Project Ethiopia’s Farmers’ Associations provide crucial equipment to farmers and teach them cost-effective, environmentally appropriate farming approaches so that they can become economically self-sustainable and lift their families out of extreme poverty. Farmers’ Associations also provide a way to combat environmental problems, including those posed by climate change.

Yebirgual expanded her honey and dairy production with the help of Project Ethiopia, becoming one of the few pioneer women beekeepers in the region and significantly increasing her income.

Agriculture plays an important role in the life and livelihood of most Ethiopians, where about 12 million smallholder farming households account for an estimated 95% of agricultural production and 85% of employment.  This makes it even more impressive that Workineh Genetu, Project Ethiopia’s leader of its Farmers’ Association program, has been named Ethiopia’s Farmer of the Year four separate times.

Assaye and Amarech live in the Dengeshta community and have been married for 35 years, but their families have lived only 2 km from one another all their lives. When they were first married, Assaye and Amarech lived with Assaye’s family. After four years, the couple received one hectare farmland (approximately 2.5 acres) from Assaye’s parents who also built them a tikul (the traditional grass roofed home in the countryside) to start their own family.

The practice and art of beekeeping has been a longstanding staple in the history of Ethiopia’s economic development. A global leader in the development of beeswax and honey, Ethiopia possesses the 5th most beehives of any country in the world, after only India, China, Turkey and Iran.

With a desire and vision to share his farming knowledge and experience with others in the community, our Project Leader, Workineh Genetu, formed the first Project Ethiopia Farmers’ Association in 2007. The goal was simple from the beginning: By training a core group of farmers in each village to improve their practices and increase yield, knowledge would spread naturally among families and neighbors to eventually impact an entire community.

For many in Ethiopia, daily life is deeply intertwined with and influenced by the success of their agriculture, and its importance to the nation’s development and security can’t be overstated.

Work in the new year is well underway to bring new schools, safe water, dry homes, better sanitation, and farming support to communities throughout the Dangla area.

This past October, I had the privilege to travel to Dangla, meet the Project Ethiopia team, and visit many of our project sites. It was a quick and jam-packed week. From participating in the University Transition Awards ceremony within a couple of hours of our arrival, to witnessing the formation of two new farmers’ associations complete with a very lively nomination process to select the leadership, to visiting 10 schools helped by our project, I was so inspired by all that has been accomplished and the clear vision for what is yet to be done.