Bringing hope to farmers – CIFOR-ICRAF Forests News

“We hope to buy a vehicle soon,”said Alemtsehay Berhe.

Arato Nursery and Women Beneficiaries

Arato, in the Enderta district near Mekelle—the capital of Ethiopia’s Tigray Region in North Ethiopia—is not the kind of place where you’d expect to find green fields in the middle of the dry season. Yet, against the odds, rows of vegetables stretch across the land, nourished by an intricate system of irrigation channels. Criss-crossed by concrete and groundwater irrigation ditches in which flows crystal clear water, Arato’s waters are carried across gullies, from one hill to another, using big PVC (polyvinyl chloride) pipes suspended mid-air on wooden poles. This system allows farmers to grow vegetables even when the rain fails.

At the base of a lush mountain, on a small plot of land, 16 women have come together to run a nursery under the Tsigereda Cooperative. Built on the Rural Resource Centre (RRC) business model, the nursery is part of a broader effort to restore degraded landscapes and create green jobs in the region. The RRC approach was originally piloted in the Gergera watershed by the Center for International Forestry Research and World Agroforestry (CIFOR-ICRAF)in 2015 with the financial support of Irish Aid. 

Thanks to year-round access to water and the initiative and support of the Pastoral and Environmental Network in the Horn of Africa – Tropenbos International (PENHA-TBI) program, the Arato Nursery is now thriving. Most of the cooperative members are from women-headed households, and while some live with their husbands, many are widows. “Most of us are widows, but the husbands of those members who are married are very supportive,” said Milash Kelile, chairperson of the Tsigereda Cooperative. 

Rooted in resilience: The Tsigereda Cooperative

Together, the women manage the nursery, raising seedlings of fruit trees and vegetables while also caring for mature trees planted around the site.  Their work is supported by the PENHA-TBI program and a consortium of governmental and non-governmental organizations, including CIFOR-ICRAF, the Tigray Agricultural Research Institute, World Veg, International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology, Mekelle University, Semera University, the Enderta District Agriculture Office, Tigray Biotechnology Centre and some investors that create market links.

In 2024, the women began earning income from selling improved seedlings of avocado, papaya, coffee and lemon—grown under the guidance of CIFOR-ICRAF researchers and other experts. They also cultivated hops, a shrub highly sought after locally for brewing traditional alcoholic beverages.

Some members of the Tsigereda Cooperative work in the nursery. Photo by Eyob Getahun / CIFOR-ICRAF

In addition to selling seedlings, the women generate income from selling fruits from trees growing on the land adjacent to the nursery. The fruit trees had been planted as demonstrations for farmers in the area by the Tigray Agricultural Research Institute some years back. These trees—avocado, apple, and guava—now bear 

“The women are not only harvesting fruits but also collecting enough scions from the avocado trees to graft the avocado seedlings they are raising,” said Gebrehiwot Haile-Mariam, the project coordinator and CIFOR-ICRAF staff member.

“We have sold seedlings of avocado, coffee and papaya. We have also sold avocado fruit,” said Milash, reflecting on the sales of seedlings to farmers in 2024. As of early 2025, the cooperative deposited nearly half a million birr (about 3900 USD) at the bank.

Cooperative member Alemtsehay Berhe said: “We have so far raised avocado, papaya, lemon and hops seedlings. A grafted avocado seedling sells for 300 birr, a coffee seedling for 120 birr, and papaya for 80 birr.”

The PENHA-TBI-led project spans nine neighbouring districts in the Tigray and Afar regions. Recently, lemon seedlings were dispatched from the nursery in Arato to Abala, one of the districts in Afar—bridging communities that once stood on opposite sides of a devastating conflict. 

“The project also aims to build peace among the two communities,” said Gebrehiwot. “The project achievements can only be sustainable when there is peace.”  

Until recently, PENHA-TBI had been providing the women with cash incentives. But with their nursery business now turning a profit, they’re expected to start covering their own expenses—a step toward full independence. “We’re hopeful that PENHA-TBI and its partners will continue to provide technical guidance, even if the financial incentives end,” Milash said.

Vegetable seedlings and new opportunities

In November 2024, the cooperative expanded its operations to include vegetable seedlings under a new shade net. World Veg supplied the vegetable seeds, while CIFOR-ICRAF offered technical support. The women will soon be selling vegetable seedlings—onion, tomato, carrot and cabbage—to local farmers while also growing vegetables on their plots of land.

The new vegetable shade net was installed in the Arato nursery. Photo by Eyob Getahun / CIFOR-ICRAF.

Surveillance and monitoring of the newly sprouting vegetable seedlings. Photo by Eyob Getahun/CIFOR-ICRAF

Some farmers who received fruit tree seedlings from the Arato nursery have planted them in their homesteads. Many papaya trees are now bearing fruits.

The project has also diversified the women’s income streams by providing them with three beehives. 

“We believe we will be successful,” said Alemtsehay Berhe, a cooperative member, smiling brightly. “We hope to buy a vehicle soon.”

Homestead agroforestry demonstration site

Adjacent to the nursery is a multi-storey agroforestry system demonstration site – Taller fruit trees such as avocado form the upper canopy, shade-loving coffee trees grow beneath them and plants like ginger thrive at the foot of the coffee trees. This model, championed by CIFOR-ICRAF, offers a hands-on example of climate-smart farming that enhances both biodiversity and productivity.

The multi-storey agroforestry demonstration site. Photo by Eyob Getahun / CIFOR-ICRAF

Mountain Development by Youth and Women

Another arm of the PENHA-TBI project focuses on restoring a mountain next to the nursery. Drawing lessons from the Gergera watershed project in Tsirae Wonberta, the mountain has been enclosed and is now regenerating with native trees and shrubs. Thirty-five local youth and women have formed a cooperative, divided into six teams, to manage the mountain. They will plant fruit trees while preserving the native vegetation.

With PENHA-TBI’s help, two water reservoirs are being built at the mountain’s base. The regional Bureau of Agriculture and Natural Resources, led by Dr. Eyasu Abraha, donated water pumps to transport water uphill. Once filled, the reservoirs will irrigate fruit trees and other multipurpose and indigenous species.

View of the mountain to be developed by the youth and women. Photo by Eyob Getahun / CIFOR-ICRAF

One of the two water reservoirs under construction. Photo by Eyob Getahun / CIFOR-ICRAF

The youth group has also received 12 beehives and plans to buy more once their honey and fruit sales begin to generate revenue.

Together with its consortium partners, PENHA-TBI is offering a lifeline to a community burdened by poverty, joblessness, and conflict. The progress so far is not just promising—it’s inspiring.

Acknowledgement

Tropenbos International (TBI), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, the Irish Embassy (Irish Aid) in Ethiopia, and the people and government of the Republic of Ireland are gratefully acknowledged for their ongoing financial and technical support in promoting climate-smart livelihoods and landscape restoration.