Pathways to Sustainable Wheat Business Models: Exploring agroecological practices and investment opportunities in Doyogena, Ethiopia

Ethiopia, the largest wheat producer in sub-Saharan Africa, relies heavily on wheat for both household income and food security. In the Dogoyena district in the southern part of the country, there is significant potential to advance agroecological practices within the wheat value chain. While most s...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Mosquera, Leslie Estefany, Blanco, Maria, Balcha, Yodit, Mockshell, Jonathan, Ritter, Thea
Format: Informe técnico
Language:Inglés
Published: 2025
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/174199
_version_ 1855541954647949312
author Mosquera, Leslie Estefany
Blanco, Maria
Balcha, Yodit
Mockshell, Jonathan
Ritter, Thea
author_browse Balcha, Yodit
Blanco, Maria
Mockshell, Jonathan
Mosquera, Leslie Estefany
Ritter, Thea
author_facet Mosquera, Leslie Estefany
Blanco, Maria
Balcha, Yodit
Mockshell, Jonathan
Ritter, Thea
author_sort Mosquera, Leslie Estefany
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description Ethiopia, the largest wheat producer in sub-Saharan Africa, relies heavily on wheat for both household income and food security. In the Dogoyena district in the southern part of the country, there is significant potential to advance agroecological practices within the wheat value chain. While most smallholders primarily depend on wheat for their livelihoods, many are beginning to diversify their crops as part of broader economic diversification efforts. This shift is occurring despite government initiatives promoting wheat intensification to meet growing national and international demand. Producers Doyogena is a critical project area for the Private Sector Incentives and Investments (PSii) under the TRANSITIONS program due to it has conditions that favor the cultivation of wheat, which is predominantly cultivated by smallholder producers in the district. This study focuses on four wheat clusters in the Dogoyena district: Tumma, Adoye, Selam, and Telle. This study is crucial as it will help identify the most effective incentives and investment opportunities within wheat clusters, considering the social and economic local contexts of the key stakeholders in the Dogoyena district. This report is part of the PSii project and provides an in-depth analysis of three cooperative business models in four wheat clusters, as well as of agroecological practices in Ethiopia. Utilizing focus group discussions and the Business Model Canvas tool, the study offers a comprehensive examination of wheat production strategies and their alignment with sustainable practices. The analysis of farmer cooperatives from four wheat farming clusters (Tumma, Adoye, Selam, and Telle) reveals distinct approaches to wheat production. Amecho Seed Multiplication cooperative (Adoyo cluster) and the Serara producer cooperative (Telle and Tumma cluster) focus on high-quality production and strong customer relationships, investing significantly in labor, inputs, and credit. Angacha producers Cooperative (Selam cluster) integrates resource sharing through partnerships while Serara emphasizes waste reduction and manages costs related to interest rates, storage, and transportation. The findings on agroecological practices show that producers have low engagement in market connectivity and integration, indicating a need for improved market linkages and cooperative development. Knowledge sharing and multi-stakeholder participation are also insufficient, emphasizing the need for better extension services and collaborative learning. Although some agroecological practices are adopted, there is significant potential for improvement in soil health, biodiversity, and fairness in income distribution. Encouraging practices like cover cropping, reduced tillage, and integrated pest management can enhance sustainability and resilience. This report analyzes the opportunities for improvement and appropriate investments and incentives to promote and support the transition towards more sustainable practices in the study area.
