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 Ethiopian Farmer Works with CPAR to Overcome Challenges |
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Kebebush Tadesse is a 36-year-old woman living in Hose Kebele of Shankini, a small village on the edge of the Blue Nile Gorge in Ethiopia. She has the responsibility of providing for herself and the three other members of her family. She has been working as a member of a vegetable growers group and has shown exceptional determination and therefore achieved great results with regards to her rain-fed vegetable production.
CPAR staff working in the region recently had the opportunity to talk with Kebebush about her experiences before and after her participation in CPAR’s program and how it has impacted her life. She explained, "Before I joined in CPAR's project activities, I faced lots of challenges. My family was very poor, my income could not cover my family needs. I used to work as a farmer for those households who were well off in the Kebele Administration. I also prepared and sold a local drink called 'Arike'. However, I could not cover my family's expenses. I was simply living from hand-to-mouth." When Kebebush first became a CPAR beneficiary, she initially participated as a daily laborer. Later, she was selected as a member of rain fed vegetable growers. As a result of the inputs and the training that she received, she soon began cultivating various vegetables including potatoes, cabbage, onions, beet root, etc., on a 600m2 area located in her compound. Despite these positive results, Kebebush and other farmers in the area soon encountered a water shortage which they reported to CPAR program staff in the area during a visit to gardens in the area."We were forced to harvest the vegetables before they reached full maturation due to shortage of water supplies. We believed that there was much yield reduction." A few days following the report of the water shortage, Kebebush and the other farmers in the area received the good news that a hand dug well would be built to facilitate year-round crop production. "Representing myself as well as my friends in the area, I would like to say that CPAR is the only organization that has enabled us to solve our livelihood problems, so I appreciate CPAR for all the support that has been given to us," says Kebebush. |
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