Forage Project Launched in Ethiopia

On Oct 24, 2023 261

Addis Ababa, October 24, 2023 (FBC) – A project aimed at establishing commercially viable and sustainable forage markets for dairy producers in Ethiopia was launched today.

Speaking during the launching ceremony, Livestock Development Institute Director-General Asrat Tera said the project focuses on increasing the demand for climate-smart forage among small-scale producers in dairy villages, increasing the supply of nutrient-dense climate-smart forage grown locally, and strengthening the enabling environment for forage market development.

The project will be implemented in six regions of Ethiopia—Oromia, Amhara, Sidama, Central, Southern, and South West Ethiopia—and bring best practices to the other regions, he added.

The Nourishing Prosperity Alliance Forage project in Ethiopia will be implemented in collaboration with various pertinent bodies, including CortevaAgriscience, Forage Genetics International (FGI), the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), and local partners of the Nourishing Prosperity Alliance (NPA), with funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Land O’Lakes Venture 37, it was learned.

According to Asrat, the project directly aligns with the millstone of Yelemat Tirufat, and hence the Ministry of Agriculture renders whatever support is needed to achieve the milestones of the project through its local partner institutions.

Land O’Lakes Venture 37 Group Director, Dai Harvey, said the project will be implemented in the next 5 years.

The Nourishing Prosperity Alliance Forage project is looking at the commercialization of forage in Ethiopia and also in Kenya to improve animal nutrition so as to improve the productivity of animals across East Africa.

The group director pointed out that in Ethiopia’s context, the project will significantly contribute to improving the productivity of the dairy animals with the view to enhancing the amount of milk being produced from existing dairy animals across Ethiopia, starting in high-dairy potential regions of the country, per ENA.