Small-scale agriculture contributes 40% to GDP

Addis Ababa, August 18, 2022 (FBC) – Small-scale agriculture has contributed more than 40% of the country’s GDP and employed 70% of the workforce, said Aisha Mohammed, Minister of Irrigation and Lowlands, in a meeting with Precision Consult and other stakeholders to use solar water pumps for irrigation development and to assemble solar equipment in Ethiopia.

Although the ministry was established on September 24, 2014, it has brought great achievements in a short period of time, according to the Minister.

She underscored that the minister’s office is focusing on modernizing agricultural productivity by filling the gap between water and energy infrastructure, and based on the national irrigation strategy set by using modern technologies, the main objective is to ensure the food self-reliance of the country and alleviate the food shortage. 

The Ministry is working on the construction and expansion of large and medium irrigation projects and the empowerment of small-scale irrigation entities using solar power technology.

Meanwhile, Henok Asefa, the general manager of Precision Consult, said the program enables small-scale irrigation farmers to overcome the challenges they face in the field, and its main objective is to enable water pumps to expand irrigation using solar energy.

The program is intended to be implemented in Amhara, Oromia and other regions.