Vegetable gardening transforms lives for displaced people in Ethiopia 

Recent conflicts in Ethiopia forced many to move, seeking safety away from their homes. Settling in camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs), they face hardships including inadequate access to food, shelter and other essential services. The food aid provided to these IDPs is predominantly grain, flour and cooking oil, which raises concerns about nutrition deficiency.

To address the anticipated  nutritional deficiencies, the World Vegetable Center launched  the ‘Vegetables for Recovery, Risk Reduction, and Resilience in Ethiopia’ project in late 2024. The intervention targeted those in the Bakello IDP camp near Debre Berhan in Amhara region where IDPs were encouraged to grow vegetables in small areas within and around the camp. This camp was established in 2022, and in December 2024 it housed more than 1,300 households and some 5,000 IDPs in total, including many children and elderly people, many of whom have endured traumatic experiences and face ongoing challenges.

The project provided 226 IDP beneficiary households with vegetable seeds, compost, small farm tools, containers and other materials to encourage them to start vegetable gardening. The project also provided technical guidance on vegetable production and preparation, ensuring that beneficiary IDP households could cultivate and incorporate fresh, nutrient-rich vegetables into their daily diets. The project not only improved nutrition security but also improved self-reliance and livelihoods of IDPs, helping them supplement their grain-based diet with fresh vegetables. The project also contributed to improved resilience and created a sense of empowerment.

Lessons learned

• Small interventions can make big impacts, especially when people are in dire need and living in difficult conditions.
• Providing seeds, tools and training can transform the lives of displaced individuals, promoting self-reliance and nutrition security.
• Vegetables are very important for displaced people to diversify consumption, improve nutrition, maintain a healthy lifestyle, and even earn income from the sale of surpluses.
• Displaced families can grow vegetables in small plots and containers to support their dietary needs.
• After relying on food aid for long periods, displaced people can regained hope by starting to grow their own food once again.

And here, we hear the testimonials of just three of the hundreds of people who benefitted.

Rahmat Zeinu, tells of how she benefitted. “Before the project, my family of six had no access to fresh vegetables. The camp’s remoteness, lack of transportation, and no income made it impossible to include vegetables in our diet. But with the help of the project, in the small spaces we can access, we started growing vegetables. Now, my family enjoys fresh, homegrown vegetables, reducing our expenses and improving our health. Growing vegetables has also given me peace of mind and a sense of purpose. I shared surplus produce with my neighbors and even started selling vegetables in the camp, earning about 300 Birr from a bed of carrots, 30 Birr per three bunches of lettuce, and 30 Birr per bunch of Swiss chard, making a total of 500 birr. This income has helped us meet other basic needs. I want to expand, but need better gardening equipment, advanced training, and access to more land.

Teshome Belay is a 61-year-old father of seven. “Before the project, my family struggled with severe food shortages. We could barely afford vegetables and often relied on dry bread. But with the support of the project, we received seeds, compost, and training in vegetable production, and we could grow our food for the first time in years. Now, we have fresh, nutritious meals, and our health has improved. We no longer depend solely on aid for food, and I have even started selling some produce for extra income. With more seed and pest control support, I could continue growing and feeding my family adequate nutrition food.”

Etenesh Eshete also tells her story. “Before the project, my family of six struggled to afford vegetables, buying only once a month, or not at all. Eating fresh vegetables daily was unimaginable. But with the support of the project, I received seeds, compost, tools like watering cans, and training in vegetable production. The support enabled me to change what was once a swampy, garbage-filled area to a thriving vegetable garden, and now my family enjoys nutritious, organic meals every day. Growing our vegetables has improved our health, reduced our expenses, and saved transportation costs. Although I haven’t sold my produce due to limited supply, sharing with neighbors has restored our sense of community. Gardening has also brought me physical and mental relaxation, helping me heal from past traumas. This support has been life-changing, and I hope for its continuation so that my family can continue consuming fresh organic vegetables.”

Before the intervention, the IDPs in Bakello camp faced significant challenges, with limited access to nutritious food, especially among women and children. The WorldVeg project brought optimism and disrupted the existing norms in the camp, which was looking for food aid. However, after the project grant terminated, Worldveg was unable to capitalize on positive results achieved, causing the sense of hope and peace of mind that had emerged within the IDP community to quickly fade away. This thus emphasizes the importance of continued support over longer time frames that were possible in this case.

This work would not have been possible without the support of the North Shoa Bureau of Agriculture, IDP management, and the host community administration, who all played a major role in the implementation and success of this project. Funding was provided by the United States Agency for International Development Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (USAID-BHA).