750 farmers including women in the coffee-rich Sidama Zone of southern Ethiopia have received solar powered pumping systems, courtesy of an international initiative.

The allocations to farmers in Dore Bafana Kebele and Hawassa Zuria Woreda demarcations in Sidama feature 145 kilowatt solar pumps. 

Supervising the handover, the United Nations Development Fund (UNDP)’s representatives behind the project cited substantial emission cuts. Apparently, the China government-funded project will cut annual carbon emissions by 329.115 tonnes.

Besides, the pumping systems will have tangible benefits on farmers who will irrigate around 150 hectares with them.

Beneficiaries hope to use the equipment to upscale their farming and grow crops they have been neglecting due to technological limitation.

With the system, farmers will cut their power bills with savings of around 312,440 kilowatts annually.

The project complements an existing quintet of renewable energy projects by the Sidama Regional State, worth 1.3 billion birrs ($10.06 million).

Sidama’s regional government has a strong commitment towards off-grid energy projects, particularly solar.

International Scope

This most recent international initiative pits the government of China, UNDP, Ethiopia’s Ministry of Water and the regional state administration.

China has contributed to the funding of the program as a part of its development vision for its allies in developing countries. 

For one, Mr. Yang Yihang of the Chinese Embassy in Addis Ababa remarked how the project links clean energy with agricultural productivity.

Water to Southern Crops

The project’s international outlook will have its proper impact on the ground by upgrading irrigation of key crops.

Some water-thirsty crops that will benefit include enset (E. ventricosum) or “false banana, which flourishes in southern Ethiopia. 

The world-renowned “Sidama coffee,”will also enjoy better saturation as it grows on an occasionally water-scarce area.

Another major crop with high water needs is khat, which many family growers combine with maize and coffee, according to research.

Such describes a partnership that seeks to change  livelihoods in a farming region with a rich agricultural tradition. For more on this region’s agriculture in general, read on the statistics section below.

Southern Ethiopia Agriculture Statistics

Sidama Zone is synonymous with southern Ethiopia as it the region’s major agricultural basket. Besides being populous with 2.5 million people as of 2000, it boasts over 721,000 hectares of farmland, as of 2002. Its diverse climate and agricultural landscape of 20% lowlands, 48% midlands and 32% highlands facilitates the cultivation of diverse crops. Maize and teff are the main grains of the lowlands while enset and coffee occupy the highlands. Other crops such as barley, wheat, beans, khat and livestock occupy the rest of the landscape.

How valuable is coffee production in Sidama?

Like the rest of Ethiopia, coffee is the most lucrative crop apart from specialty crops like khat. These cherry beans contribute roughly 45% to 55% of a smallholder farmer’s yearly income. 

What portion of national coffee production does Sidama enjoy? 

While the whole of Ethiopia produced 496,200 tonnes, as of 2022, Sidama produced 50,433.47 tonnes of coffee ( 2018 data). Overall, the southern region where Sidama belongs produces 30% of Ethiopia’s coffee per year. In coffee acreage, Sidama had 73,030.04 hectares versus a national area of 764,863 hectatres in the 2018/19 season.