Poster for the ‘Market-Oriented Smallholder Development: IPMS Experience-Sharing Workshop,’ Addis Ababa, 2-3 June 2011

1. Unlocking the potentials of integrating market oriented commodity
development with conserved resources within the watershed continuum:
Lessons from Atsbi-Womberta district, Tigray, Ethiopia
1. Introduction 3.3 Changes in the expansion and uptake of market oriented commodities
A watershed consists of a steep land as runoff Sheep fattening and beekeeping
generating and valley bottoms as run-on zones
in a continuum fashion. With increased popu- 50000
12000
lation pressure, over use of the natural re-
Number of colony or sheep
sources results in low watershed productivity 40000 10000
Beneficiary households
and unable to feed the growing population. In 2004 2004
(no/commodity)
8000
30000 2010 2010
this regard, watershed based market oriented
6000
commodities (MOC) development has been 20000
launched to improve productivity and income 4000
of smallholder farmers. The methods, achieve- 10000
2000
ments and the lessons learned from Atsbi-
0 0
Womberta district of Tigray are presented. Fattened sheep Honeybee colony Fattened sheep Honeybee colony
2. Intervention approaches Irrigated crops and dairy
2.1 Interventions processes 2.2 Implemented approaches
15000 800
700
12500
Cut and carry system of livestock feeding
Number of cows or beneficiaries
Area (ha) or number of beneficiaries
2004 600
2004
and improved forage species introduced in 10000
2011
500
2010
the conserved watershed continuum. Knowledge management 400
7500
300
Potentials, limitations and interventions of Capacity development 5000
200
MOC identified along the value chain frame- 100
work (VCF)
2500
Commodity development 0
0
Crossbred dairy cows Beneficiary households
Irrigated area (ha) Beneficiary households
Interventions implemented along the VCF Research
(scaling out/up) 3.4 Relationship between conserved resources, market oriented animal and crop
production as sources of household income
3. Key achievements
3.1 Resources availability
Skills and capacity to use
the conserved surface
and groundwater
resources improved.
Forage biomass
productivity and
quality enhanced.
5000 100
Share of high value crops (%)
Average income (birr/year)
Quality and quantity of nectar Changes in the income of 4000 80
flow improved. beneficiary households High value crops
3000 60 Traditional crops
and shifting towards
MOC 2000 40
1000 20
0 0
Adopter Non‐adopter 1997 1999 2001 2003 2005 2007 2009
Farmer type Production year
3.2 Integration of MOC and conserved resources
4. Lessons learned and implications
Relationship between watershed continuum and market oriented
• Participatory market oriented commodity development along the value chain framework unlocks the use of
commodities conserved resources effectively and efficiently.
• The approach also helps to thinking beyond rainfed crop production. The integration approach improves the
income of smallholder farmers along the watershed continuum than rainfed crop production.
• This implies that the integration approach is more resilient to moisture stress than rainfed crop production
under extremely variable rainfall.
• The integration of MOC along the watershed continuum also helps to transform less productive watershed
into intensified and diversified household income sources.
• Improving the income of smallholder farmers triggers the community to invest more on resources conserva-
tion.
• Actors involvement along the watershed based development continuum and the commodity value chains en-
sured and the approaches have been institutionalized.