Ethiopia's 'Bounty of the Basket' Initiative Transforming Citizens from Mere Consumers to Producers

Addis Ababa, April 13, 2025 (ENA) – Ethiopia’s flagship agricultural initiative, 'Bounty of the Basket', is driving a major shift in the country’s food system, transforming citizens from mere consumers into active producers, according to Minister of Agriculture Girma Amente.

Following reform initiatives, the Ethiopian government has launched several strategic programs aimed at driving economic prosperity and eliminating hunger.

Among these, the 'Bounty of the Basket' (Yelemat Tirufat) program, launched in 2022, stands out as a bold and transformative nationwide initiative aimed at enhancing agricultural production and productivity.

The program focuses on boosting the output of dairy, eggs, poultry, honey, and related products. It also intensifies efforts to achieve food self-sufficiency and nutritional security at both household and national levels.

“When we launched the 'Bounty of the Basket' initiative, the number of animals bred in the country was around 500,000 annually. Today, our artificial insemination efforts have expanded significantly, reaching 3.8 million,” Girma Amente said.

He pointed out that the initiative has not only boosted productivity but has also allowed the government to more effectively pinpoint available resources and tackle major distribution challenges.

The Minister underscored the remarkable changes in fish production, noting that in the past, fish were primarily gathered from rivers and lakes for eating. Today, fish farming has developed into a viable business venture, with farmers and city dwellers alike creating fish ponds and cultivating fingerlings.

Minister Girma also stressed that Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s vision for food and nutrition security—particularly through the promotion of balanced diets rich in proteins—is being realized effectively through this initiative. “In terms of production, we are meeting and even surpassing the set goals," he added.

State Minister of Agriculture, Fikru Regassa, also spoke on the program’s impact, particularly regarding livestock improvement. “Our local Abesha cows typically produce only about 1.5 liters of milk per day. We are now working on improving this through cross-breeding.

At the start of the Yelemat Tirufat program ('Bounty of the Basket'), the number of cross-bred animals was about 500,000 per year. This year alone, we planned to reach 3.8 million, and in just nine months, we’ve already reached 3.1 million. That’s a big success compared to the previous year.

He attributed this remarkable growth to expanded technician training. Previously, we couldn’t even train 200 technicians a year due to capacity limitations.

Now, technician training programs have been scaled up dramatically, with experts from all regions receiving training and actively contributing to our goals, Fikru said.

One of the persistent challenges raised during program evaluations has been the issue of semen nitrogen preservation and insemination equipment. “We’ve taken major steps to upgrade these systems, as they are crucial for the program’s success.”

The overarching goal of the Yelemat Tirufat program is to secure food and nutrition security at the household level.

As a result, farmers and pastoralists are now more empowered to provide milk, eggs, honey, and fish for their families—turning the vision of food sovereignty into a practical and growing reality.