Ethiopia potato cooperatives are rebuilding after conflict, with farmers in Tigray and the Gamo Zone using improved seed, training and finance to restore production and strengthen food security.
In Felege Weyni, where agricultural life was disrupted by the outbreak of war in November 2020, potato farming became an essential source of food and stability. For Keshi Gebretsadik, a priest and head of a 54-member seed multiplication cooperative, the impact was immediate. The group lost its tractor to looting, while more than 1,000 quintals of potatoes rotted unsold as markets collapsed and transport routes were cut off.
Even so, potatoes helped sustain households during nearly two years of conflict and remain central to family resilience during the recovery period. Keshi, a farmer from Itsebi Woreda in Tigray Eastern Zone, began his seed multiplication initiative in 1999 E.C. with 13 members. Supported by regional agricultural institutions and microfinance services, the project later developed into the Shewit Seed Multiplication Cooperative.
The war interrupted that progress, but the cooperative has since resumed operations and expanded to 54 members, with equal participation of men and women. Improved access to finance and agricultural inputs is now helping the group transition from recovery to growth.
Improved seed and finance support recovery
A partnership with SNV has played an important role in this process. Backed by a financing package of ETB 2.4 million (USD 15,254), the cooperative has already drawn half of the funds to restore operations and invest in future production.
Workshop highlights potato role in food security and resilience
These experiences of recovery and adaptation were reflected in discussions during the National Potato Research and Development Workshop held from March 17 to 19 in Addis Ababa at the Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research (EIAR). Held under the theme “Advancing the Potato Industry in Ethiopia: Innovation for Resilience, Food Security, and Economic Growth,” the workshop highlighted the growing recognition of potato as more than a subsistence crop, positioning it as a strategic asset in national development.
Participants emphasized the need to bridge the gap between research and practice, ensuring that innovations developed through research translate into tangible benefits for smallholder farmers. Experiences from Tigray and the Gamo Zone demonstrated how potato production is evolving into a key pillar of food and nutrition security.
Speaking on St. Patrick’s Day, Fergal Ryan, Deputy Head of Mission at the Embassy of Ireland, drew parallels with Ireland’s 19th-century Great Famine, when potato blight devastated a population heavily dependent on a single crop.
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