A farmer, trader and advocate of organic farming

 Holeta is a town in the special Zone of Oromia region, Ethiopia. It is located about 40 Km West of Addis Ababa, the Country’s capital. With its suitable agro ecology, a number of farmers produce vegetables for home consumption and as a source of cash income.

Workie Shumeye is one of those farmers who grow vegetables year round–in different seasons. Workie and her colleagues used to grow vegetables conventionally using toxic agrochemical inputs both for soil fertility enhancement and plant protection.

As the Ecological Organic Agriculture (EOA) project started in Holeta some ten years ago; Workie and other farmers her village became members of the project. The project came up with trainings and technical support for farmers on how they can implement organic farming practices and technologies to gradually convert their farm into an organically managed farm.

By fully taking up the EOA technologies and practices, Workie became a fully fledged organic farmer. She manages poultry, produces milk and vegetables in her backyard. Her plot is fully transformed as she uses the manure from the cows and poultry in her farm and the crop resides and weeded materials are used as animal feeds.

Harvesting Swiss Chard in her garden

Workie is not only an organic farmer now; she is a trader of organic products and also a strong proponent and promoter of organic farming. She collects organic vegetables, fruits, dairy products and farm eggs and sells in the farmers’ market day which happens in Addis Ababa—fortnightly.

Workie in the farmers' Market day in Addis Ababa - happens every two weeks 

As a proponent and model organic farmer, Workie was invited to share her experience in the “EOA National Platform Meeting” Organized by the Institute for Sustainable Development in Addis Ababa. During the Meeting, she shared her experience on how she became an organic farmer and is benefiting out of it from different directions–including income generation. She sent a request to the panelists who came from the Ministry of Agriculture if the Ministry can include organic farming into the extension system so that new and willing farmers can get extension support. She also added that this will be a great opportunity for existing farmers to get further technical support to adopt more technologies and practices that can increase the productivity and profitability of organic farming.

Workie Shumeye, Speaking in the EOA National Platform Meeting