Kickstart for Development: How Farming Families Overcome Hunger and Poverty

Nigatu Shibiru and his wife Dukani Hotesa live with their three young sons in the village of Sike Bokosa. The family has only a tiny piece of land, no larger than a quarter of a football field. They never had enough. Then Nigatu fell ill with tuberculosis. "I was scared he was going to die," says Dukani. The treatment was so expensive that they had to sell their most important possessions: two packhorses, an ox, and a dairy cow.

"Even in daily life, smallholder farmers struggle. But when illness strikes, it's literally a matter of survival," says Michael Kesselring, co-CEO of Menschen für Menschen. "We help them in ways that are individually tailored to their own capabilities."

Small land, big harvest

Those who have only a little land, like Nigatu Shibiru, need plants that yield a lot on a small area. His family received seed potatoes, fertilizers, and advice. The first harvest was already a turning point. Nigatu Shibiru dug up around 1,000 kilograms of potatoes. Some of it remained as food for the family, some as seed. The rest was sold by the smallholder. With the proceeds, he bought two sheep. Through the sale of the lambs, the family can continue to expand, and perhaps soon buy an ox again, hopes the smallholder. "But the most important thing is that we can now feed our children," says his wife Dukani.

Hambela Wamena is a rural district in the Oromia region of southern Ethiopia. About 214,000 people live on approximately 871 square kilometers — with hardly any infrastructure, almost no industry, and weak trade. Agriculture is the mainstay of life. Most families cultivate less than a hectare of land, often with very low yields. "In a baseline survey conducted by Menschen für Menschen, 96 percent of households reported that they did not have enough to eat throughout the year," emphasizes Michael Kesselring. "A central problem is the lack of access to credit: farming families cannot invest in better seeds or fertilizers or livestock." Overpopulation further exacerbates the situation because the fields become smaller with each new generation.

Close support

The Ethiopian experts in Menschen für Menschen's project regularly visit the families. They show them location-specific cultivation methods and help them to increase and diversify their yields, for example with protein-rich legumes. They also receive high- performance seeds and fertilizers through cooperatives based on fair microcredits. At the same time, the Swiss foundation promotes the development of livestock herds as important initial capital.

In total, Menschen für Menschen supports 3,600 casual laborer and smallholder families with a total of around 25,000 people to sustainably improve their diet and income. The aim is for the families to be able to build a stable and dignified livelihood in their home villages.

Capital on four legs

Esatu Dugo and Gadise Hotesa also received four robust ewes. One lamb is already born, and the other animals are pregnant. The couple lives with their three daughters in the village of Dimtu Hambela. Esatu is a laborer. He plasters mud walls, cuts grass in coffee gardens, or picks coffee cherries. He earns the equivalent of about one franc a day. But often he finds work only once a week. So the family regularly skips meals. "There's no lunch today," says Esatu. The family now pins their hopes on their livestock. "I work hard. I want to lease land," says Esatu. The sheep are the key to this: lambs can be sold after four to five months, older animals fetch high prices, even more so on holidays. "For many laborers, livestock is one of the few opportunities to generate capital and build a livelihood," explains Michael Kesselring. "We are enabling this path for 350 families."

Cycle of growth

With a targeted, manageable boost, much can be achieved, emphasizes Kesselring. "If knowledge, seeds, or a few animals are added, families can begin to work their way out of poverty on their own." 88 francs finance barley seeds and fertilizer for a family. 112 francs enable three to four sheep as a start in livestock keeping that can sustain a family. 142 francs cover seed potatoes, fertilizers, and training for a family. The crucial factor here is sustainability: "The support is based on fair microcredits. The repayments flow back to farming cooperatives and are then granted as new loans to other families. This way, a cycle of growth develops in the village without further inputs from Switzerland."

Menschen für Menschen fights against poverty and hunger. The foundation was established by actor Karlheinz Böhm (1928 - 2014). In the spirit of its founder, the Swiss relief organization creates life prospects for the poorest families in Ethiopia. The goal of the work is for them to live in dignity in their homeland. The main focuses of the individual projects are women's empowerment, vocational training, microcredits, child aid, family planning, and agricultural development. The components are combined according to local needs and implemented with carefully selected local partners.

Donation account:
Post account 90-700 000-4
IBAN: CH97 0900 0000 9070 0000 4
Online donations: www.mfm.ch

Press contact:
For additional information or interviews with experts, please contact:
Michael Kesselring

m.kesselring@mfm.ch

Tel.: +41 (0)43 499 10 60

Editor's note: Image rights belong to the respective publisher. Image rights: Stiftung Menschen für Menschen Schweiz / Photographer: Rainer Kwiotek