MENNONITE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATES (MEDA)

The Amhara Agricultural ForumDecember 8, 2016

Creating Business Solutions to Poverty

MEDA in Ethiopia

EDGET (Ethiopians Driving Growth through Enterprise and Trade)

E-FACE (Ethiopians Fight Against Child Exploitation)

ATTSVE (Agricultural Transformation Through Stronger Vocational

Education)

EMERTA (Ethiopians Motivating Enterprises to Rise in Trade and

Agri-business (in Amharic, to leap to greatest heights)

Creating Business Solutions to Poverty

EDGET-Rice Value Chain Development

Creating Business Solutions to Poverty

Marketing related:

Poor processing techniques and technologies

No quality control systems and poor grading

Poor perception and awareness of local rice

Poor negotiating ability

Productivity related:

Lack of access to quality seeds

Poor knowledge of good agricultural practices

Lack of appropriate and modern farm technologies

Constraints in the rice sector

Key Results—Production

Productivity increment

Ag Technology distribution (tractor, harvester,

weeder, etc)

Adoption of Good Agricultural practices (GAP)

Seed system development

Tractors and Weeders

Threshers and harvesters

Expansion of new varieties (Nerica 4 and Edget)

Results—Markets

Quality improvement/value addition (Grading, packaging and Parboiling)

Market/value adding Technology distribution (combined rice processing, grading, packaging, parboiling, sewing and sealing machines)

Regional rice standard development

Market promotion through mass media, exhibition and bazaar, rice day events, etc

Market linkages

Improved storage facilities

Quality based marketing (Grain incentive and Consumer incentive schemes)

Old machine Modern combined machine

Upgrade processing technology

Grading machine

Branded local rice (Mastewal Rice)

Parboiling equipment

Exhibitions and Bazaars

Rice day events

Promotional campaign: Amhara Mass Media Agency

Local rice at supermarkets and shops

Results—Financial Services

Access to saving and loan

Social insurance

Improved financial literacy

Linkage with formal financial institutions

Income Generating Activities

Women participation

SME access to finance through Guarantee Fund

• A financial tool to

help clients easily

save money and

access small loans.

• Self-managed.

• VSLA

Credit Guarantee: access to credit for working capital, investment and

business expansion.

Project Sustainability

Joint implementation with government sector actors, PTAC members, PSC, key

stakeholders and value chain actors

Capacity building of relevant offices to own and take over all activities operated by

MEDA and institutionalization of project activities to farmers’ groups and coops (seed

coops)

Upgraded processing technologies to enable rice processors to produce quality table

rice to the market

Marketed improved local rice to consumers in Addis Ababa and various other towns.

Hotel and restaurants to start local rice dishes, promotion through AMMA to increase

consumers’ awareness.

Market linkages created among key actors

Strengthened VSLAs for sustained financial services, linkage with formal financial

institutions

CG: bank willing to continue financing to already linked clients, bank open up new

branch to serve actors in the rice sector

Implementation Challenges

Key Challenges Remedial actions

To ensure suppliers and contractors

respect the terms and condition of the contract in terms of delivery

time and quality

Discuss thoroughly with the supplier to respect

the contractual agreement and to take appropriate action for failure to comply.

Lack of sufficient electric power to

upgrade processing technologies• Negotiate with concerned government

bodies to solve the problem.

• Project allocated additional budget to

purchase transformer through cost-share

Gap in partners understanding of the value chain concept and

project agreement

Discussion with concerned partners on VC approach and MEDA’s commitment to the

Government of Ethiopia.

Moving forward…

Creating Business Solutions to Poverty

Thank you!

www.meda.org