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Ethiopia becomes the 50th member country of CABI, the international non-profit organization that improves the lives of people by providing information and applying scientific knowledge to solve problems in agriculture and the environment.
Ethiopia will enjoy a variety of benefits including contributions to CABI’s global development agenda, links with its international network of partners, as well as regular consultations to address member needs, according to CABI’s press release. Dr. Trevor Nicholls, Executive Director of CABI, confirmed the signing of the United Nations-level Treaty on CABI International by the Government of Ethiopia for the country to become a member of CABI. The CABI membership application process was led by the Ethiopian Ministry of Agriculture, with whom CABI has a long and beneficial association.
Mr. Sani Redi Ahmed, the Minister of State, Ministry of Agriculture, who had been advocating for Ethiopia’s membership in CABI, said: “The Government of Ethiopia is committed to maximizing its potential to ensure greater food security for its citizens, as well as expanding its capabilities for the export of key cash crops, including coffee.
“We look forward to continuing to work with CABI regarding trade, commodities, and value chain development and market access as we seek to build better Sanitary and Phytosanitary Systems (SPS), Pest Risk Analysis (PRA) and other aspects of quarantine for the management of invasive species. “
Other CABI membership benefits that Ethiopia now receives include voting rights at CABI review conferences and Executive Council meetings, as well as access to the wide range of CABI products, services, programs and deliverables from CABI projects and activities. capacity development.
Dr. Nicholls said, “CABI membership will not only consolidate existing relationships with Ethiopia, but will also strengthen our relationship and shared goals of enhancing the country’s capacity to address and mitigate the growing challenges posed by the pests and diseases of Ethiopia. crops in a changing global climate. Ethiopia’s membership in CABI will greatly enhance CABI’s position and capacity to help ensure food security and achieve the SDGs in Africa and around the world. ”
Ethiopia has a large domestic market of over 100 million people, making it the second most populous country in Africa after Nigeria and has experienced one of the fastest growing economies in the world with average annual growth rates between 7% and 12%.
Agriculture is the dominant sector of Ethiopia’s economy, accounting for 36.3% of its GDP, 73% of its employment, and 76.7% of exports in 2016/17. In 2017/2018, Ethiopia’s main exports included Coffee (29.5%), Oilseeds (14.9%), Legumes (9.5%), Chat (9.3%), Cut Flowers (8%) and gold (3.5%).
CABI is a partner in the Ethiopia Agricultural Policy Investment Framework (PIF), which was created in 2010 to implement the country’s role in the Comprehensive Africa Agricultural Development Program (CAADP), which includes driving growth and development farm of Ethiopia.
One facet of this is the role of CABI working in partnership to help Ethiopia fight crop pests and diseases, as well as invasive species that threaten the country’s prosperity, food security and biodiversity. Examples include work to examine and mitigate the impact of the invasive exotic tree Prosopis juliflora in the Afar region of northeastern Ethiopia. This is part of an overall strategy to remove barriers to invasive plant management in Africa.
CABI is also working with biological control manufacturers Eléphant Vert, FAO, and governments and national partners to assist in the fight against the Desert Locust, which is devastating crops in Africa and parts of Asia, that could benefit from the use of the desert locust. sustainable product Green Muscle.
Meanwhile, Ethiopia was one of six East African countries selected with the goal of strengthening institutional plant health capacities by developing an early warning and pest information management system for invasive species such as the fall armyworm.
Other work CABI has also been involved in helping Ethiopia’s agriculture includes helping it address coffee diseases as part of the Regional Coffee Wilt Program, as well as improving coffee quality in East and Central Africa through improved primary processing practices in Ethiopia and Rwanda under the Sustainable Credit Guarantee Scheme for coffee operators, the first of its kind in Ethiopia.
Additionally, CABI is using a grant from the Gates Foundation to help increase food security in Ethiopia and India through better access to data on soils, agronomy and fertilizers. The country will also benefit from another Gates Foundation-funded project, the African Crop Epidemiology System (ACES), which aims to implement a plant health early warning system in Ethiopia and Kenya.
The use of data has also been a key tool in nearly 200 CABI-led Plantwise plant clinic networks that help smallholders diagnose and treat a variety of crop pests and diseases. For example, the online Plantwise Knowledge Bank provides farmers and extension workers with a diagnostic tool to identify a pest problem in a crop, as well as the ability to sign up for the latest pest alerts.
