Backyard Gardening for Enhancing Agro-ecological Practices and Livelihoods of Women- Wereilu Project

MELCA-Ethiopia with the purpose of strengthening and empowering women through engaging them in agroecology and food system programs have been working on supporting women by engaging them in different eco-friendly livelihood activities. One of the projects working on such activities is its Wereilu project located in South Wello of Amhara National Regional State.

Ms. Medina Mohammed in the Middle of her Backyard Gardening

MELCA-Ethiopia selected 24 women from organized self-help group members who lost their properties by the civil war that happen in their area last year. The objective was to treat morally and economically self-help group (SHG) members who damaged their properties and were harmed by the civil war.

The Wereilu woreda agriculture office plant science experts have provided vegetable gardening training collaborating with MELCA-Ethiopia to the women on the benefits of backyard gardening, suitable land selection, how to take care of vegetables, and creation of market linkage. Then MELCA-Ethiopia distributed carrot, cabbage, beetroot, and tomato seeds to the beneficiary women during the last rainy season.

Ms. Medina Mohammed During Taking Care of her Backyard Gardening Beetroot and Harvesting the Ripe Carrot Crop

Medina Mohamed is a housewife and a farmer in a rural village in Wereilu Woreda 04 Kebele. She was poor and had nothing to feed her family and she always depended on a meager income coming from her husband. In July 2022, Medina was selected by her self-help group to benefit from her backyard gardening, activities of MELCA.

After enrolling in backyard gardening, Medina learned basic gardening skills and how to grow different vegetables—including cabbage, tomatoes, beetroot, and carrots—creating diversity at her backyard.

Ms. Medina Mohammed explains: “The backyard gardening helps me to provide nutritious food for my family and we are eating well. In addition to what we eat, I am earning additional income by selling the vegetables I have produced in my backyard. From my previous harvesting, I have sold some of my beetroots and got 450 birr and four quintals of carrots. ”

Ms. Misaye Alelgn during Taking care her Backyard Gardening

Misaye Alelgn is another subsistence farmer who enrolled in backyard gardening. Like Medina, Misaye also explains: “Thanks to the backyard gardening support, I now have what I need to grow vegetables in my garden for my family. Thank you to MELCA-Ethiopia for this support, which will help me my whole life.”

After seeing the success in her garden, Medina began teaching and encouraging backyard gardening techniques to other women in her village—planting the seeds that will help to generate income and enhance household food security.

Vacancy Announcement (Re-advertisement)

MELCA-Ethiopia is a non-governmental non-profit making local organization legally registered in accordance with Organizations of Civil Societies Proclamation No. 1113/2019 with registration No. 0348 and operating in Ethiopia. MELCA-Ethiopia envisions seeing healthy and prosperous people that conserve their bio-cultural diversity and carries the mission of working for healthy ecosystems, resilient communities and critical young generation

Establishment of the Ethiopian Food System and Agroecology Consortium

Establishment of the Ethiopian Food System and Agroecology Consortium Introduction Session on Ethiopian Food System and Agroecology Consortium Establishment Meeting MELCA-Ethiopia and Its partners establish Ethiopian Food System and Agroecology Consortium to work together and achieving a common objective on the gaps of Ethiopian Food System and Agroecology on 9th May 2023. The consortium members

መልካ ኢትዮጵያ 19ኛዉን አመታዊ ጠቅላላ ጉባኤዉን አባላቱ በተገኙበት አካሄደ

መልካ ኢትዮጵያ 19ኛዉን አመታዊ ጠቅላላ ጉባኤዉን አባላቱ በተገኙበት አካሄደ የጠቅላላ ጉባኤዉ አባላት የ2022 ስራ ክንዉን ሪፖርት በማድመጥ ላይ በ19ኛዉ የመልካ ኢትዮጵያ ጠቅላላ ጉባኤ የተገኙ አባላት ቡድን ፎቶ ከተፈጥሮ ጋር ዘለቄታዊ ግንኙነት ያላቸዉን ባህላዊ እሴቶቻችን እንዲያንሰራሩ እና የማህበረሰብን እና የስርአተ ምህዳርን አቅምን ለማጎልበት አላማ አድርጎ በ1997ዓ.ም የተቋቋመዉ መልካ