Smallholder Horticulture (SHH) Project

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Date of Operation: 2012 - 2015

Primary Implementing Partner: MASHAV: Israel’s Agency for International Development Cooperation

Regions of operation:  Amhara, Oromia, SNNP and Tigray

Goal:

Promote economic growth of small-scale horticulture holders by strengthening the commercial viability of fruit and vegetable production.

Project Objectives:

  • Develop a competitive and sustainable horticulture sector
  • Provide a technical and financial support to improve technologies that have a potential to increase production and productivity
  • Create quality standards that increase farmers’ and national foreign exchange income

Description:

On June 7, 2012, the Government of Ethiopia’s Ministry of Agriculture (MOA), USAID Ethiopia, and Israel’s Agency for International Development Cooperation (MASHAV) signed a Memorandum of Understanding supporting the Smallholder Horticulture project (SHH). SHH will scale-up the achievements of the USAID-MASHAV-MOA Joint Technical Cooperation program, which ran from 2005 to 2012. The project aims to continue supporting the horticulture sector in Ethiopia by promoting economic growth of small-scale horticulture holders and strengthening the commercial viability of fruit and vegetable production. SHH will transfer improved technology in fruit and vegetable production and provide capacity building services to the regional Bureau of Agriculture extension agents and smallholder farmers. The project will include activities such as supporting and establishing nurseries and tissue culture laboratories to meet market demand for quality plant materials and intensifying extension services to small farms.

The project seeks to develop a competitive and sustainable horticulture sector aiming at tapping new market opportunities by providing technical and financial support to improve technologies that have a potential to increase production and productivity as well as quality standards so as to increase farmers’ and national foreign exchange income. To achieve the project objectives, the following activities will be pursued: plant material supply, intensive extension to smallholder fruit and vegetable growers, marketing contacts for smallholder fruit and vegetable farmers, capacity building activities for Ethiopian horticulture stakeholders, and collaboration with other projects to maximize the project's impacts and management.

Expected Results:

  • Fund the planting of greater material supply
  • Provide technology extensions to smallholder fruit and vegetable growers
  • Market viable contacts for smallholder fruit and vegetable farmers
  • Create capacity building activities for Ethiopian horticulture stakeholders.
  • Collaborate with other projects to maximize the programs impacts and management.