Draft Report F2F Ethiopia PERSUAP Assignment Volunteer: Dr. George - PDF document

Draft Report – F2F Ethiopia PERSUAP Assignment Volunteer: Dr. George O. Kegode Dates of assignment: September 11 – 30, 2015 Host: Catholic Relief Service, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Overview: The primary objectives for the volunteer's assignment were as follows:  Conduct an assessment of pesticide safety along pesticide life cycle i.e. (policy, purchase, transport, use and disposal).  Identify and document the major constraints to safe use of pesticides in selected F2F country projects.  Make recommendations of possible solutions to the constraints identified.  Update country specific list of approved active ingredients (AIs) for selected country projects.  Upgrade and/or document recommended integrated pest management practices in F2F project areas in Ethiopia. Procedure used to complete the assignment in Ethiopia: A. Visited eight (8) F2F project cooperatives in the southern townships of: Hosanna, Soddo, Dilla, Shashemene, Kofele, Meki, Dodota, and Modjo and interviewed the following 38 individuals : o Twelve Ministry/Office of Agriculture officials at the woreda and kebala levels 1. Shimelis Hassen, Pesticide Management and Safety Expert, Ministry of Agriculture, Addis Ababa 2. Abule Bilate, Office of Agriculture, Hadiya Zone Crop Protection Expert 3. Engida Legesse, Office of Agriculture, Hadiya Zone Agronomist 4. Asarat Toma, Agronomist, Soddo Zuria Agricultural Office 5. Rawda Keredin, Agronomist, Waraza Lasho Kebele, Soddo 6. Desiye Alemansch, Extension Agronomist, Ministry of Agriculture, Dilla 7. Gerusin Edesso, Crop Protection Expert, Ministry of Agriculture, Dilla 8. Kemal Worjo, Agronomist, Office of Agriculture, Kofele 9. Mohaammed Tolola, Deputy Head, Office of Agriculture, Kofele 10. Jemal Mura, Head, Office of Agriculture, Dodota 11. Nura Hussen, Vice Head, Office of Agriculture, Dodota 12. Kasim Kedir, Extension Leader, Office of Agriculture, Dodota o One Ministry of Cooperative official at the woreda level 1. Amanuel Alemu, Head, Dodota Woreda Cooperative Promotion Office o Eight Farmers’ Cooperative Union representatives , including their pesticide storekeepers 1. Beyene, Cashier/Treasurer, Guangua Multi-Purpose Cooperative Union, Dilla 2. Hussen Hamu, Manager, Uta Wayu Multipurpose Farmers’ Cooperative Union, Shashemene 3. Worku Wodaje, Store Keeper, Uta Wayu Multipurpose Farmers’ Cooperat ive Union , Shashemene 4. Nigussie Menkin, Planning and Monitoring, Multipurpose Farmers’ Cooperative Union, Kofalee 5. Kasseye Cheru, Manager, Lume Adama Farmers’ Cooperative Union, Modjo 6. Zenebe Ketema, Vice Manager, Farmers’ Cooperative Union, Meki 7. Degu Bekele , Agronomist, Farmers’ Cooperative Union, Meki 8. Minalush Timkete, Storekeeper, Farmers’ Cooperative Union, Meki

