ATI, EU & France launch a 5-year FARM project worth €32mln

Addis Ababa, July 27, 2023 (FBC) – The Ethiopian Agricultural Transformation Institute (ATI) today launched the Food Security and Agriculture Rehabilitation Measures in Conflict Affected Regions of Ethiopia (FARM) project in Addis Ababa.

It is learned that the FARM project is financed by the Agence Française de Development /French Development Agency (AFD) and the European Union (EU).

The project aims to contribute to food security efforts in Ethiopia by re-launching resilient agricultural activity in conflict-affected regions and improving agricultural productivity by strengthening the seed sector and agro-ecological practices. It involves improving and rehabilitating cereal and pulse production, selected small ruminants, apiculture and poultry breeding activities, small-scale irrigation and horticulture production.

ATI confirmed that the FARM project provides an 18 million euros grant from AFD and a 14-million-euro grant delegated by the EU to AFD.

French Ambassador to Ethiopia Remi Maréchaux stated that post-conflict or post-crisis recovery is always a sensitive period when humanitarian assistance is progressively diminishing and longer-term intervention needs to be started with the risk of an institutional vacuum in the transition phase.

“This project aims at mitigating this situation for the agriculture sector. It’s worth noting that the efforts by France and the EU started early on, even before the official launch of the project, by supplying improved seeds in Amhara and Tigray ahead of the rainy season,” the Ambassador said, adding that “This underscores our unwavering commitment to the people of Ethiopia.”

“This project will ultimately strengthen resilience to climatic and natural disasters, by increasing access to drought resistant seeds, and improve food security and nutrition in the longer term,” the Chargé d’Affaires of the European Union, Dr. David Krivanek, added.

The project launch was held in the presence of high-level government officials, the Ambassador of France, the Chargé d’Affaires of the European Union, AFD Deputy-Country Director, development partners, regional officials, and other stakeholders.