Best practices and success stories from ecological organic agriculture initiatives

Crop rotation, inter-cropping and planting nitrogenous plants either in rotation or as inter-crops is proven to improve the soil and enhance crop performance. These practices are key parts of ecological agriculture initiatives. Smallholder farmers who implement ecological organic agriculture are keen in using these practices to maintain soil fertility and improve crop yield.

When practicing organic farming, farmers use locally made recipe and some chemical formulations which are allowed in organic for plant protection purposes. Using plant extracts and other locally made solutions are widely adopted by smallholder organic farmers in Ethiopia.

The stories in this volume of Mizan newsletter tell us about how farmers are successfully implementing ecologically based agronomic and plant protection practices to increase their yield and maximise profits.

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Urban Agriculture in Addis Ababa

Urban agriculture in Addis Ababa is contributing a lot to food supply in the city. The city sources most of the vegetables from urban farmers and farmers in the peri-urban areas. Urban farmers in Addis produce vegetables for home consumption and as a source of income for their families. There are also urban agriculture practitioners who grow vegetables only for home consumption. Mr Yilma Bizuneh is one of the urban agriculture implementers who grows different vegetable types for home consumption. When asked about his experience in vegetable production, he said that he used to grow a few vegetables in pots. His backyard was open only to grow grass and weeds, especially during the rainy season. He started growing vegetables in his backyard after the wide-ranging promotions of home gardening by the city administration. Mr Yilma is now sourcing vegetables for his family consumption from his backyard. He adds compostable household wastes in the backyard to decompose there. The added biomas

The charismatic farmer who made me feel that my college education was null and void

It was November 2016, the spring, the season every part of Ethiopia blossoms with flowers from wild plants, shining beauty from a mosaic of smallholder plots planted with different crop types and varieties of the same crop species and the greenery across the different landscapes and Agro-ecological zones. A team of experts of Agro-ecology from all over Africa came to Ethiopia to take part in the “Community Seed Knowledge” workshop organised by African Biodiversity Network (ABN) and the Institute for Sustainable Development (ISD). The workshop was held in Dessie, a city located 400 km North East of the Ethiopian capital – Addis Ababa. On the day we drove to Dessie; we stopped in a small village in Harbu district of South Wollo Zone, one of the sorghum growing areas, and met smallholder farmers who have been involved in community seed bank project run by Ethio Organic Seed Action – an NGO working to save indigenous seeds. As we stopped by the roadside and got off our bus; the farme

Exchange visit: an effective way to learn from practical experiences of organic farmers

When properly managed and wisely used; exchange visits are key for sharing knowledge, experience, and good practices. Ecological Organic Agriculture is a knowledge intensive agricultural process in which farmers, extension officers, students and other practitioners can learn from each other as the process is going. Farmer to farmer, farmers to extension agents, farmers to students and vice versa, exchanges can help improve small producers’ technical and organisational capacities. It provides opportunities to learn from each other, customise, and adopt successful farming practices and techniques. In November 2020, the Institute for Sustainable Development ( https://www.isd-bio.org/ ), Green Flower Foundation ( https://greenflowerfoundation.org/ ) and Pesticide Action Nexus-Ethiopia brought together organic vegetable grower farmers, extension agents, organic horticulture students and instructors in a learning exchange to share experiences and practices that can help each parties learn

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