Timetable of the Ethiopia ASP

September 2007: Project Launch: 3-7 September 2007, Adis Ababa. Currently ongoing. 

May 2007: FAO Project: The FAO project, initiated in 2000, is being complemented by the Ethiopia ASP. To date the FAO initiative has collected, repackaged and disposed on 2,100 tonnes of obsolete pesticide stocks.

March 2007: Agreement negotiations completed: The World Bank negotiations of the Ethiopia ASP are now complete, awaiting endorsement by the GEF.

November 2006: Rift Valley Case Study published: An ASP financed study led by PAN-UK on pesticides and their accumulation in the Rift Valley.

November 2006: Safeguard Visit: 22-27 November 2006, a safeguard visit is undertaken by the Africa Safeguards Unit of the World Bank.

October 2006: NGO meeting: 17 October 2006, NGO participants of the ecotoxicological training met to discuss next steps. Decisions from the meeting include: the development of a proposal for a full eco-tox study to contribute to beginning a body of literature on pesticide residues in Ethiopian food, environment and animals, which currently does not exist; and provision of the training in the Rift Valley, developed into the pilot project.

October 2006: CESA: The Country Project Specific Environmental and Social Assessment (CESA) is under review and awaiting clearance by the World Bank Safeguards Unit.

September 2006: Ecotoxicological Monitoring of Pesticide Impacts: 13-26 October 2006, 17 participants attended training, split between theory, field and lab sessions. The focus of the meeting was an introduction to establishment of ecotoxicological monitoring programmes for the detection of environmental impacts from pesticides

July 2006: Community Health Monitoring Training: 26-31 July, Ethiopian participants attended the Community-based Pesticide Action Monitoring (CPAM) Training of Trainers (ToT) in Tanzania. The course focused on facilitation skills, exposure routes, symptoms, gender aspects, and the CPAM materials.

April 2006: Environmental Assessment: An environmental assessment is undertaken to evaluate the work done so far, a means to facilitate forthcoming negotiations and operational activities 

March 2006: Mid-term Review: A mid term review of existing project has been completed and is very positive. Funding through the bilateral donor financed Phase 2 disposal project has resulted in 3500-11000 tonnes of obsolete pesticide stockpiles repackaged and shipped to Germany.

December 2005: Operational Manual: The Operational Manual is completed by the Ethiopian PMU and circulated for review.

2000: FAO Iniative: 2000, an FAO project on obsolete pesticides was initiated.

For more information on the Ethiopia ASP, please contact:

• Project Coordination: Mr Biratu Oljira, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, telephone: (+251) 911 216 054
• NGO Activities: Mr Tadessa Amera, Institute for Sustainable Development, telephone: (+251) 011 465 3916

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 countries 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)