National specialist for agricultural value chain promotion in the Oromia region Strengthening rural value chains

Ethiopia has achieved remarkable economic development in the last decades (an average of 10 % economic growth per year) and can show significant progress in poverty reduction: While more than 54 % of the population lived below the poverty line in 1996, this figure dropped to 24 % in 2015. Nevertheless, the country continues to face major challenges. 

Despite initial successes in the implementation of AGTP II, the national Ministry of Agriculture and the national organisations involved are not yet sufficiently capable of implementing a private sector-oriented agricultural policy based on the value chain approach, nor of creating favourable framework conditions for the commercialisation of agricultural products from smallholder production and for the growth of upstream and downstream agro-industries. Moreover, the implementation of support measures at regional level is not yet sufficiently geared to the needs and potentials of smallholder farmers and MSMEs in the agricultural and food sector. As a result, income and employment potentials along rural value chains remain unused (core problem). The TC module aims to improve the income and employment situation of actors in agricultural value chains in selected rural regions (module objective)

Tasks of the specialist:

• Support the team leader in designing measures to improve access to services, markets and inputs for stakeholders in the selected VCs;
• Implementation of the operational plan in the Oromia region.