ADDIS ABABA– World Vision and Catholic Relief Services (CRS) has launched five year plan of ensuring food security which will be implemented in Oromia and Amhara states at cost of 309 million USD funded by the USAID.
At the event ,the Ministry of Agriculture Food Security Coordination Director Sintayehu Demise said that the main objective of the implementation of the projects in two states is to enhance livelihood, ensure food security in rural household and improve the livelihood of poor and vulnerable societies .
The project is aligned with the rural productive safety net programs, she added.
Ethiopia’s USAID Mission Director Sean Jones for his part said these are resilient and food security activities and there is nothing more important than investing in food security and resilient and the two projects are very important long term investments in Ethiopia’s future. “Creating resilient and food security throughout the country is everybody’s responsibility and together we continue to lift them out of poverty and they must own their future.”
CRS Country Representatives Zemede Abebe on the occasion noted that the implementation of the project launched by CRS is entitled“Ifaa” and the overall budget for the implementation of the project is about 102.8USD million planned to reach over 200,000 individuals in nine Woredas of Oromia state.
The project is focused on improving agriculture, protecting safety and health of children and women’s, improving market systems focusing on natural resources and others. Up on the implementation of the project women and youth are highly expected to benefit from the project. The implementation is focused on addressing problems of unemployment and others, he said.
National Director World Vision Ethiopia Edward Brown also said that “The focus is on food security primarily we’re working to get stallholder farmers off, dependency on food, through their own ability to produce both at household level at Community level. There are large projects, like irrigation schemes, dams, and others sosmall holder farmers can get out of dependency on food aid and get towards self-reliance, so that they can feed themselves and their families.”
It was learnt that the project will benefit the small holder farmers in rural areas, primarily subsistence farmers are the beneficiaries. The finance allocated for the implementation of the project is the total value over 206.5 USD million in the next five years is which includes the value of food and it is actually an expansion of the program to meet the growing needs, as well as the opportunities in Oromia and Amhara states.
BY HAILE DEMEKE
THE ETHIOPIAN THURSDAY 27 JANUARY 2022
