance of fertilizers (organic and inorganic) for forage productivity in terms of quality and quantity to secure the shortage of feeds and incur income from feed and livestock products.

What is your view on the role of irrigation in Ethiopia’s future, especially small scale? How does this view influence your current work?

Irrigation is one way to improve farmers’ resilience under changing climatic conditions, through increasing feed and food production. Using available surface water and groundwater resources, small scale irrigation can positively contribute to intensifying crop–livestock mixed farming systems and a means of income generation for the smallholders in Ethiopia. Irrigated fodder production practice is not common in Ethiopia. Therefore, integration of irrigated fodder production with crop production to improve the livelihoods of the farmers is crucial.

What is your research about? What do you hope to learn from this experience?

My research focuses on the effect of animal manure and fertilizer on the agronomic performance, biomass yield and nutritional quality of different forage varieties under rainfed conditions in ILSSI project site. Napier grass (Pennisetum purpureum) (16791, 16819 and 16803), Panicum maximum 144, Desho grass (Pennisetum glaucifolium ArekaDZF590), Brachiaria (decumbens 10871, mutica 18659), Desmodium uncinatum 6765, Stylosanthes (hamata 75, scabra 140) forage varieties were selected for this research. To select the right forage varieties for the community, I will research the rate of fertilizer and/or manure or urea fertilizer that will be most beneficial for those forage varieties, as well as which forage varieties are more important in quality and biomass yield in small units of land.

Small Scale Irrigation and Nutrition: Lessons from East and West Africa

October 17, 2022 by abbey.kunkle

by Dawit Mekonnen

Irrigation developers historically aimed to achieve water productivity and efficiency, and increase crop yields for food security, but this approach to irrigation may be slowly changing. A growing body of evidence is increasing our understanding of the contributions of small-scale irrigation development, that is irrigation technologies directly acquired by farmers for their own plots, not only to water security but also to food security and nutrition security. With a global food and nutrition crisis about to enter its fourth year, this year’s theme for World Food Day, “Leave NO ONE behind” calls upon us to look outside traditional food and nutrition security interventions—that are insufficient to reduce hunger and malnutrition in the face of today’s multiple, interlinking crises—to consider a broader set of nutrition-sensitive actions that can reach many and grow crisis resilience.

Since 2014, the Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Small Scale Irrigation (ILSSI) with partners has been developing the most comprehensive evidence to date on the linkages between irrigation and nutrition outcomes of households, women, and children in rural Africa. The studies, implemented by the International Food Policy Research Institute with a range of partners, examine the potential and impact of small-scale irrigation as an intervention to grow nutrition under interlocking crises.

Building evidence through case studies

Irrigation can affect nutritional outcomes through multiple pathways, including through changes in production, increased income, improved water supply (e.g. WASH), and through affecting women’s empowerment. In addition to identifying pathways and developing frameworks, ILSSI studies have documented the relationships between irrigation and nutrition drawing on intra-household surveys from Ethiopia, Ghana, Mali and Tanzania. A longitudinal study of socioeconomic status, energy and nutrient intakes and hemoglobin concentration in ILSSI sites in Ethiopia, implemented in partnership with Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Collaborative Research on Sustainable Intensification (SIIL)[RC(1] , showed a high seasonal variation in women’s diet, and the contribution of irrigation in improving diets and reducing their seasonality. Compared to non-irrigators, women in irrigating households had higher consumption of Vit-C and Calcium during the irrigation season, which helps to address a gap in data on linkages between water insecurity and micronutrient deficiencies.

But not only women in irrigating households show improved diets, but also children. A study drawing on panel data of irrigators and non-irrigators in ILSSI sites of Ethiopia and Tanzania showed that children in irrigating households in Ethiopia had better weight-for-height (WHZ) scores–0.87 standard deviations higher—than children in non-irrigating households. Confirming the resilience contribution of irrigation, the study also noted that in Tanzania, higher WHZ-scores were found in children under-five years of age in irrigating households who reported having experienced a drought in the 5 years preceding the survey.

In Northern Ghana, an ILSSI study found only a modest difference in the household dietary diversity score (HDDS) between irrigators and non-irrigators, but more significant increases in the consumption of animal source foods as well as significant differences in the consumption of fruits and vegetables, sugar and honey. As other studies have highlighted, consuming animal source foods have strong positive impacts on nutritional security, particularly of children.

In Mali, an ILSSI study supported by the USAID Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA) showed that irrigators are more likely to grow vegetables, fruits, and roots and tubers, which may help supply more nutrient-dense foods to the market for broader nutritional impact in rural communities. In addition, at household level, households with irrigation had significantly better dietary quality and diversity than non-irrigators, and data showed irrigators are more food-secure than non-irrigators. Irrigation also changed land use and labor allocation, as irrigated plots were more intensively used, with 22% and 17% higher use of improved varieties/inorganic fertilizers; 5 times the level of family labor input and more than 2 times the level of hired labor input compared to non-irrigated plots, showcasing irrigation’s contribution to growing rural employment, particularly in the lean season as well as its potential to reducing deforestation and land expansion.

Irrigation and resilience to climate change and weather extremes

Water and food insecurity are interlinked, worsening hunger where farmers rely on rainfed production and cannot access irrigation. Droughts cause backsliding from development gains and push people deeper into poverty. Irrigation dampens negative drought impacts. The ILSSI Ethiopia study found that among households who reported recent experience with drought, women in irrigating households had higher dietary diversity scores compared to women in non-irrigating households. In Tanzania, women in irrigating households also had higher dietary diversity scores (WDDS) compared to women in households without irrigation. Importantly, the impact of irrigation on women’s dietary diversity was more than doubled among households facing drought. The authors also showed that among households in Tanzania who reported having faced a drought shock, irrigating households had higher HDDS compared to non-irrigators. This study highlighted the ways in which irrigation contributes to climate adaptation and resilience, and reduces nutrition inadequacy during climate extremes.

Recent research has further documented the role of irrigation during the 2016 El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) drought in Ethiopia. Among rainfed farmers, the 2016 ENSO decreased net crop income by 37%: area cultivated reduced by 8% and the share of harvest sold declined by 10%. Overall, this worsened HDDS by 3%. However, irrigators affected by the ENSO event maintained their net crop income, area cultivated, share of harvest sold, and did not suffer from reductions in HDDS. The study provided further evidence that irrigation is a key climate smart agricultural intervention that improves the resilience of farming households in the face of climate extreme events.

Providing guidance for irrigation investments that improves water, food and nutrition jointly

A collaboration between IFPRI and the World Bank summarized the ILSSI findings in a guidance on improving the nutrition sensitivity of irrigation and agricultural water management directed at World Bank project managers, governments, NGOs and other investors. The guidance provides entry points and indicators for monitoring progress on nutrition-sensitive irrigation. Videos in English and French language provide a quick overview of the guidance and are being used by next users interested in addressing joint climate, water and nutrition crises. With support from USAID BHA, the guidance is currently localized to the Malian context with the help of local nutrition and irrigation experts.

The studies provide a comprehensive body of evidence of the strong effect of irrigation for households’ economic access to food and on nutritional benefits for women and children. Based on this evidence and associated guidance, the goals of irrigation have broadened beyond water productivity and yield gains—toward integrated investment approaches in food and nutritional security that might help get us closer to this year’s World Food Day theme of Leave NO ONE behind. By recognizing the interlinkages, nutrition-sensitive irrigation programs can help realize the full potential of small-scale irrigation interventions – and allow them to go beyond higher yields and water productivity to grow food and nutrition security– while also actively working toward avoiding adverse impacts on human health and nutrition.