OROMIA – Over 43,000 hectares of land in the Oromia region are currently under cultivation, a move designed to significantly bolster Ethiopia’s grain reserves with the potential storage capacity of 1.7 million quintals of grain.
According to the Ethiopian News Agency, this initiative is part of a broader national strategy aimed at enhancing food security and reducing aid dependency. The agricultural developments, taking place during the autumn and summer seasons, are aligned with various national efforts like the summer wheat irrigation program, the bounty of basket, and the green legacy initiative. These efforts collectively aim to secure a stable food supply for the nation.
The regional government has been proactive in leveraging local resources to prepare for both natural and human-induced disasters. Part of this effort includes the legal establishment of “Busa Gonofa Oromia,” an institutional framework that promotes self-reliance and provides humanitarian assistance through local capacities. Moges Edea, the head of Busa Gonofa Oromia, highlighted the community’s commitment to shifting away from a dependency on aid towards a more self-sufficient approach to development.
The organization is not only focusing on grain cultivation but also on establishing robust infrastructures such as warehouses in 21 zones and eight cities to facilitate efficient grain storage and distribution. With over 15,000 hectares already cultivated and 4,000 of these seeded, the use of irrigation aims to maximize the yield across the cultivated lands.
Busa Gonofa Oromia is also planning to increase its membership from 24.4 million to 30 million people and raise over 28 billion birrs in 2024 through member contributions and other fundraising activities, indicating a significant scale-up in community engagement and resource mobilization for regional development.
