February 1, 2015 - Truro, NS
Check Against Delivery
Good morning/afternoon. Thank you for that kind introduction.
It’s a pleasure to be here with you at Dalhousie University’s Agricultural Campus during International Development Week.
My colleague Scott Armstrong, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Employment and Social Development, and I would like to thank you for the warm welcome, which included a traditional Ethiopian coffee ceremony—which, I’m told, is a cornerstone of Ethiopian culture, in addition to a key agricultural export.
This is especially apropos, because today it is my pleasure to announce funding from the Government of Canada for two projects that demonstrate Canada’s support for agricultural growth in Ethiopia.
First, let me say that 2015 marks the 50th anniversary of Canada’s diplomatic relationship with Ethiopia. Canada has also been successfully partnering with Ethiopia to improve food security and agricultural growth in the country for more than 30 years.
Canada is currently the third-largest bilateral country donor in Ethiopia, which was Canada’s largest recipient of international development assistance last year.
With the support of the international community, Ethiopia has reduced under-five child mortality by 67 percent since 1990. Despite this success, malnutrition remains the underlying cause of approximately half of all deaths among children under five in Ethiopia.
To address these needs, and as part of Canada’s Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health G8 Muskoka Initiative, Canada supports nutrition projects through experienced partners.
The Government of Ethiopia has identified food security and agricultural growth as its priorities for reducing poverty. Improving food security and increasing sustainable economic growth are among Canada’s priorities for international development assistance.
This is because more than 83 percent of the Ethiopian population depends on traditional subsistence agriculture and because agriculture accounts for 40 percent of the country’s GDP.
Right now, Ethiopia is still highly reliant on rain-fed agriculture, and the country’s high potential for irrigation is only beginning to be developed.
However, there is progress.
Small-scale irrigation is helping to reduce farmers’ reliance on rain alone, and roads and new market centres are helping farmers to sell their goods and increase their incomes.
Through Canada’s Food Security Strategy, our international development assistance is delivering on its promise to help farmers grow more and better food that supports developing countries’ long-term ability to feed their populations.
The goal is to increase the nutritional content of the food being grown by farmers to ensure a balanced and quality diet. And, in parallel, we help improve business value chains and the quantity of agricultural yield, which contribute to sustainable economic growth.
Together, these two aspects of our approach increase both the health and economic well-being of smallholder farm families and their communities.
In fact, Canada is recognized in Ethiopia for its expertise in helping to build the capacity of key actors in Ethiopia’s agricultural sector to better implement programs in this area.
Canada’s development partnerships in Ethiopia have been achieving real results in food security and reducing poverty. We work with both traditional partners and new ones, such as those in the private sector and in science and technology.
And now, once again, our partnership with Dalhousie University will help Ethiopian agricultural students to participate in market-led and growth-oriented agriculture, whether as producers, entrepreneurs or employees of commercial agricultural enterprises.
This means that thousands of families will be able to increase their incomes and have better access to good, nutritious food in a country that faces chronic food insecurity—as the result of drought and other weather challenges—despite the development gains of the past decade.
This kind of partnership is central to ensuring that Canada’s efforts to reduce poverty are sustainable.
It is our pleasure today to announce that Canada will provide $18.3 million over six years to the Agricultural Transformation Through Stronger Vocational Education project being implemented by Dalhousie University.
This project will enhance the capacity of the Ethiopian agricultural, technical and vocational training system to produce graduates with the skills necessary to contribute to Ethiopia’s journey toward a more modern, market-oriented agricultural sector.
Some of you may know that coffee is Ethiopia’s largest export, and coffee production and processing is being taught as part of Ethiopia’s agricultural training curriculum. In fact, I understand that there are several Ethiopians here right now for short-term training supported by the project.
We also have with us project partners from Jimma University College of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine in Ethiopia, McGill University and Mennonite Economic Development Associates, who are working with Dalhousie University to implement this project.
I am also pleased to tell you that the Government of Canada will contribute to a second agricultural project in Ethiopia. We will be contributing $15 million over four years toward the Small-Scale and Micro Irrigation Support Project.
The project will be implemented in partnership with the Government of the Netherlands—which is contributing approximately $10 million.
Agriteam Canada recently won a competitive international bidding process to implement this project—so congratulations to them.
In this project, Agriteam Canada will train administrators in Ethiopian public and private institutions, including colleges, to better design, build and manage small-scale irrigation systems.
This will reduce the uncertainty associated with rain-fed agriculture and ensure a predictable water supply for agricultural production.
Part of the project’s objective is to promote the role of the private sector as a key provider of irrigation services—a new area for entrepreneurship in Ethiopia.
Again, on behalf of the Government of Canada, I am pleased to see that Canada is able to share its expertise to help Ethiopian farmers feed their families and communities, and to contribute to continued development and economic growth in one of the world’s poorest countries.
Thank you.
