Living Labs Ethiopia: Amhara and South Achefer
REFOOTURE is setting up a Living Lab in Tepi, south-west Ethiopia, and another in the South Achefer region, in the north-west of Ethiopia.
Tepi’s farming system is based on coffee. Opportunities to improve livelihoods here are held back by extreme poverty, a heavy dependence on traditional farming practices, a lack of sufficient extension support, low literacy levels, weak coordination and collaboration among key value chain actors/stakeholders, and poor market linkages. Regenerative agriculture has the potential to address the low productivity and quality of smallholder farming systems and their limited participation in appropriate markets while simultaneously preserving a healthy environment. For example, there are opportunities for farmers in Tepi to produce spices within the existing coffee-growing system. This can improve livelihoods while also developing the natural resource base by improving soils, biodiversity and carbon sequestration. At present, however, there is still insufficient awareness of the benefits of regenerative/ecological farming. The Living Lab is reshaping the innovation process by driving collaborative action between stakeholders, who are developing and learning together to improve their own situation for the benefit of the entire food system.
In South Achefer, located in north-west Ethiopia, smallholders have transformed their farming practices through the adoption of potato production, along with management practices which have led to relatively high yields and substantial financial returns. The income has allowed them to increase their cattle herd. However, potatoes do not provide by-products to feed to animals, which maize did. Farmers have therefore started to plant Rhodes grass for animal feed. Meanwhile, farmers are encouraged to use mineral fertilisers to close yield gaps caused by depleted soils, and to improve their incomes. The Living Lab is therefore exploring the benefits of compost to improve soil fertility and crop productivity, either in addition to these mineral fertilisers or as an alternative. At present, manure is used as fuel, leaving little left over for use as compost. The Living Lab will therefore also explore other ways of improving crop productivity and soil fertility, while rethinking the use of manure as a fuel.
