Addis Abeba Wants Roof-top Farms But Its Growers Need Clean Water First

Feb 28 , 2026. By YITBAREK GETACHEW ( FORTUNE STAFF WRITER )

The Ministry of Agriculture’s ambitions are being tested most visibly in Addis Abeba. More than 204,000 residents were engaged in urban agriculture, with a weekly Sunday market integrated into the system and operating across more than 172 locations citywide. Farmland is shrinking, and attention has shifted to vertical “fence farming.” Yet, overlapping mandates between the Farmers & Urban Agriculture Development Commission and the Agricultural Bureau unveiled an unfinished realignment of responsibilities that farmers say matters less than daily exposure to price shocks and resource constraints.

On the edge of Addis Abeba’s expanding suburbs, 29-year-old Abnet Melaku has built what looks like a small success. From a plot in the Jemo area, he raises poultry and grows vegetables, taking in more than 3,000 Br a day from egg sales when conditions cooperate.

But the constraints do not show up in the simple profit ledger. Water shortages, suspected pollution in irrigation sources, rising feed prices, and customers wary of where produce is grown have stalled his plans. Abnet refuses to irrigate with water he believes is contaminated. Expansion is on hold, not for lack of demand, but because the practical choice is increasingly between polluted water and no water at all.

Research has found that much of the river water in Addis Abeba is contaminated with waste. Last year, Mayor Adanech Abiebie acknowledged that a considerable share of the capital’s vegetable production depends on river water, raising public health concerns even as farmers struggle to stay in business. A riverside development project has been launched to restore waterways, but for producers like Abnet, the practical choice remains between polluted water and no water at all.

Water is the most immediate constraint. A federal agriculture strategy calls for rainwater harvesting, groundwater use and water recycling, with clear rules on which sources can be used for agriculture.

The Ministry of Agriculture is rolling out a 10-year “Climate Smart Urban Agriculture” strategy backed by 255 million dollars in public spending. The programme aspires to turn city households into food producers while pushing rural farming further toward export markets. Federal agriculture officials hope, if widely adopted, urban agriculture could cut household food costs by 10pc to 20pc and create 35pc more jobs, easing pressure on the cost of living.

It envisions a sustainable, technology-driven system that extends from homes and residential compounds to rooftops, boundary fences, government offices, schools, mosques, and private businesses. It is built on five pillars, including advancing research and extension services, improving access to land and infrastructure, enhancing production and marketing, and addressing cross-cutting concerns such as environmental risks. Each household and public agency is expected to adopt some form of urban production, with the Agriculture Ministry and its affiliates steering the effort nationwide.

It cites the absence of secure land tenure and clearly designated plots for urban farming, compounded by fast-paced urbanisation that pushes farms outward and shrinks available land.

Many practitioners like Abnet lack modern technologies and quality inputs suited to tight city spaces. And there is a shortage of skilled professionals to guide them.

Practices were borrowed from rural farming even as rapid urbanisation pushed land further from city centres. There were no dedicated extension services for city-based producers, no clear organisational structure, and weak coordination among the ministries responsible for food, water, land, and education. A formal strategy already exists on paper, but implementation has remained largely federal, with little ownership at the neighbourhood level.

As urbanisation advances and open plots shrink, officials are promoting vertical farming as a response, using fences, walls and rooftops at the household level to grow vegetables. Often referred to as “fence farming,” this approach is presented as a way to address land scarcity while integrating food production into residential spaces. Awareness of urban agriculture remains low, however, and part of the federal spending is earmarked for public education campaigns to convince residents that food can be grown not only in distant rural fields but also on balconies, backyards and compound walls.

Since 2016, oversight of urban agriculture has moved from the Ministry of Urban & Infrastructure to the Ministry of Agriculture.

Genet Mideksa, expert at the Ministry’s Urban Agriculture Directorate, recalled that previously there was no extension support at all, leaving urban farmers to manage inputs, pests, marketing and water access on their own. While frameworks exist at the federal level, she conceded that administrative efforts fail to reach the grassroots. Regional implementation is weak, with “no organised staff at the regional level,” limited budgets, inadequate logistics, scarce public awareness campaigns and poor coordination among stakeholders.

“It's stagnant at the regional level,” she told Fortune.

Three years ago, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed (PhD) directed officials to create a framework to distinguish between rural and urban farming, drawing lessons from his "Ye'lemat Turfat" initiative. The updated strategy seeks to translate that directive into practice through vertical farming and diversified animal husbandry. Extension services have developed 14 support packages covering animal and horticultural production.

According to Genet, many of the sector’s challenges are to be addressed through coordinated efforts with other institutions. The Ministry of Water & Energy is responsible for water-related issues, while land management concerns fall under the Ministry of Urban & Infrastructure. The Ministry of Education is tasked with updating curricula to raise public awareness about urban agriculture.

“Everyone has a responsibility,” she told Fortune. “It’s not necessary to rely solely on rural products.”

The Ministry’s ambitions are being tested in Addis Abeba.

Wendossen Akale, communication director of the Addis Abeba City Administration Farmers & Urban Agriculture Development Commission, obserevd that farmland is shrinking and that the focus has shifted decisively to vertical farming, with vegetables particularly suited to this model. As of August 2024, more than 204,000 residents in Addis Abeba were engaged in urban agriculture, with the weekly Sunday market integrated into the system and operating across more than 172 locations citywide. Although the Commission was established in 2019, the Agricultural Bureau continues to play a central role, unveiling the incomplete realignment of mandates.

For producers such as Abnet, overlapping responsibilities among public bodies matter less than the daily realities of price shocks and resource constraints.

“The sector is profitable, but one must be cautious,” he said, recalling strong vegetable yields last year and plans to expand that never materialised.

The limited water available to him is heavily contaminated, and he refuses to farm with it. He continues to face financial constraints, land shortages and sceptical customers who sometimes walk away after asking where his farm is located.

Shimelis Araya (PhD), an agricultural and development economist and alumnus of JLU Giessen, sees the urban agriculture strategy as essential but questions why it has not yet been fully drafted and implemented.

“This can transform people from consumers into producers,” Shimelis said. “But for it to succeed, incentives will play a key role.”

He defined urban agriculture as growing food and raising animals in moderately to densely populated areas, alongside activities such as food processing, distribution and collecting and reusing waste and rainwater, involving residents through education and employment. For urban agriculture to aid economic reform, he argued, the government should provide loans, workspace, land access and infrastructure.

He observed that many young people show little interest in rural agriculture, though he does not fault them, blaming the sector’s underdevelopment and limited appeal. He urged reforms, modern technology and mechanisation to attract young people.

"Urban residents should engage rather than remain solely consumers," Shimelis told Fortune.

It promises cheaper food, new jobs and a more resilient urban food system that reaches from city rooftops to riverside markets.

PUBLISHED ON Feb 28,2026 [ VOL 26 , NO 1348]