The document outlines interventions for developing the fruits value chain, focusing on targeting women and entrepreneurial farmers to enhance their skills and knowledge for improved fruit production. Key strategies include establishing private nurseries, introducing grafted varieties, and enhancing irrigation and training, which have led to commercial transformation in fruit production. Challenges include varying levels of commercialization and the need for improved market arrangements and greater private sector involvement.

1. Fruits value chain development
Interventions and lessons
Knowledge
management /
Capacity development
Va l u e c h a i n i n t e r v e n t i o n s Ta r g e t i n g
Input supply interventions:
Targeting women and farmers
with entrepreunial skills willing
to invest
Knowledge management / skill
development
Private fruit nurseries and private banana sucker supplies promoted in areas where
markets for fruits looked promising.
Access to knowledge through trainings, study tours, farmer field
days
Fruit value chain actors and their
roles
Creating sustainable fruit seedling Women earned additional income
supply system at village level from fruit seedling sales
Knowledge/Skills Input supply
MoARD, BoARD, OoARD
services
Knowledge sharing arrangements Regional and national agricultural
Production interventions: EARS (Melkassa, Jimma, Private nurseries linked to share-cropping - transfering exhibitions: a fast and
Adet, Alamata) EARS, Churches, Agro-industry knowledge from skilled to unskilled efficient means of knowledge
Advanced farmers (shared Private & Coop shops (farm farmers. dissemination
cropping) tools, chemicals, irrigation
CGIAR (IWMI) accessories)
NGOs
Fruit Producers
Introducing varieties with good Introduction of basin irrigation: a
international reputation to respond to means reduce impact of water born
market demands. diseases
Credit Processing /
Marketing
Microfinance institutions
Cooperatives union Regional marketing agencies
NGOs/ projects (lenders/ Additional ICT-supported information /
BoARD (Regulation
funders) knowledge via Ethiopian Agriculture Portal
- Certification
Traders (EAP) www.eap.gov.et
Cooperatives
Traders
Plant height: a critical feature for tree management and harvesting (dwarf fruiting
trees)
Lessons & Challenges
• Different levels of commercialization of households and Districts require different responses in knowledge, skills, interventions and sets of
actors.
Processing / Marketing interventions • In all Districts the project has been able to assist in the commercial transformation process of fruit production by introducing and or expanding
the use of improved, grafted fruit varieties (mango, avocado) and bananas in response to market demands, through a participatory market
oriented value chain approach.
• Study tours, in service training and improved access to knowledge through Woreda Knowledge Centres and FTCs enhance public sector
staff capacity to respond to knowledge and skills required for this commercial transformation.
• Irrigation facilities/potentials of farmers was improved through i) study tours, ii) in service training with practical follow up and iii)shared crop-
ping arrangements for knowledge/skills transfer and costs and benefits sharing. There are some examples of positive effects of husband/
wife training and targeting women groups.
• The main intervention was the establishment of a private nursery system aimed at increasing the supply of the improved grafted fruit (mango,
avocado) varieties. This was successful in Districts, which were commercially oriented.
• While private sector involvement can be seen in irrigation equipment/services, further participation, supported with credit, is required for
Tackling marketing problems training in the use of kerosene burners for rippeing higher levels of commercialization.
banana in Metema
• Private nursery operator’s skills in grafting were easily developed and examples of spontaneous adoption of grafting have been observed.
Both man and women are involved in nursery operation.
• Scale of private nurseries was hampered by a lack of scions, which had to be obtained from a few central sources. To reduce this depen-
dency, mother trees were established in each nursery site, which have started providing scions materials after 3 years. At increased levels
of commercialization, these private nurseries should be registered and linked to central sources of improved varieties.
• A commercial farmer to farmer sucker supply system was successfully developed for banana in a commercially oriented District. Future
expansion of the system should consider the development of appropriate phytosanitary arrangements to avoid the spread of soil/plant born
diseases.
• Farmers appreciate improved fruit varieties for their good market potential but also for their relatively short maturity period (2-3 years instead
of 8 years for local varieties).
• More sophisticated market arrangements and actors will be required when commercial quantities of improved fruits increase.
• No negative environmental effects have been observed from fruit development. While not yet visible, positive interactions are expected
with bee keeping.
Small local markets are often insufficient
to absorb the high volume and more
expensive products