As a member of the National Technical Committee responsible for developing the National Manufacturing Industry Resource Atlas—an innovative geospatial platform created through a strategic partnership between the Ministry of Industry and the World Bank—I am a strong advocate for initiating a similar project within the Ministry of Agriculture to promote sustainable horticulture development.
The Resource Atlas serves as a dynamic blueprint for the ambitious objectives outlined in the National Horticulture Strategy. This strategy aims to elevate Ethiopia’s horticulture sector from contributing 4.5% of GDP to 12%, increase foreign earnings from $650 million to $3.3 billion, create 2 million additional jobs, and boost the current annual per capita production of fruits and vegetables from 50.2 kg to 102 kg. Additionally, it seeks to sequester 131 million tons of carbon dioxide in the soil and enhance the biological content of crops over the next decade.
In the lush highlands and sunlit valleys of Ethiopia, a quiet revolution is underway—one that could transform the nation’s agricultural backbone into a global powerhouse. With its diverse agroecological zones, Ethiopia is poised for horticultural excellence, ready to export vibrant fruits, vegetables, and flowers to discerning markets in the Middle East and Europe. However, to realize this potential, we must embrace innovation not only in cultivation but also in strategic planning.
Ethiopia’s horticulture sector is rich with untapped promise, featuring fruits such as table grapes, avocados, strawberries, mangoes, and bananas, as well as herbs, vegetables like tomatoes, onions, and peppers, and floriculture staples like roses, summer flowers, and ornamental cuttings. This sector thrives across 18 major agroecological zones, from the moist highlands ideal for temperate crops to the arid lowlands suited for tropical produce. It currently employs thousands, particularly women and youth in rural areas, and supports agro-processing industries that enhance value through juicing, canning, and drying.
Yet, significant challenges persist: fragmented supply chains, inadequate cold storage, water scarcity, power shortages in key regions, and poor road and air connectivity to export hubs hinder scalability. The recent launch of the Cool Port Addis cool chain facilities at Mojo Dry Port—alongside the Ethiopia-Djibouti railway—offers a transformative opportunity. This infrastructure enables the rapid transport of perishables, reducing post-harvest losses (which can reach up to 40% for certain crops) and opening doors to high-value markets. Imagine Ethiopian avocados appearing in European supermarkets or roses adorning Middle Eastern weddings within days of harvest. However, without accurate, data-driven mapping, these ambitions risk remaining unfulfilled.
The Manufacturing Industry Resource Atlas serves as an exemplary model for the Ministry of Agriculture to follow. Launched in draft form in July 2025, this atlas—developed under the World Bank and prepared by a private consulting firm, GIS—represents a significant shift in industrial planning. It meticulously maps Ethiopia’s resources across various themes, including water (ground and surface), energy (power plants, substations, transmission lines), transportation (roads, railways, dry ports, airports), ICT coverage, industrial parks, mining, labor and skills (universities, TVET schools), agriculture, and manufacturing firms.
Utilizing GIS-compatible datasets from mandated institutions such as the Ministry of Water and Energy (MoWE), Ethiopian Electric Power (EEP), and the Ethiopian Statistical Service (ESS), the atlas employs spatial analysis to identify high-potential areas. For example, it overlays energy accessibility (within 10 km of transmission lines or 25 km of substations) with industrial zones, revealing that 25% of the country (283,320 km²) has viable power access for manufacturing. This atlas is not just a static document; it is an interactive platform for policymakers, investors, and planners to visualize opportunities and constraints.
The methodology behind the atlas is both rigorous and replicable. It started by identifying key data sources and then collecting geospatially referenced datasets. Collaborating with federal and regional stakeholders ensured accuracy, while cleaning, validating, and standardizing transformed raw data into GIS layers suitable for thematic mapping. This centralized repository supports evidence-based decisions, such as locating factories near water basins (e.g., the Abay basin, which has an annual capacity of 52.6 billion cubic meters) or transport corridors. As a committee member, I observed how this approach clarified Ethiopia’s industrial landscape, revealing clusters such as the 171 large-scale firms in Addis Ababa and the 3,163 medium-scale enterprises nationwide. It fosters investment by identifying synergies, such as agro-processing near livestock zones with high cattle density (up to 7.8 million in Arsi), and addresses disparities, including the concentration of manufacturing in central Ethiopia versus the dispersed medium-scale firms.
