In Amhara, a three-hectare agribusiness hub is bringing research, equipment, and market accss directly to 837 smallholders.
AMECO: Sunday, 26 July 2026
Moret and Jiru— In the highland district of Moret and Jiru, traditional smallholders have long farmed from hand to mouth, vulnerable to fluctuating yields and restricted market access. Now, a localized agricultural enterprise is offering a concrete, structural response to systemic rural poverty.
The officially launched Jiru Agribusiness Company brings together 837 local farmers onto a shared three-hectare operational hub designed to replace legacy methods with modern, research-backed farming techniques.
“To break free from poverty, we must modernise and actively invest in our agricultural sector,” said Dr Dires Sahlu, rural sector coordinator with the rank of vice-president of the Amhara regional state, speaking at the launch ceremony. “This project holds immense promise for our farmers by driving real agricultural transition, abandoning outdated practices, and significantly scaling up yield and productivity.”
Rather than offering short-term relief, the initiative targets the root causes that keep rural producers trapped in subsistence cycles. Supported by the Ethiopian Agricultural Transformation Institute (ATI), the hub connects local producers directly with climate-resilient crop research, shared farm equipment, and commercial buyers.
“We are actively identifying systemic bottlenecks to shift regional farming away from a hand-to-mouth existence and toward market-oriented operations,” said Dr Ferew Tegegne, deputy director general of the ATI. Ferew noted that as the first enterprise of its kind in the district, long-term success will rely on sustained co-operation between regional administration, researchers, and local growers.
Local authorities confirmed strong institutional backing for the rollout. Tekleyes Belete, deputy administrator of the North Shewa Zone, pledged that zonal authorities will deploy their full capacity to support the strategy. Meanwhile, district administrator Bizuhan Abebe described the launch as “a historical milestone enabling farming families to build a better standard of living without restriction.”
For local producers, the venture represents a critical shift toward economic security and price transparency. Mezgebu Wolde and Mamushet Bekele, two smallholders attending the launch, expressed confidence that the enterprise structure would protect their land rights while securing fair, market-rate returns for their harvest.
The Jiru hub is part of a broader national strategy to establish 50 commercial agribusiness hubs across Ethiopia, 15 of which are slated for implementation in the Amhara region. If successful, the model could provide a blueprint for agricultural communities across the Horn of Africa looking to scale up production and build long-term economic resilience.