format Informe técnico
id CGSpace174199
institution CGIAR Consortium
language Inglés
publishDate 2025
publishDateRange 2025
publishDateSort 2025
record_format dspace
spelling CGSpace1741992025-12-08T10:11:39Z Pathways to Sustainable Wheat Business Models: Exploring agroecological practices and investment opportunities in Doyogena, Ethiopia Mosquera, Leslie Estefany Blanco, Maria Balcha, Yodit Mockshell, Jonathan Ritter, Thea farmers sustainable agriculture agricultura sostenible agroecology agroecología business models entorno socioeconómico investment incentives wheat socioeconomic environment trigo incentivo agricultor inversión modelo de negocio Ethiopia, the largest wheat producer in sub-Saharan Africa, relies heavily on wheat for both household income and food security. In the Dogoyena district in the southern part of the country, there is significant potential to advance agroecological practices within the wheat value chain. While most smallholders primarily depend on wheat for their livelihoods, many are beginning to diversify their crops as part of broader economic diversification efforts. This shift is occurring despite government initiatives promoting wheat intensification to meet growing national and international demand. Producers Doyogena is a critical project area for the Private Sector Incentives and Investments (PSii) under the TRANSITIONS program due to it has conditions that favor the cultivation of wheat, which is predominantly cultivated by smallholder producers in the district. This study focuses on four wheat clusters in the Dogoyena district: Tumma, Adoye, Selam, and Telle. This study is crucial as it will help identify the most effective incentives and investment opportunities within wheat clusters, considering the social and economic local contexts of the key stakeholders in the Dogoyena district. This report is part of the PSii project and provides an in-depth analysis of three cooperative business models in four wheat clusters, as well as of agroecological practices in Ethiopia. Utilizing focus group discussions and the Business Model Canvas tool, the study offers a comprehensive examination of wheat production strategies and their alignment with sustainable practices. The analysis of farmer cooperatives from four wheat farming clusters (Tumma, Adoye, Selam, and Telle) reveals distinct approaches to wheat production. Amecho Seed Multiplication cooperative (Adoyo cluster) and the Serara producer cooperative (Telle and Tumma cluster) focus on high-quality production and strong customer relationships, investing significantly in labor, inputs, and credit. Angacha producers Cooperative (Selam cluster) integrates resource sharing through partnerships while Serara emphasizes waste reduction and manages costs related to interest rates, storage, and transportation. The findings on agroecological practices show that producers have low engagement in market connectivity and integration, indicating a need for improved market linkages and cooperative development. Knowledge sharing and multi-stakeholder participation are also insufficient, emphasizing the need for better extension services and collaborative learning. Although some agroecological practices are adopted, there is significant potential for improvement in soil health, biodiversity, and fairness in income distribution. Encouraging practices like cover cropping, reduced tillage, and integrated pest management can enhance sustainability and resilience. This report analyzes the opportunities for improvement and appropriate investments and incentives to promote and support the transition towards more sustainable practices in the study area. 2025-04-04 2025-04-15T12:23:07Z 2025-04-15T12:23:07Z Report https://hdl.handle.net/10568/174199 en Open Access application/pdf Mosquera, L.E.; Blanco, M.; Balcha, Y.; Mockshell, J.; Ritter, T. (2025) Pathways to Sustainable Wheat Business Models: Exploring agroecological practices and investment opportunities in Doyogena, Ethiopia. 32 p..
spellingShingle farmers
sustainable agriculture
agricultura sostenible
agroecology
agroecología
business models
entorno socioeconómico
investment
incentives
wheat
socioeconomic environment
trigo
incentivo
agricultor
inversión
modelo de negocio
Mosquera, Leslie Estefany
Blanco, Maria
Balcha, Yodit
Mockshell, Jonathan
Ritter, Thea
Pathways to Sustainable Wheat Business Models: Exploring agroecological practices and investment opportunities in Doyogena, Ethiopia
title Pathways to Sustainable Wheat Business Models: Exploring agroecological practices and investment opportunities in Doyogena, Ethiopia
title_full Pathways to Sustainable Wheat Business Models: Exploring agroecological practices and investment opportunities in Doyogena, Ethiopia
title_fullStr Pathways to Sustainable Wheat Business Models: Exploring agroecological practices and investment opportunities in Doyogena, Ethiopia
title_full_unstemmed Pathways to Sustainable Wheat Business Models: Exploring agroecological practices and investment opportunities in Doyogena, Ethiopia
title_short Pathways to Sustainable Wheat Business Models: Exploring agroecological practices and investment opportunities in Doyogena, Ethiopia
title_sort pathways to sustainable wheat business models exploring agroecological practices and investment opportunities in doyogena ethiopia
topic farmers
sustainable agriculture
agricultura sostenible
agroecology
agroecología
business models
entorno socioeconómico
investment
incentives
wheat
socioeconomic environment
trigo
incentivo
agricultor
inversión
modelo de negocio
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/174199
work_keys_str_mv AT mosqueraleslieestefany pathwaystosustainablewheatbusinessmodelsexploringagroecologicalpracticesandinvestmentopportunitiesindoyogenaethiopia
AT blancomaria pathwaystosustainablewheatbusinessmodelsexploringagroecologicalpracticesandinvestmentopportunitiesindoyogenaethiopia
AT balchayodit pathwaystosustainablewheatbusinessmodelsexploringagroecologicalpracticesandinvestmentopportunitiesindoyogenaethiopia
AT mockshelljonathan pathwaystosustainablewheatbusinessmodelsexploringagroecologicalpracticesandinvestmentopportunitiesindoyogenaethiopia
AT ritterthea pathwaystosustainablewheatbusinessmodelsexploringagroecologicalpracticesandinvestmentopportunitiesindoyogenaethiopia