The IDH landscape program in Ethiopia financed and supported 48 smallholder fruit and vegetable farmers around Lake Ziway in GLOBALG.A.P. certification earlier this year. It was the first time that vegetable farmers received such certification for their products in Ethiopia. The farmers will now sell their produce at a premium price to among others the Ethiopian Airlines. Work is underway to certify more farmers in the region and to scale up the project further.
IDH partnered with Meki-Batu Coop Union (MBCU) – the local fruit and vegetable farmers union – to certify the farmers. MBCU has preliminarily agreed to buy these certified farmers’ produce at a 10 percent premium price. Ethiopian Airlines has also shown interest in buying the products at a premium price. This would mean an important local market for farmers in Ethiopia to get certification.
GLOBALG.A.P. is an internationally recognized food safety certification and sets voluntary standards for the certification of agricultural products.
The certification process entailed responsible chemical use on onions, cabbage, green beans and other vegetables.
MBCU is currently selecting the next batch of 120 farmers and the crops to engage in GLOBALG.A.P. compliant production and certification.
The union is currently engaging with key government officials at national and regional levels to share the certification success but also the key challenges that remain for farmers in the area.
IDH and the private sector will continue to support the process.