Vegetables for income and nutrition

The project, led by CPAR (Canadian Physicians for Aid and Relief), strengthened the food security of 420 farming households, in the Dibate district, by favouring the participation of women, a vulnerable population in the region. The project created seven Farmer Field Schools.

Geletie, 40, is the head of her family of seven from Komed Village, Dibate district and a member of the Komed Vegetable FFS group, and is among the most successful farmers participating in the project. Prior the project, she lived on small income and had to make local alcoholic beverages to earn money so that she saved money to buy food for the family and send her boys to school. When the Women-led Food Security and Nutrition Project arrived in 2014, she was among the lucky 15 that the project had selected to join FFS.

Over the past few years, Geletie had the opportunity to participate in training for growing vegetables. She planted Cassava, pepper, cabbage, tomato, onion and carrot. In the first production year, all the vegetables that she produced were consumed in the family. In the second production season, she produced enough to sell and earned 2000 birr (about US$42).

Gelete is among 51 female farmers were organized into three vegetable FFS groups. This season she is cultivating cassava, papaya, mango, cabbage, onion, tomato, beetroot, and lettuce in the current production season.