Acidity and high salt content have damaged 43 percent of Ethiopia’s farmland, according to a paper presented last week in Adama. It says 11 million hectares of it is considered to have a high salt content.
Poor irrigation and lack of awareness about using water and soil productively are two of the culprits, according to the paper.
According to the Agriculture Transformation Agency (ATA) the decline in soil fertility costs Ethiopia billions of birr in reduced wheat, barley, sorghum and maize yields. The impact of soil acidity on wheat and barley production alone is estimated to cost the country over 18 billion birr per year.
One thing that would really help reduce acidity is treating the soil with limes. Several researchers have undertaken significant multi-year studies that have varied lime application to measure the effects on productivity. Improvements ranging from 50 to 100pct in wheat, barley, teff, soybean and maize were reported under moderate to severe acidic soil conditions
According to the paper adding limes could increase cereal production to 4.6 tons per hectare from its current 1.1 tons per hectare. However, the price is daunting since treating just one hectare of land for acidity takes 2.6 tons of limes and just one quintal goes for 170 birr. Primarily for this reason limes are only being used at six local farms.
“We need to work on transporting limes more efficiently,” Dr. Kaba Urgesa, State Minister for Agricultural and Natural Resources, said
In the past six months 14,000 out of 26,000 hectares of acidic soil has been treated.
Soil runoff is another concern according to a staff from ATA.
“The soil in the highland areas has washed off and many important nutrients are missing so we must do something to save our soil.”
Dr. Kaba says the government is taking steps to alleviate the problem by importing crops from Amahara, Oromia, Somalia and Tigray.
He says fertilizer is being used on cereal crops along with potash on 49,406 hectares of soil and they have seen increased fertility.
Ethiopian soils are deficient in various essential nutrients like boron, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, sulfur, and zinc and copper, although severity differs from region to region. Some nutrients like iron are in a sufficient range in many parts of the country. However, nutrient availability to crops depends on numerous soil and crop factors such as: soil pH, organic matter content, soil texture, adsorptive surface, nutrient interactions in the soil, and crop varieties.
Nearly half of Ethiopia’s farmland damaged by high acidity, salt
Business Chamber launches e-directory
In an attempt to modernize the way businesspeople communicate, the Ethiopian Chamber of Sectoral Associations (ECSA) has launched its first e-directory.
One of ECSA’s several missions is to make it easier to for businesspeople to network, especially in the manufacturing sector.
Now anyone in the world can access the e-directory, and hopes are this will attract new business partners.
“The e-directory was developed to promote business partnerships here and abroad by availing basic business information from the industrial sector in Ethiopia to everyone,” a representative of the Association stated.
“This will be an advantage for Ethiopia’s business community,” the association said.
“Now the speed information is made available determines the pace a country develops,” ECSA said in its statement.
The e-directory was made possible through financial assistance from the Ethiopian Competitiveness Facility and Cavalink Event and IT Solution PLC.
“Unlike printed directories, this product allows new member data entries, updating existing data, and a range of advertisement options for companies to display their products to international viewers,” Association officials explained at the launching event held on March 29 at Magnolia Hotel and Conference Center.
The electronic industrial directory is a mobile application downloadable from ECSA’s website (www.ethiocsa.net). It can also be downloaded by using ‘play store’ on Android phones.
Under the national sectoral association there are 27 sub sectoral and 11 regional sectoral associations included. ECSA is working to boost the manufacturing industry in line with the government’s policy.
Diamond Hotel opens in Bole
The 400 million birr, G+10 Diamond Hotel near Fantu Supermarket is set to open this May.
The 600sqm facility will have 50 rooms, including a presidential suite. The Hotel, which was a six year work in progress that was designed by Turkish engineers, is expected to employ 100 people. With two restaurants, a bar, gym, meeting rooms for 200 people, and 50 car parking Diamond is expected to be a four star hotel, according to the General Manager, Getahun Desalegn.
“All day, guests can enjoy a restaurant serving international and local cuisine, or a steak house that will calm any carnivorous craving. For a relaxing drink, guests have a choice between the stylish lobby café, a bar, business class lounge or pool terrace. Its strategic location is close to the Bole Airport, many embassies and international organizations.”
Even though the hotel will serve international cuisine there will be something for everyone.
“Our main target to give many options to our customers and we won’t forget our traditional foods. We will also offer many international drinks and liquors, he said.
In the past five years, on average one hotel has been built every month. Twenty years ago there were less than 10 standard hotels. Now there are over 160 hotels and many more international and brand hotels are in the pipeline.
Ethiopia will be represented at Robotics Olympiad in the US
Iken Ethiopia Robotics education and competition center was founded in 2011. The institute is a unique platform at promoting and strengthening the development of analytical and problem solving skills in the field of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math.
Robotics deals with a branch of technology that helps students to show their own design, engineering and programming skills. Realizing the importance, of hands-on activities for effective science education, by giving the platform for children to utilize their imagination and curiosity and get them to think out of the box
iken Ethiopia robotics education and competition center’s focus on robotics is significant, Robotics education is a great tool for STEM learning. One of the ways students will develop creativity and scientific thinking is through robotics education, because it helps students understand science technology engineering and math in a better way, students should learn by applying scientific principles to real life situations.
iken Ethiopia robotics education and competition center realizes Robotics training is Effective way of introducing programming to students & the importance working hard on STEM fields through robotics by arranging several competitions for students that can channel competitive instincts in a positive way and help students understand Science Technology Engineering and Math by providing them Educational robots.
The 2018 robotics national final competition winners are the result of this education and competition. They are now qualified to participate in the 2018 VEX robotics competition in USA Louisville Kentucky. A group of students Known as Team Ethiopia will participate in this world stage robotics competition representing their country. Hence, this will create great opportunity for the participating students to share educational and cultural experience with other participants from round the world. Indeed they can also contribute in promoting the good image of their country at world stage.
