The pilot project initiated by Action for Social Development and Environmental Protection Organization (ASDEPO) funded by its partner, the World Food Programme (WFP), and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation—to enable Safety Net beneficiaries in seven woredas across the Afar and Oromia regions to become part of sustainable development, has proved successful. Positive results have been registered from the project launched a year ago to transform Safety Net beneficiaries into sustainable development participants in: Afar Region: Chifra and Mille woredas in Awsi Rasu (Zone 1), and Gowane woreda in Gabi Rasu (Zone 3). Oromia Region: Babile and Chinaksen woredas in East Hararghe Zone, and Yabelo and Miyo woredas in Borena Zone. According to Mr. Abyalew Dessalegn, Program Director at ASDEPO, satisfactory outcomes have been achieved from the backyard gardening, egg-laying poultry farming, and school feeding programs launched a year ago in these seven woredas of the Afar and Oromia regions. Mr. Abyalew explained that ASDEPO supported former Safety Net beneficiaries by providing seeds for carrots, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, onions, and other crops, enabling them to succeed in agricultural activities. He recalled that finding water-accessible areas in the project woredas of the Afar region was particularly challenging due to water scarcity. However, significant results were achieved thanks to the strong collaboration of regional-to-woreda-level offices across Agriculture, Health, Education, Water, and Women and Social Affairs. Although there was no prior tradition of backyard gardening or poultry farming in the Afar region, continuous training enabled pastoralists to significantly improve their dietary habits through backyard vegetable cultivation and raising egg-laying chickens. Mr. Abyalew noted that the pilot project will run until next September. Once relevant stakeholders conduct an evaluation of the project’s performance, it is expected to be scaled up. It was gathered from Mr. Abyalew’s statement that in the Afar region, 3,000 students across 13 schools benefited from the school feeding program, while 7,800 community members directly benefited from the backyard gardening and poultry farming initiatives.
The pilot project initiated by Action for Social Development and Environmental Protection Organization (ASDEPO) funded by its partner, the World Food Programme (WFP), and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation—to enable Safety Net beneficiaries in seven woredas across the Afar and Oromia regions to become part of sustainable development, has proved successful.
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