The first ever Ethiopian Soil Campaign themed “Healthy soils for a Healthy Life” is taking place this week (November 16-21) in Addis as part of the International Year of Soils. Mr. Mesfin Birhanu, representative of the State Minister of Agriculture & Natural Resources, Ethiopia officially opened the campaign at National Theatre on 16 November. Many dignitaries and representatives from government & NGOs, International Organizations, academic and research institutions attended the opening.
FAO, GIZ together with organized the event in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture & Natural Resources. The week long campaign began with cutting the soil profile cake.a The week will include a series of events; such as panel discussions, cultural events, mixed group discussions, demonstration site visits, etc. The group discussions were held on the second day, at Hope University College of Business, Science and Technology, on November 17. It was among key events that brought together scientists working on Natural Resource Management to share their insights on sustainable soil health management. Teklu Erkossa and Desalegne Tadesse are attending the event from IWMI.
The purpose of the camping is to:
- Raise awareness with the greater public, farmers, Development and extension Agents, agri-service centers, Bureaus of Agriculture on the importance of our soils for agriculture, food, food security, biodiversity, water retention and climate adaptation
- Exchange knowledge and experience, align activities and enhance collaboration between all stakeholders for good soil health management practices in Ethiopia.
