Date: Fri, 30 Aug 2013 19:16:33 +0200
Posted on 30 August 2013.
By
<http://www.scribd.com/Helping-Communities-Boost-Food-Security in Eritrea
* The Adi hakefa-Lamza micro dam is about 12 Km South East of Asmara,
the capital city of Eritrea.
* The micro dam was constructed as part of a $1.2 million UNDP food
security project initiative implemented jointly with the Eritrea Ministry of
Agriculture.
* The micro dams provide water for small scale horticultural
irrigation farming throughout the year.
As one arrives at the Lamka village on the outskirts of Asmara he or she may
be tempted to think that this is a deserted village. There is very limited
movement of people with a handful of children playing around in an open
field. This is because almost all the village residents have gone to work on
their farms in a nearby valley irrigated by two micro dams.
Located in the horn of Africa, the area is semi-arid and stays dry most part
of the year. However using irrigation water supplied by the Adi Hakefa-Lamza
micro dam, the community is able to produce high quality horticultural
products throughout the year.
The micro dam was constructed over a period of one year starting in the year
2010. The dam is 24 meters deep, and 200 meters wide and currently holds
600,000 cubic meters of water but has a capacity of one million cubic meters
of water if the rains are sufficient.
The community members provided labor for construction while the excavation
was achieved through mechanical means under supervision of the Eritrean
Ministry of Agriculture.
Healthy and prosperous villagers living near the Adi Hakefa-Lamza micro dam
in Eritrea
Water from the dam is pumped though irrigation canals to feed 1200 household
maintained small scale farms in the valley via gravity. The farms are
irrigated once every two weeks. For sustainability the farmers make monthly
contribution that enable them purchase the diesel for the pump and also
carry out canal and equipment maintenance. The farmers receive extension
service support from the government through the ministry of Agriculture.
"Sometimes there is shortage of fuel and we receive support from the
ministry of Agriculture who are always at hand to support us," says the
village administrator Ms. Abrahazion, she hopes that there can be another
form of technology like solar and wind that can ensure the water pumping is
a continuous process even if there is no diesel. With the new dam the
ministry is planning to increase the land to 100 ha and introduce new modes
of farming like drip irrigation for increased production.
The community in Lamza was introduced to irrigation farming by the Italians
during the colonial period. They, however, depended on one micro dam and
they could not expand their farm land. The dam occasionally ran out of water
during prolonged cases of drought. This then prompted UNDP working closely
with the government to construct a second dam. This was as a result of UNDPs
initiatives to empower the country to improve food security and improve
livelihoods among small scale farmers.
The project is already showing some successes barely one year since it was
inaugurated. With the introduction of a new micro dam the community has been
able to open new lands for farming.
The total acreage under cultivation is now 25 hectares (61 acres). In
addition, the community now has more water and they are able to carry on
with their farming activities throughout the year. This has in turn boosted
food security in the area and excess production is sold at the main Asmara
market, where products from the area are known for their high quality and
therefor in high demand.
Ms. Abrahazion the local administrator is happy that the second dam was
constructed in the area; according to her, "We have seen improvement of
nutrition among the children because they are able to access highly
nutritious vegetables from the irrigation scheme. The children are also able
to attend school consistently because they are healthy and fall sick less
often."
She further adds that the success of the project has attracted more people
who would also want to benefit from the irrigation scheme. "We had set aside
a land bank to give to those who wanted to participate in the farming as new
members; we have allocated most of it to new members, now those who are
coming may not have any land to work on."
The success of the village has indeed attracted more people who would like
to also benefit from such projects. This growing population has prompted the
community members to think about redesigning the canal and leveling the
ground so that they can get open more land to share with the new settles in
addition to increasing the average size of land per household.
Abrahazion is quite elated about the project; she sums up "I have witnessed
improvement in the living standards of the population and particularly women
and children who are the main beneficiaries of the project. Water is readily
available at our doorsteps; we do not have to walk long distances to fetch
water."
The land tenure system of the village is based on equal distribution among
households. Female headed households are provided with the same amount of
land to ensure gender parity.
The community jointly markets its products in order to gain from economies
of scale. To achieve this, they harvest their produce on Friday and jointly
transport the product to the Market in Asmara where they have a common
wholesale market. Due to the high quality of their products, many of those
who buy are small scale retailers who would then sell in different locations
of the city.
In addition to the environmental and ecological advantages to the area, the
micro dam has enabled farmers to boost their livestock rearing due to ease
access to fodder from the irrigation scheme.
Plans also exist to introduce bee keeping and poultry farming. The total
cost of the project is estimated at about USD 1.2 Million with the aim of
improving the household food security of 1200 households approximately 6000
people.
UNDP has also assisted construct three other similar micro dams across the
country.
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