Why, then, should the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) adopt a similar approach for horticulture? The similarities are compelling. Just as manufacturing relies on raw materials, energy, and logistics, horticulture requires specific resources: suitable soils, water availability, climate conditions, labor, electricity, telecommunications, road infrastructure, and proximity to cold chains and ports.
Ethiopia’s national horticultural strategy envisions the development of eight horticultural corridors, 200 clusters (as detailed in strategy documents), and ten horticultural parks over the next decade. This vision necessitates precise planning to avoid inefficiencies. A Horticultural Resource Atlas would adapt the framework used in the manufacturing model, mapping agroecological zones (e.g., moist Dega for vegetables and wet Weyna Dega for fruits), water resources (surface flows in Omo-Ghibe at 17.96 billion cubic meters), and transport accessibility (e.g., areas within 320 km of dry ports like Mojo). It could integrate crop-specific data from the ESS’s 2022 surveys—such as vegetable crop yields in the Rift Valley or fruit clusters in Sidama—and overlay this with ICT coverage (97% 2G nationwide) for smart farming applications.
Imagine the transformative potential: By geospatially analyzing soil maps (e.g., Vertisols for high-yield vegetables), the atlas could identify corridors along the Awash basin suitable for irrigated horticulture, reducing reliance on rain-fed farming that is vulnerable to climate variability. It would highlight high-potential clusters near the Ethiopia-Djibouti railway, ensuring that perishable exports reach Djibouti Port swiftly. For the envisioned horticultural parks—integrated hubs with processing facilities—the atlas could prioritize locations near universities and TVET schools (over 1,500 nationwide) to facilitate skill development in post-harvest technologies. Drawing from the labor mapping in the manufacturing atlas (e.g., urban-rural workforce distribution), it could target youth employment in regions like South Omo, which are rich in fruits but underserved by infrastructure.
This approach is not just technical; it’s economically appealing. Ethiopia’s horticulture exports could soar, leveraging free trade agreements like the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and Everything But Arms (EBA). The Cool Port Addis, with its advanced refrigeration capabilities, addresses a critical bottleneck, but effective mapping ensures equitable distribution—preventing overconcentration in central areas like the 132 firms in Bishoftu. By replacing imports (e.g., $8 billion in minerals and fertilizers, according to the atlas), local horticulture could supply agro-industries, creating value chains from farm to factory. Employment could be achieved through targeted investments in women-led cooperatives, mapped alongside data from the Ethiopian Cooperative Commission.
Critics may argue that agriculture’s seasonal nature complicates mapping, but the manufacturing atlas demonstrates otherwise—it effectively handles dynamic elements such as energy fluctuations and mining activities. Challenges like data gaps can be addressed through partnerships with the World Bank, similar to the Ministry of Industry’s collaboration. As a committee insider, I witnessed how GIS tools bridged silos, fostering inter-ministerial synergy. The MoA could enhance this by incorporating climate projections, ensuring resilience against droughts that affect 40% of horticultural output.
In conclusion, Ethiopia’s horticultural strategic plan and its ambitious goals require a tool as innovative as the sector itself. By adopting the Manufacturing Atlas’s methodology, the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) can develop a Horticultural Resource Atlas that not only maps resources but also fosters growth. This initiative is not merely about advocacy; it represents a vision for a greener, wealthier Ethiopia, where every valley flourishes with opportunity. Let’s come together—donors, horticulture professionals, and stakeholders—to chart this course.
Mekonnen Solomon is a Senior Staff and Horticulture Export Coordinator at the MoA, Ethiopia. He can be reached at ehdaplan@gmail.com
