The floriculture industry in Ethiopia began in the early 1980s when state-owned farms started producing and exporting flowers to Europe. The sector flourished in the early 2000s with large-scale exports of cut flowers. The post-2003 period is characterized by a high entry of foreign firms and spectacular growth in exports.
Currently, the flower sector has been demonstrating steady advancement over the years in its contribution to the national economy and has become the second-largest exportable item, next only to coffee in Ethiopia. The sector creates job opportunities for more than 60,000 people and generates 467 million USD in foreign currency annually.
Despite the immense contribution of the floriculture sector, quite a number of people do not feel good about the role of flowers in the Ethiopian economy and society since 2005. The claim began in 2005 when Ethiopia undertook its general election. During the election campaign, some opposition parties alleged the ruling party with disgusting arguments and claimed that flower investments harm our country’s land and environment. These opposition parties viewed the entrance of many foreign flower-producing and exporting companies from neighboring African countries as a result of the negative role played by farms in their respective country settings. Some argue that flowers are not a national priority.
Nonetheless, the floriculture sector is still in its infancy in Ethiopia. People who feel negatively about the role of flowers were primarily influenced not by their experience or practical contact with observed reality but rather by the 2005 Ethiopian election campaign, which was actually a manipulative propaganda tactic used in politics. Many professionals argue that doubt, fear, and uncertainty are strategies to influence people’s perceptions by spreading negative, dubious, or false information.
Today, not only ordinary people, but also authorities, academicians, and reputed professionals in development and service sectors in every corner of the country are all influenced by the spread of rumors during the 2005 election campaign propaganda and are not confident in speaking loudly about the positive side of the flower business and its contributions to the nation.
To date, the total command area under flower production is about 1,600 hectares, which is insignificant in size, constituting roughly 0.0002% of the total area of the country. The most unnoticed wonder is that some of the land and soil beds that have been used for flower production so far are now being used for the production and export of strawberries to Europe and the Middle East. With stringent environmental regulations and close monitoring, many flower farms are now returning to sustainable closed systems.
The current pressing question seems to be: why does unpleasant news on floriculture remain swarming like a plague of locusts? The answer is crystal clear: bad news spreads faster than wildfire. Many critics in the social field argue that this is typically related to people’s negative bias. According to this argument, one plausible reason why bad news spreads faster than wildfire is that people have a natural tendency to pay more attention to negative information. This bias means that people often remember and react more strongly to bad news, which can lead to increased sharing. Negativity can trigger a strong emotional response, making it an effective way for news outlets to engage their audiences.
Other authors argue that sharing bad news can serve as a form of social gesturing, where individuals communicate their awareness of important issues or dangers. This can create a sense of urgency or concern within social networks. Other writers relate the issue to mass media. Media outlets often prioritize negative stories because they attract more viewers and engagement. This can lead to a cycle where bad news is more prominently featured, further encouraging its spread. Social media is highly accessible and loosely monitored, which can contribute to the spread of misinformation. Others explain it as people being more motivated to discuss and analyze challenges or threats than positive developments. This tendency can lead to more conversations and, consequently, more sharing of bad news. Similar critics often describe it as the viral nature of content, meaning content that evokes strong emotional reactions is more likely to go viral. Since bad news often triggers such reactions, it can spread through social media and other platforms more rapidly than positive news.
In many places, we have all heard this unpleasant news. While most consider it harmless, it can affect the well-being of the sector. Learning to tell the difference between fact and untruth can be a real boost both mentally and physically. What happens when rumors are harmful? What if they damage a company’s reputation, survival, or normal operation? If you’re on the receiving end of untrue gossip, what do you do?
When it comes to unrealistic news, the effects can be both immediate and long-lasting. In most cases, an unrealistic story can rile up your sentiments and change one’s temperament. Depending on the strength of one’s feelings, the story, and the reaction it elicits, it can stick in one’s head even after one finds out it’s false. One may even remember those feelings if they see another story about the same subject.
But this does not mean all history about floriculture is rosy; there are still unfavorable situations to deal with in the flower sector. We are now living in the internet era. The internet enables people to collaborate and share information about bad and new things with others across the globe. This means anyone can highlight injustices, spread anxiety, better understand useful and bad practices, and connect with other professionals we may have never otherwise met or been exposed to similar events.
Finally, no matter what the sectors are, realistic research and information give us more power because the more we know, the more we can effect positive change both on a sectoral and societal level.
Mekonnen Solomon is a horticultural export coordinator at the Ministry of Agriculture. You can reach him via MOA-ehdaplan@gmai.com
