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 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)