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A Case story of Safi Abdu; integration of WP1, WP2 and WP3

Safi Abdu, 45 years old, a mother of 7 children (three girls), is a resident Mulata Kebele at Mudi sub watershed. As she is the direct beneficiary of the project, she takes part in the construction of physical structure and benefit from the payment for the work done as per the norm set by DryDev and the woreda. Her farm land (0.5 ha) which is found at the down catchment of the watershed she usually faced flood, eroded the top soil and her farm land formed gully and commenced to deteriorate from time to time, decreased the yield product that it provides for the family. But as action point the watershed committee gave priority the upper catchment of her and her neighbor’s farm to be rehabilitated via physical and biological intervention in 2016; hence Safi’s 0.5 ha of  farmland top soil, which is found at the downstream of the watershed commenced to be rehabilitated.

Moreover, the DryDev program accessed her improved wheat basic seed called Qeqeba in 2016 sowing season with practical and theoretical agronomic practice training. Then with this integrated intervention her wheat product was increased by 90% (the production on her 0.25 ha increased from 5qt/0.25 ha to 9qt/0.25 ha). In addition her sorghum production increased by 40% (from 3 qt/0.25 ha to 5qt/0.25ha). As per the interview with her the food gap decreased from 7 months per the year to 3.5 months per year.


A Case Story of Rashid Ahmed: Agricultural Commodity Production (WP3)

Wheat is the major crop grown by farmers in the vast areas of Jarso woreda in general and by the majority of farmers in the intervention sub watersheds. Although farmers know that local varieties are constrained by low level of productivity, majority of the framers in the project kebeles do not have access to improved varieties of wheat seed. Taking this into account Jarso DryDev accessed improved wheat seed varieties to needy farmers in 2016 and 2017. The project has proved that this has brought a positive impact on the lives and livelihoods of the beneficiaries because these improved seed varieties are believed to provide high yield, drought resistant and disease tolerant.

Hence, the project in collaboration with the woreda agriculture office selected target farmers based on the selection criteria set before the commencement of the intervention and accessed 200 quintals of improved wheat seed named Qeqeba/in 2016/ and Hidasse/in 2017/  for 740 farmers (130 women).

Rashid Ahemed, aged 38 with a family of 9 children (5 girls) is one of the target farmers in Mulata Kebele, Mudi sub-watershed. In 2016 Rashid accessed 50 kg improved seed named Qeqeba from the DryDev program for his 0.5 ha of land. He used to apply local variety during previous years.Rashid took theoretical and practical training from DryDev, includes spacing, weed and pest control mechanisms, appropriate & effective time to conduct weeding, what to do if any epidemic happens to his crop and post harvest management. Hence, as a result his production increased by more than 120%, previously he used to produce 10 quintal /with commercial fertilizer/ but in 2017 he produced 22 quintals of wheat /with commercial fertilizer/.


A Case story of Abduwahab Umar Shakir Agricultural Commodity Production (WP3

Abduwahab Umar Shakir, who is living in Gursum district, Obeley sub-watershed in Oda oromiya kebele, is a peasant with low income of less than 1 dollar per day. He has six children; 3 sons and 3 daughters. During the inception period of the DryDev project in Gursum district, he has been accessed 3 goats/doe. During the time the woreda administration selected 198 farmers to access 594 female goats (doeing)by the DryDev project and Abduwahab Umar Shakir was among those farmers.

When he received these 3 doeing he promised to offer the offspring of the goats to his neighbors who are vulnerable called “mirror beneficiary” which the woreda arranged to have more beneficiaries from the same resource.

As per the Kebele development agents follow the performance/ reproduction, the health situation  of the goats that were reached to the target farmers and Abudwahab was also kept his promise   to revolve the offspring to his mirror target farmer,  he revolved 2 off-spring goats his neighbor. After two years the goats reproduced to 10, and currently he has 8 goats. Since the breed that was reached to the farmers, Ogaden goat breed known for their milk. Hence, the milk that he gets from the goats is found to be very important for the daily consumption of the family especially for children. Moreover, Abduwahab Umar is an active participant in many activities of the DryDev project interventions like in soil and water conservation in area closure in sub-sub watershed called Elalemi Tiqa.


Case Story: Potato producer and marketing group at Jarso

This case story is focusing on a potato producer and marketing group called Woldia Tejajela found on Burka-Mite Kebele at Kora sub-watershed, who has members of 44 farmers (4 women). This producer and marketing group was organized by the DryDev after providing capacity building training on value chain and marketing and accessed them on motorized pump which enables them to produce more once (some individuals produced three times) and improved potato seed. The producer groups previously producing potato in fragmented manner which the productivity is estimated 80 quintals per ha and sell to individual broker by the price fixed by the whole sellers & the respective brokers who came to the watershed. Moreover, the producer groups were faced a challenge not only price fixation, and losing bargaining power due to lack of market information and transportation access. The whole sellers also mistreat/ cheat the farmers in the unit of measurement consider 400 kg (4quintals) as a quintal.  But, 2016 after the producer groups accessed improved potato seed for their four ha of land among their 10 ha, the productivity increased from 8 tons per ha to 13 tons per ha. Due to the motorized irrigation pump the producing groups produced in the last dry season in addition to the rainy season. With  awareness creation training created on marketing by the DryDev in Jarso,  their production was collected at one place  at their farm; then selected individuals from their groups will go and negotiate with the whole sellers in the nearby town called Kombolcha (35 km from their watershed). Where they deal not only with price but also the appropriate measurement unit (metric system). Hence, from the last production the groups could able to get ETB 189,931 ($9044).

                


A Case Story vegetable producer and marketing group at Jarso

Mudi sub watershed is one of the sub watersheds in Jarso district in which DRYDEV is intervening in various activity areas in integration manner. Here, in collaboration with Jarso woreda small and micro enterprise promotion office and irrigation development office the project organized a vegetable producer group called Lega Hida with members of 10 men.  The group members then got a capacity building trainings on farming system, efficient irrigation water utilization and financial management in 2016 FY from the DryDev. Since they showed motivation of being working with the DryDev in vegetable production; the project accessed them a motorize irrigation pump (after they contribute 30% of the price of the pump) and vegetable seeds (tomato, onion, pepper, and cabbage). The group excavated a hand-dug well, digging a stony land, to a depth of 3 m as a source of irrigation water for their 1 hectare to cover with the mentioned vegetables. Since, the watershed is 38 km from the district (Ejersa Goro), where the dwellers buy vegetable for consumption, the group didn’t face a market problem of their produce. Especially, government workers living their (such as teachers, development workers, health extension workers) and other community members are buying what group harvest. Accoringly, in 2017 in the last three months; they are able to sale their produce from cabbage, onion, tomato and pepper for net income of 25,100 Et birr excluding their consumption; they do have also more un-harvested (on the ground) onion and tomato; from which they expect to get more income as members said.   Beyond, the source of income as they mentioned their eating habit is also changed they commenced to include vegetable which is a source of vitamin and mineral.

The drydev in collaboration with the woreda micro & small enterprise office and livestock and fishery development office with a Birr 12,000.00, which they got from their vegetable sale and continued to invest on beekeeping intervention by their own as an additional business. In the same watershed, in collaboration with the woreda livestock and fishery agency they constructed bee hive shade and transitional beehives.