Agriculture is the backbone of Ethiopia’s economy, contributing to 34.5 percent of GPD in 2020. Smallholder farming accounts for approximately 95 percent of agricultural production and 85 percent of total employment^[1].

Mr Qumbii Qilxuu is from a farmers’ family and before starting his own production of fruit and vegetables, he was a daily worker for local farmers in the Bishoftu area. Currently, he has two hectares of land for fruit and vegetables, as well as cattle fattening and poultry. He lives on the farm with his wife and two young children.

He started producing fruit with 55 heads of avocados which started producing after three years. Currently, he is cultivating avocado, banana, papaya, coffee, watermelon, head cabbage, broccoli, and red onion.

Qumbii’s integrated farming system includes poultry, cattle fattening, and modern beehives. Together with his community, they have installed 110 modern beehives near his farm.

For fruit and vegetables, he is currently applying two methods: conventional farming for his vegetables that grow on Chelekleka lake during the dry season and organic farming for his fruit trees that are on a separate piece of land. He is using cow and chicken manure, rich in nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium.

In April 2024, Qumbii attended a three-day workshop on soil fertility management, compost and irrigation water management facilitated by Bishoftu Polytechnic College and funded by the Green Flower Foundation. He learnt how to prepare compost from the available inputs from this farm.