| Target country: | Ethiopia |
| CZU Project Coordinator: | Vladimír Verner |
| CZU Project team: | Zbyněk Polesný, Iva Kučerová, Jan Staš, Anna Maňourová, William Nkomoki |
| Project Partners: | Mendel University in Brno, Petr Němec (principal coordinator, Czech Republic), Holistic Solutions (Czech Republic) |
| Donor | Czech Development Agency |
| Duration of the Project: | 2020 - 2023 |
Aims of the project:
Even though fruit crops are stable ingredients of Ethiopian households, the average per capita consumption of fruits in Ethiopia is only 7 kilograms per year (the recommended dose is about 21 times higher). Arba Minch Zuria is an important fruit-growing district, which accounts for 10-15% of total fruit production in Ethiopia. However, the potential of the area is much higher. Therefore, the project aims to introduce a fruit value chain to improve nutrition as well as the health of local people and to increase the market competitiveness of farmers. Specifically, the project focuses on the diversification of cultivated fruit crops, efficient storage, post-harvest processing, and subsequent market access.
Outputs and activities of the project:
- Increasing the current fruit production and quality of processing of selected commodities
- Diversification of cultivated crops to mitigate the negative effects of seasonal production
- Establishment of fruit nurseries and orchards; training of vegetative propagation methods (grafting,air-layering, etc.)
- Construction of storage facilities for fruit products
- Assistance in the implementation of simple irrigation systems
- Introduction of market measures to support and strengthen the relationships in the value chain
- Strengthening cooperation between public agricultural assistance providers and individual farmers
- Awareness campaign and training of local communities in the importance of fruit consumption and dietary diversification
The project is implemented in four target kebeles under the local administration of the Arba Minch Zuriaworeda, namely Kolla Shara, Chano Dorga, Chano Cheleba and Chano Mile. Project activities and outputs should reach at least 2,000 households and 400 young people.
Contacts:
Vladimír Verner, farming systems and value chains (vernerv@ftz.czu.cz)
Zbyněk Polesný, innovations for sustainable agriculture and local food systems (polesny@ftz.czu.cz)
Jan Staš, appropriate food processing technologies (stas@ftz.czu.cz)
Anna Maňourová, domestication, crop diversification and agroforestry (manourova@ftz.czu.cz)
