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In times of bumper crops and rising food costs, it
is easy to forget that food insecurity remains a
substantial problem for Ethiopia. Rural peasants,
who were once almost subsistence farmers, are now
bringing a larger portion of their crop to the
market, largely due to more efficient markets and
decreased information asymmetries in relation to
traders. A lot of it has to do with favourable
weather conditions, something that cannot be relied
upon forever.
Fortunately, for a country where some 84pc of the
population earn their livelihoods from agriculture,
some of the solutions to the recurrent food
shortages are not all that complicated.
Though the country is sometimes referred to as the
'Water Tower of Africa", 67pc of the landmass is
still arid or semi-arid. Where it does rain, it is
concentrated in certain seasons and thus difficult
to preserve the precious water to smooth out
production cycles. No doubt, drought and flooding
often wreak havoc in the same area at different
times of the year.
Rainwater harvesting, a process of capturing,
storing and distributing rainwater throughout the
year in an area with variable precipitation, is a
viable option to increase fertility of the land. By
storing in times of plenty and disbursing in times
of dearth, a farmer can effectively smooth input
application to provide crops with the continued
water they require, regardless of weather patterns.
This is exactly what people all over the world have
been doing for generations using traditional
methods. The famous Konso Terraces are good
examples.
Unfortunately, due to population growth, shifting
weather and population movement, the practiced
techniques have become insufficient in many places.
This is where modern materials such as plastic lined
and/or covered ponds as well as concrete tanks
(cisterns) can provide advantages of universal
applicability and versatility. Indeed, studies in
neighbouring Kenya and Tanzania have shown diversion
of floods and protection against evaporation to have
yielded immense results in terms of crop yields and
subsequent income gains for the rural poor.
Other methods of roof water harvesting and
sub-surface storage have also been proven effective.
Sadly, the impediments to implementing this
relatively simple technology lie not only with the
farmers, who may not be able to afford the
materials. The impediments are also institutional
and deeply ingrained in society and governmental
structures.
The land regime is at the root of the problems.
Public ownership of land both limits the
transferability of land and hence makes it
impossible for a farmer to put it up as collateral
against a loan, and also diminishes the incentive to
invest in unsecured property.
Some of the simple materials necessary for rainwater
harvesting are out of reach for a farmer who is
living hand-to-mouth and unable to secure a lump sum
sufficient to make a large purchase. Traditional
credit institutions do not reach many of these
people.
Some micro-credit schemes - often promulgated by
NGOs - have enjoyed incremental success in this
respect. In one survey in East Shoa Zone of the
Oromia Regional State, adopters of such rainwater
harvesting techniques, sometimes aided by
international organisations, have doubled their
income with increased yields. But it all starts with
getting sufficient initial capital.
Moreover, the incentive to invest in land is limited
when land is going to change hands. The inheritance
system, the only legal way to transfer land, leads
to diminished plot sizes amidst a rising population
and creates an adverse investment environment.
The returns to increasing water availability on
small plots are limited as the land can only yield
so much. In this way, encouraging communal
programmes, such as the collective labour
institution, debbo, can be fruitful.
Other impediments to adopting the technology include
lack of education and knowledge of the benefits, as
well as lack of labour availability.
Some schemes have also been controversial.
One of the programmes attempting to aid in the
adoption of rainwater harvesting from World Vision
provided materials freely and even paid farmers to
do the labour. One study found women felt
discriminated against by this project as the type of
work required favoured men.
Establishing available credit and providing
incentives to adopt the technology is the long-run
solution. This comes primarily through altering the
land regime to create investment security, credit
possibilities and transferability through
privatisation.
The advantages to this go past the individual farmer
as cash crops can be substituted for staples with
increased water input. This is good news to the
country as a whole as 90pc of export earning comes
from agriculture and high fuel prices which are
sure to put a strain on foreign currency reserves.
As farmers' incomes are rising, it is important that
money is reinvested into production processes such
that the growth is sustainable. Solving food
insecurity largely by using the vast potential that
already exists is a no-brainer.
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