Addis Ababa (AMECO)– A collaborative agricultural initiative in northern Ethiopia is turning rice into a cornerstone of regional food sovereignty, expanding tech-assisted farming from a trial of 500 smallholders to more than 6,200 farmers.
In the Fogera district of South Gondar—one of the primary rice-producing areas in the Amhara region—researchers and local authorities are helping farmers move away from subsistence techniques. Supported by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) through the EthioRice project, the initiative provides smallholders with modern processing machinery, climate-adapted seeds, and lab-backed agricultural expertise.
Dr Fiseha Worede, director of the Fogera National Rice Research and Training Centre, said that harnessing suitable land and raising productivity are essential to securing long-term food independence. Through the partnership with JICA, the centre has been upgraded with laboratory equipment and processing technologies that span the entire production chain from planting to post-harvest handling.
According to Dr Worede, researchers have identified more than 40 rice varieties, distributing specific seeds based on localized microclimates. Beyond the primary grain harvest, by-products such as husks and straw are being utilised as livestock feed, cooking fuel, and household energy sources.
The initiative’s community-led seed model has been central to its success. Seged Aichew, a researcher at the Fogera Centre, noted that the project initially engaged 500 farmers but now reaches 6,285 participants. Under the scheme, farmers are trained to multiply high-yield seeds on their own land, which they then supply to neighboring growers and official seed enterprises, creating a self-sustaining local supply chain.
“Work has been carried out to bring uncultivated land into production, train farmers, and improve the overall seed distribution system,” said Alebachew Aligaz, EthioRice project coordinator at the Amhara Region Bureau of Agriculture. Aligaz added that efforts are currently underway to roll out additional rice hulling machinery to meet growing demand across multiple zones.
For local growers, the shift to technology-assisted cultivation is yielding tangible economic results. Farmers with more than a decade of experience in the sector report that expert technical support has boosted crop yields, allowing them to achieve household food security, sell surplus produce at market, and hire local labour.
