In 2024, the Netherlands Agricultural Network (LAN) team at the Netherlands Embassy in Addis, Ethiopia, engaged in activities to enhance food security, sustainable agriculture, and trade facilitation.
Collaborating with Ethiopian and Dutch partners, the focus was on market linkage strengthening, food safety improvements, and promotion of climate-smart agricultural practices, aligning with Ethiopia's 10-Year Agriculture Strategy and the Embassy's Multi-Annual Country Strategy (MACS 2023-2026).
Efforts included developing a sustainable cold storage system in Ethiopia, aiming to reduce food loss and waste while enhancing cold storage infrastructure. This initiative sought to boost Ethiopia's export potential, with LAN facilitating connections between Dutch agribusinesses and Ethiopian stakeholders in the horticulture, dairy, and poultry sectors.
To aid Ethiopia's compliance with EU export regulations, the LAN team implemented a systems approach for managing False Codling Moth (FCM) in rose exports, leading to an EU-approved framework. The introduction of ePhyto, a digital system for exchanging phytosanitary certificates, and Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) training programs for farms were also part of the initiatives to enhance trade efficiency.
Sustainability initiatives included promoting Integrated Pest Management (IPM), circular agriculture, and soil health, with training programs introducing farmers to biological crop protection methods. Biodiversity conservation was supported through the restoration of church forests in Amhara.
Despite challenges such as economic instability, the LAN team remained a partner for Dutch companies in Ethiopia, assisting with investment challenges and trade barriers. The team facilitated policy discussions and business engagement to create a conducive investment environment.
Looking ahead to 2025, the LAN team plans to continue fostering a resilient agri-food sector through strategic collaboration, policy engagement, and technical support.
Source - https://www.freshplaza.com
