The land in Ethiopia generally receives an adequate supply of rainfall each year and the soil is rich and able to support farming.

We brought our children back to Ethiopia in 1999, to visit their relatives and renew their cultural ties to Ethiopia.  When we arrived in the village, the villagers had not eaten in a week, because the community harvest had not started, and there was no food stored from the previous harvest.  When asked about having personal gardens to rely on in such situations, we were told they had not been personal gardens since the communists took over in 1973.  During the communist rule (the Derg), the government would confiscate the majority of what they grew so they gave up growing gardens and burned their fruit trees for fire wood.

Poor use of the natural resources due to ignorance of modern farming techniques limits the crop production of all farms in the area.  With no water reservoir system in the country the entire village is under the constant threat of starvation in the event of a drought.

 

What We Have Done

We entered into an agreement with the villagers, to plant personal gardens.  We would provided a variety of nutritious seeds, and bought enough grain for them to survive on until their gardens began to be productive.  We did require that the men and boys would the water from the river.  Women and girls were already spending 3 to 4 hours each day carrying cooking and drinking water. We also had them prepare garden plots, so that when we returned, every villager could plant their garden.   The men were finally convinced to do this, after much resistance, and we went to Addis to buy seed. 

When we returned five days later, all the gardens had been prepared for planting, and within a couple of months many in the village were enjoying the fruits of their labors from their gardens.

In 2008 Village of Hope developed a relationship with Morrell Family Charities (MFC).  Paul Morrell, Evan Maxfield (Agronomist) and Brent Keller (Cattleman) spent three weeks in the village looking for opportunities to increase the agriculture production in the area.  As Evan Maxfield evaluated the soils, the temperate weather, the relatively shallow presence of moisture in the soil he couldn’t help but compare their dry season to the Mountain West states in the US.  The single biggest difference he could see between the two areas is that this region of Ethiopia surpassed the Mountain West on all three with regards to conditions conducive to dry farming.  The soil is as good or better, the moisture content is as good or better and the climate is much more temperate and favorable.  He compared the area to the Simi Valley of California which is the most productive agriculture area in all the United States.  The evaluation concluded that the possibility of adding a second crop and harvest to the community during the dry season is very feasible.

After completing their review, MFC meet with local village leaders agreed to work together in implementing an agricultural development plan with the goal of doubling the standard of living in the next few years and quadrupling it over ten years. 

 

Current Projects and Future Plans

1. Support Morrell Family Charities' Effors with Village of Hope Provide support and assistance as they work to implement their economic development plan for the village.  This plan includes: