Ethiopia Advances Agricultural Goals through CAADP Alignment: Expert
Addis Ababa: Ethiopia, through aligning its agriculture strategies with the Comprehensive African Agriculture Development Program (CAADP), continues to champion, Advisor to the Minister of Agriculture and CAADP Focal Person Zena Habtewold said.
According to Ethiopian News Agency, the Comprehensive African Agricultural Development Program (CAADP) is an Agenda 2063 continental initiative that aims to help African countries eliminate hunger and reduce poverty by raising economic growth through agriculture-led development. IGAD member states periodically assess their agricultural development implementation through the African Union’s CAADP framework every two years. Prior to submitting their reports to the program, these nations convene national dialogue platforms involving relevant stakeholders to evaluate their respective progress.
In this context, Ethiopia has recently undertaken a thorough review of its agricultural development achievements. The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) organized a program for national dialogue on CAADP today in Addis Ababa. Advisor to the Minister of Agriculture and CAADP Focal Person Zena Habtewold said that improving agricultural production and productivity, along with environmental protection through the Green Legacy Initiative, are key achievements registered in Ethiopia.
‘In the past years, Ethiopia has critically improved the production and productivity of crops and livestock; especially wheat. Ethiopia has already substituted wheat import starting from 2022 and largely improved the livestock production and productivity by implementing the bounty of basket in initiative,’ he noted. Ethiopia has been at the forefront of environmental protection, particularly with the successful implementation of the Green Legacy initiative, he stated, adding that other countries are replicating the successful achievement of Ethiopia.
The Advisor emphasized that Ethiopia is thriving to ensure food security and the results gained over the past years are encouraging. ‘With regard to climate change, the Green Legacy has contributed a lot. Currently, the forest coverage has increased to over 23 percent from 17 percent, and this is exemplary for Africa,’ he stated.
CAADP supports countries to enhance resilience to climate variability through the development of disaster preparedness policies and strategies, early warning response systems, and social safety nets. IGAD Food System Resilience Project Coordinator, Senait Regassa, stated that support is being intensified to enhance the effectiveness of IGAD member states’ efforts in building climate-resilient agricultural systems.
She explained that the program provides technical assistance in areas such as boosting production and productivity, establishing market linkages, shaping impactful agricultural policies, and fostering well-organized information management systems. Senait also underscored the commitment to further strengthen initiatives aimed at modernizing agriculture and integrating technological advancements.
Acknowledging the natural and human-induced challenges facing the region, she specifically pointed out the adverse impacts of climate change on agriculture. According to Senait, despite the minimal contribution of the region’s countries to climate change, they bear the brunt of its consequences. She lauded Ethiopia’s Green Legacy Initiative as an exemplary approach to tackling this challenge, worthy of emulation by others.
The forum also emphasized the ongoing commitment to bolstering agricultural investments in Ethiopia, ensuring the continuation and intensification of existing initiatives.