Ethiopia
The Ethiopia ASP project was launched in September 2007. Approximately 2300 tons of stocks were removed from Ethiopia and safely destroyed through a disposal project led by FAO before ASP-Ethiopia was launched. The remaining 400 tons of stocks have been collected and packed for transport, and are stored in Addis Ababa awaiting safe disposal. A hazardous waste contractor has been appointed to carry out the disposal. 215 of the estimated 250 tons of uncollected stocks from other locations in the country have been inventoried under ASP-Ethiopia, revealing publicly-held obsolete pesticides and un-quantified amount of contaminated containers and soil.
The Ethiopia project has been instrumental in the drafting of a pesticides proclamation and a pesticides regulation for submission to Parliament. Implementation of the national communication strategy is set to start in June 2010.
For more information on the Ethiopia ASP, please contact:
Project Coordination: Mr Shimelis Hassen, Ministry of Agriculture, telephone: (+251) 911 216 054 shimelishassen@yahoo.com
NGO Activities: Mr Tadessa Amera, Institute for Sustainable Development, telephone: (+251) 011 465 3916. isdbios@ethionet.et
Country Information
Ethiopia, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, borders Eritrea, Sudan, Kenya, Djibouti and Somalia. Situated at the eastern most point of the African continent, on the ‘Horn of Africa’, Ethiopia is one of the oldest nations in the world, with eighty-four indigenous languages, and the third-most populous African nation with an estimated 75,067,000 inhabitants. Comprising of a total land area of 1,104,300 km², the topography of Ethiopia is diverse, ranging from very high mountain ranges (the Semien Mountains and the Bale Mountains), to the Danakil depression, one of the lowest areas of land in Africa. The agriculture sector accounts for 80% of the country's labour force, and 80% of exports, where principal crops include coffee, pulses (e.g. beans), oilseeds, cereals, potatoes, sugarcane, and vegetables. Subsistence farming is overwhelmingly predominant, and most production exports are provided by the small agricultural cash-crop sector. (2006 figures).
Government Counter Part Participated in a Communication Workshop
ASP-P1 Ethiopia Government Counter Part Expert, Mr. Yeraswork Yilma, yerasget@yahoo.com participated in a communication workshop conducted from October 26 to 28 in Nairobi - Kenya. The workshop was organized by WWF. Participants were drawn from countries who are included in ASP - P1. During the workshop participants presented and discussed country reports. In addition, they learnt how to upload country information to the ASP website and also how to link to various websites.
Workshop on “Pest and Pest Management Training Workshop” Conducted
A Training workshop on “Pest and Pest Management Training Workshop”, under the Theme “Improved Pest and Pesticide Management to prevent accumulation of obsolete pesticides”, is conducted in Ethiopia from December 27-31, 2010. It is organized in collaboration between Africa Stock Piles-Project 1 (ASP-P1) Ethiopia and Crop Life International (CLI) Crop Life Ethiopia (CLE). Capacity Building, i.e., among the four interrelated Components of ASP-P1 Ethiopia Project, Capacity Building, among the four interrelated Components of ASP P1 Ethiopia Project is the issue addressed in the workshop.
The overall aim of the training was to promote the awareness of the prevalence of pests and how to manage them and get the best production. During the workshop the new Pesticide Registration and Control was introduced and discussed. The specific objective of the workshop was to provide crop protection Experts or Officers from the Bureau of Agriculture and large scale farms (including horticulture farms) with up-to-date information on Pest and Pesticide Management to protect the health of the public and minimize adverse pesticide environmental impacts. Participants were drawn from all parts of the country, from the Ministry of Agriculture, State farms and Plant Health Clinics. A report has been prepared about the workshop that will be on the website soon.