አማርኛ
The goal of Agriculture and Environment cluster is to improve the food and nutrition security, livelihood and wellbeing of the society in the region. The cluster works in collaboration with bureau of Agriculture, Livestock Agency, Amhara Agricultural Research Institute and with other non-governmental organizations working on the Agriculture sector.
The cluster has the following objectives:
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- Support the transformation of agriculture in the region
- Enhance the sustainable use of natural resources
- Facilitate institutional, cultural and socioeconomic transformations
- Build and enhance the capacity of implementer at different levels
- Support job and income opportunities for the youth in the agriculture and environment sectors
The Agriculture and Environment Cluster has the following four sub-working groups:
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- Crop
- Horticulture
- Livestock
- Natural Resource and Environment
- Institutions and Extension
Short- and medium- term priority areas
- Crop
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- Support cluster-based scaling up of technology packages for 10 strategic (food security, cash and industrial) crops.
- Support the development and institutionalization of the seed system strategy of the region
- Review, compile and develop fertilizer recommendation for major crops and soils types of the region
- Review current micro-finance credit policies and improve affordability and timely supply and distribution of fertilizers and crop protection chemicals
- Develop the region’s agricultural mechanization roadmap
- Develop recommendations on strengthening plant health clinics for strict regulation and monitoring of the use of agricultural chemicals
- Develop the technical and institutional requirements to implement fast track soil fertility improvement measures – existing soil laboratories
- Develop policy recommendations on how the extension system support the private sector investment in strategic export and agro-processing crops
- Identify and support the capacity development needs of the crop production sector
- Identify business and job opportunities in the crop development sector
2. Horticulture
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- Identify and establish clusters for horticulture crops production
- Preservation and processing of perishable produces
- Building capacity in horticulture production, handling and processing
- Regulation and monitoring of the use of agricultural chemicals on horticultural crops
- Establishing/strengthening Horticultural Training Centers
- Operationalizing already established pack-house and cold storage facilities
- Establishing banana ripening facilities at Gondar and Injibara
- Establishing village markets at Dera, Bure, and Basoliben
- Establishing mother plant foundation blocks (rootstock and scion sources) for selected fruit species/varieties
- Support the one fruit tree per family initiative
- Livestock
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- Develop improved livestock production system and context specific interventions
- Support market-oriented commodity-based production livestock production system
- Develop tailored business model and interventions for each of the livestock commodities (red meat, dairy, poultry, honey)
- Identify and support implementation of sustainable livestock feeds and nutrition
- Develop livestock production system based veterinary service delivery model
- Promote integrated animal health care
- Support restructuring of the livestock extension system and related institutions
- Provide tailored training and experience sharing
- Promote livestock mechanization (dairy, beef, poultry, feed)
- Empower private producer in input supply and services
- Empower regulatory bodies (input and output)
- Establish commodity platforms and strengthen farmer-research-extension linkage
- Natural Resource and Environment
Forestry and Agroforestry
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- Support establishment of medium and small-scale wood industries
- Undertake inventory and mapping of available eucalyptus forest, bamboo, other potential species
- Develop modalities for involvement of farmers, organized youth, forest cooperatives, and private sector to establish the required forest woodlots through contract farming and nurseries
- Develop mass seedling propagation techniques
- Identify woody species production sites and modalities
- Facilitate road access and other infrastructures to plantation sites
- Develop tailored business model and market linkages
- Develop agroecological zone (AEZ) disaggregated agroforestry packages including fruit trees
- Church forest mapping, protection and development
- Support action on protection and management of the lowland forest from West Amhara up to Yejubie
- Forest products standardization, quality enhancement and production process improvement
- Develop job creation modalities
- Develop capacity in the different areas listed above
Watershed Management
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- Develop/revise a simple working modality for community-based watershed management
- Develop an inbuilt exit strategy and conduct periodic performance and sustainability assessment
- Develop end to end model watershed in selected areas and address the following:
- Making conservation productive and economically attractive
- Making Homestead Development as major component of Watershed Development
- Support and enforce zero/control grazing – linkage with Livestock development
- Watershed management linked to irrigation
- Develop incentive mechanism for watershed management
- Clarify roles and responsibilities of institutions
- Design a context specific buffer zones for water bodies and protected areas
- Clustering of agroforestry systems within watersheds and between watersheds
- Training and follow-up
- Document best experiences within the region and design scaling up strategy
- Support mountain rehabilitation
- Design and support wetland ecosystem conservation and management incusing the control of water hyacinth
5. Institutions and extension
- Revising the culture and structures of the institutions in the region working on the agriculture, environment and natural resources (land, water, soils, forest and fisheries)
- Redesigning the boundary and coordination of the public institutions
- Revising the strategy and governance of the institutions
- Mandate zonation of institutions involved in agriculture and environment Promote evidence-based public investment planning for agriculture and environment
- Rationalization and implications of agricultural and environmental policies such as subsidies, export bans and land access and ownership
- Enhancing the competitiveness of farmers collective actions
- Design and support institutional capacity building
- Comprehensive community level training and sensitization