Gemechu Beriso, a dedicated father of six living in Chorso Hambela, is proving how modern agricultural techniques and targeted financial support can completely rewrite a household’s economic reality.
Before engaging with the Integrated Actions for Building Resilience in Communities project—implemented by the Ethio Wetlands and Natural Resources Association (EWNRA) with financial funding from Menschen für Menschen–Switzerland (MfM-CH)—Gemechu struggled with low agricultural productivity. He regularly cultivated local broad bean varieties, but due to poor seed quality, his half-hectare plot yielded a meager 2 to 3 quintals.
Everything changed when the project provided him a 50 kg of an improved, high-yielding broad bean seed variety. Alongside the input support, Gemechu adopted improved agronomic practices: he ploughed his land three rounds to prepare an optimal seedbed and sowed his crop carefully using row planting.
The results were immediate and staggering. Gemechu harvested 15 quintals of broad beans from that same half-hectare plot—a fivefold increase over his historical yields.
Recognizing the market value of his harvest, Gemechu sold 13 quintals of his yield for a substantial ETB 143,000. Instead of spending the windfall all at once, he strategically leveraged his earnings to transform his family’s long-term financial security:
- Asset Diversification: He reinvested ETB 130,000 to purchase two oxen to start a lucrative cattle fattening business. Through diligent care, these oxen have flourished and are now valued at an incredible ETB 130,000 each.
For the agricultural Expansion, he saved 1 quintal of his harvest as clean seed stock. He has already used this to scale up his production, expanding his broad bean cultivation from a half-hectare to a full hectare for the next season.
The remaining profits allowed him to comfortably clear local government expenses and meet essential household expenditures.
Reflecting on his transformation, Gemechu notes how the project’s improved seeds truly paid off. Today, his wife and six children are happy, stable, and deeply proud of the thriving livestock and agricultural improvements that have secured their future.