o Three Agro Dealers who sell pesticides and pesticide application equipment 1. Two Agro-dealers (unnamed), Shashemene 2. Luke Desta, Agro Dealer, Kofalee o Five Farmers who use pesticides 1. Belachew Haile, Farmer, Hosanna 2. Melaku Dola, Farmer, Soddo 3. Aschelew Regagu, Farmer, Dodota 4. Gobena Hola, Farmer, Meki 5. Unnamed, Farmer, Shashemene o Nine CRS staff members/affiliates who oversee F2F projects 1. Mutuneh Tesfaye, Ethiopian Catholic Church Executive Development Coordinator, Hosanna 2. Teklu Tesfaye, Ethiopian Catholic Church PME Coordinator, Hosanna 3. Moges Chulo, Acting Program Coordinator, Catholic Social & Development Coordinating Office, Soddo 4. Zerishun Wendinno, Ethiopian Wetland Natural Resources Agency (EWNRA) Community Development Worker (CDW), Dilla 5. Tessema Berbere, EWNRA CDW, Dilla 6. Jima Gobena, Meki Catholic Secretariat (MCS) Shashemane Branch Program Manager, Area Catholic Diocese 7. Tesfaye Fetene, MCS Shashemene Branch Project Manager 8. Hastamu Gizaw Tola, Development Coordinator (RCS), Kofalee 9. Abu Osman, Natural Resources Management Expert, Meki Catholic Secretariat, Dera Branch Based upon initial analysis of available literature on pesticide use and safety in Ethiopia followed by a field interviews of the individuals listed above, following is the discussion of findings and recommendations for possible interventions to remedy the situation. Discussion: 1. Pesticide governance  In Ethiopia, the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) regulates and requires all pesticides to be registered prior to use. The registration process requires the applicant to provide efficacy, safety and quality data and upon registration, the pesticide can be used for up to 5 years at which time the registration may be renewed.  The MoA maintains a list of registered pesticides which is available on their website at, http://www.moa.gov.et/65 and is updated twice yearly. The site lists registered pesticides for: o 2015: January and June o 2014: January and October o 2013: February and April  Aside from requiring registrants to provide details about the pesticides they import, the Ethiopian government does not conduct compliance checks at supply dealers and markets.  The MoA provides extension officers with general agricultural training with only minor focus on the safe use of pesticides and IPM. There are no applicators, per se, and farmers are the ones applying pesticides with some advice/guidance from MoA extension officers.

 There are a number of groups and organization working to popularize and promote widespread use of IPM practices in Ethiopia. These include, Institute for Sustainable Development (ISD), Pesticide Action Nexus-Ethiopia (PAN-Ethiopia), Association for the Advancement of IPM (ASAI), and Ethiopian Agricultural Research Organization (EARO), among others. These organizations hold IPM meetings and workshops frequently but there seems to be a lack of information that reaches MoA extension officers and farmers. Furthermore, the government does not produce and distribute information on IPM.  There is no evidence of support from the private sector for the safe use of pesticides or IPM by farmers. Additionally, pesticide dealers do not have the capacity to provide such support and farmers basically depend on the information on pesticide labels and advice, where possible, from MoA extension officers.  The government has adequate policies, proclamations, and mechanisms in place to regulate the importation of pesticides into Ethiopia. Once imported, the distribution of pesticides is routinely undertaken by the importers, agro-input dealers, and Farmer Cooperative Unions. Pesticides are used by farmers upon advice from MoA extension officers or directions on pesticide labels and there is no government regulation during this time. There is no oversight on disposal of pesticide at point of use by the farmer.  Obsolete pesticides are stockpiled mostly by the Farmers’ Cooperative Unions with yearly reports of pesticide type and quantity being submitted to local (woreda) Offices of Agriculture which forward reports to the MoA, Addis Ababa. Thereafter, no clear mechanism for disposal of obsolete pesticides exists and stockpiles continue to grow. 2. Source of pesticides in the country  The Ethiopian government has a system that regulates pesticide importation, registration, and re- registration. However, there is no process to regulate/control cross border pesticide trade and as such the entry of illegal pesticide into the country is highly possible.  Farmers get the pesticides they need from either their Farmers’ Cooperative at the kebala level or local agro-input dealer. In regard to the Farmers’ Cooperative , a pesticide needs request is submitted to the Cooperative Union at the woreda level which in turn requests the headquarters office in Addis Ababa to fill and send orders. In regards to the agro-input dealer there is no oversight and as such there is no way of ensuring only legal pesticides are procured by farmers. o Having received the required pesticide, farmers make the application with some general advice from poorly-trained MoA extension officers. Correct calibration of pesticides is of concern and it is highly probable that farmers are over-/under-applying pesticides and timing their applications incorrectly. o Pesticide disposal is poorly governed and contamination of water sources is possible, especially where farmers mix pesticide and clean their sprayers. Other issues related to disposal include no clear guidelines for disposing obsolete pesticides.  Some of the countries from which Ethiopia imports its pesticides include: Canada, China, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, and USA. As of June 2015, there are 48 registered companies that can legally import and sell pesticides in Ethiopia.  There is one local manufacturer of pesticides in Ethiopia: The Adami Tulu Pesticide Processing Share Company that was founded in 1991 and is based in Addis Ababa. 3. Local Pesticide Trade  There are two main pesticide dealers in Ethiopia, (i) the agro-input dealer and (ii) Farmers’ Cooperative Union. Both operate stores that stock pesticides and application equipment as well as other agricultural inputs, such as fertilizer and seed.