Special Programme for Food Security (SPFS )

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The "Special Programme for Food Security in Ethiopia” was initiated in 1995 to provide improved agricultural packages for drought-prone, moisture-deficit areas initially in two woredas in Amhara and Tigray Regions. The very encouraging results prompted Government to request FAO, to focus on water harvesting and small-scale irrigation, while assimilating the results in to the National Extension System. FAO, therefore, prepared project GCP/ETH/057/ITA "Special Programme for Food Security - Irrigation Component - Pilot Phase" (US$ 1,866,110), in the Regions of Amhara and Tigray under an Italian Trust fund being affected since 1999.

The project focused principally on the development and rehabilitation of small scale irrigation schemes in the two regions. However as the initial objective of the project was to develop technological packages appropriate to irrigated agriculture the project was revised and geared toward the agronomic aspect of irrigation. The project is now working on demonstration of irrigation agronomy in six irrigation cooperatives in Tigray and Amhara Regions.

It is in the process of finalizing the procedure for the rehabilitation of small-scale irrigation schemes in Tigray.

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