The Consortium of International Agricultural Research Centers (CGIAR) is working in Ethiopia to help the country leverage its livestock and agricultural resources for economic development.
CGIAR is a global partnership that unites international organizations engaged in research about food security and its research aims to reduce rural poverty, increase food security, improve human health and nutrition, and sustainable management of natural resources.
Researches indicate that Ethiopia has the potential to ensure its food security and make a difference in agriculture by properly exploiting the untapped potential of the sector.
The government of Ethiopia, under its Home Grown Economy Agenda, has been implementing a number of programs in this regard with a view to enabling the country properly exploit its potentials to improve the sector as most of the country’s huge arable land has not yet been cultivated.
The efforts so far carried out have been showing remarkable achievements in terms of agricultural pr
oductivity as witnessed in wheat irrigation endeavors.
In an exclusive interview with ENA, CGIAR’s Regional Director, East and Southern Africa, Namukolo Covic told ENA that the center is supporting Ethiopia’s agricultural development in particularly in research.
“We have several CGIAR research institutions that response to many government strategies.We work across the entire agriculture fields; in crops like maize, wheat, potatoes, vegetables, we also work on livestock,” she added.
There are a number of priority areas; the first priority area is on genetic improvement on both crops and livestock through the breeding activities, according to Covic.
So, then production practices come on board for livestock, she noted stressing the need to bring on board good quality feed, but we also have to address issue of disease.
For crops, it is the same thing, the genetics might give us the potential for higher productivity but if we’re not using proper production practices, good land management, soil facility m
anagement, then we are not going to be able to attain those potentials.
‘So, our work focuses on these things, increase productivity and production through genetics improvement and also through production practices that allow us to leverage that genetic potential,’ the Regional Director said.
She stated that as a result, CGIAR looks at the country’s ten-year prospective development plan (2021-2030) to guide the kind of research it conducts and ensure that any solutions it produces are pertinent to the goal of national development.
In terms of green legacy initiative, Covic said “I personally find it to be a very useful directive from government.”
‘As climate is changing, one of the ways in which Ethiopia can contribute to addressing climate change for better soil health through the green legacy program. So, by planting more trees we can help to reduce even greenhouse gas emissions, it helps us manage soil better, we can reduce soil erosion that damages the land.’
The recent developments in Ethiopia in te
rms of developing a Food Systems Transformation pathway and roadmap and food based dietary guidelines provide an entry point to really transform Ethiopia’s agricultural food system in such a way that it can deliver better for diets and nutrition, Covic said.
Through the national research system, ministry of agriculture, Agriculture Transformation Agenct (ATI), the research we have done find fertile ground through which we can reach greater high, she said.
CGIAR is a global partnership that unites international organizations engaged in research about food security.
CGIAR research aims to reduce rural poverty, increase food security, improve human health and nutrition, and sustainable management of natural resources.
Source: Ethiopian News Agency