The International Labour Organization (ILO) ProAgro Ethiopia project is a commendable initiative aimed at promoting decent work in the agribusiness sector, with a particular focus on empowering women poultry farmers. By providing market access, technical training, and support for sustainable business models, the project is contributing significantly to the Ethiopian government’s priority of increasing decent job creation through entrepreneurship.
One of the key strategies of the ProAgro project has been to partner with women-owned businesses like Yegna Farms. This collaboration has enabled the project to scale up support for women’s inclusive agri-business models, creating sustainable jobs in the poultry value chain. By providing training, technical assistance, and market linkages, the project has helped women poultry farmers overcome the challenges they face, such as limited access to markets, high feed costs, and fluctuating demand.
The project’s focus on training and capacity building has been instrumental in empowering women poultry farmers. By providing training in chicken management, immunization, and nutrition-sensitive agriculture, the project has equipped farmers with the skills they need to improve their productivity and efficiency. This has not only helped individual farmers but has also had a positive impact on their communities, as they are able to generate income and create jobs.
Moreover, the ProAgro project has been instrumental in addressing the challenges faced by women poultry farmers in terms of market access. By partnering with Yegna Farms, the project has established a mechanism for collecting, packing, and distributing eggs to the nearest market in Addis Ababa. This has helped farmers overcome the barriers they face in reaching larger markets and has enabled them to command better prices for their products.
The project’s emphasis on sustainability is also noteworthy. By providing support for the development of alternative, low-cost poultry feed, the project is helping farmers to reduce their input costs and improve their profitability. Additionally, the project’s focus on creating direct market linkages with supermarkets is ensuring that farmers have a stable market for their products.
The success of the ILO ProAgro project in Ethiopia demonstrates the power of collaboration and the need for specialized interventions to meet the unique requirements of female entrepreneurs. By offering full support, including training, technical assistance, and market access, the initiative has enabled women poultry producers to improve their livelihoods and contribute to their country’s economic development. As the project progresses, it is hoped to serve as a model for other countries wishing to promote good work and gender equality in agriculture.
