Ministers Council Nods to Contract Farming Bill

Aug 20 , 2022


[ssba-buttons]

The Council of Ministers has approved a bill that looks to formalise contract farming models. Federal officials hope to encourage expanding a demand-driven farming system by rolling out a legal framework that allows agro-processing industries to source raw materials from millions of small-scale farmers. In the making for the past five years, the bill was initially under the Agricultural Transformation Institute (formerly an Agency) before the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) took over the mandate three years ago. It intends to legalise contract farming models. Contract farming has been limited to a few agricultural commodities, including oilseeds, sugarcane, and barley. The bill will be tabled to lawmakers when Parliament reconvenes next month.


Radar

US Renews National Emergency, Sanctions on Ethiopia

The United States has extended the national emergency and sanctions on Ethiopia for another year under the African Growth & Opportunity Act (AGOA). Signed by President Donald J. Trump, the measure was first declared on September 17, 2021, through an executive order citing the conflict in northern region of the country as an "unusual and extraordinary" threat to U.S. national security and foreign policy. The extension, effective until September 17, 2026, keeps in place restrictions targeti...


Radar

Rockefeller Pitches Clean Cooking to Curb School Meal Emissions

A recent study has revealed the staggering environmental toll of school feeding programs. A single school serving 400 students can burn through the equivalent of 56 hectares of forest each year to fuel cooking. The Rockefeller Foundation flagged the health risks too, with most cooks, predominantly women, breathing smoke levels ten times higher than the World Health Organisation's safe limit. "If every school meal transitioned to clean cooking with electricity and solar, the emissions saved wo...


Radar

Sun-Powered Grid Brings Light to Qunbi District

A new 600KW solar mini-grid in East Hararge'sQunbi district has connected 2,200 households to electricity, marking a milestone in the recent rural electrification push. Ethiopian Electric Utility (EEU) laid seven kilometres of medium-voltage and 10 kilometres of low-voltage lines, installing four transformers to reach communities long cut off from power. Customers cover only meter and installation costs before accessing the service. The project is part of the national strategy to expand energ...