Undertaking a pilot project for promotion of agro-ecology through establishment of farmers’ field school (FFS) and facilitation of farmers led research for restoration of local seed varieties of farmers’ preferences and agro-biodiversity management.
Directly involved are at least 150 farmers in the pilot Kebele and 30 relevant Woreda and zonal level government experts. Indirectly involved are at least 300 smallholder farmers in the pilot kebele.
This pilot project will be implemented in Yeki Woreda of Sheka Zone, South West Ethiopia Peoples Regional State, a nationally and internationally significant biodiversity hotspot located about 680 km southwest of Addis Ababa. Sheka Zone covers 2,388 km² across five woredas, with about 45% of its landmass under forest, including some of the last remaining moist Afromontane forests in Ethiopia. These forests host high levels of biodiversity, including endemic, endangered, and threatened plant and animal species, and serve as sources of major rivers such as Baro, Akobo, and Gojeb that sustain livelihoods far beyond the region. Agriculture is the primary livelihood in Sheka, characterized by smallholder farming systems rich in crop diversity and local seed varieties, including ensete, coffee, tubers, and root crops, which together form a unique cultural and ecological landscape. Despite this richness, smallholder farmers’ resilience and adaptive capacity are increasingly undermined by climate change, soil degradation, loss of soil fertility, and the expansion of high-input conventional agriculture that displaces local varieties and traditional ecological knowledge. Policy and research biases toward improved, input-intensive crops have accelerated the erosion of agro-biodiversity, reduced food and nutrition security, and increased vulnerability to climate shocks, pests, and diseases. Soil nutrient depletion, rising soil acidity, declining productivity, and loss of pollinators further compound these challenges, negatively affecting both agriculture and non-timber forest products such as forest honey.
