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Injibura, Ethiopia

Beyond Subsistence is currently working in partnership with the international Christian mission agency SIMaid in the north west of Ethiopia. Ethiopia is a country of extremes. Its great diversity in topography (4620m above sea level to 120m below) has created a broad range of climates and rainfall patterns. The highlands of the north west are characterised by fertile soils, high rainfall (up to 2200mm year^-1) and high altitude landscapes. This provides cool temperate conditions ideal for agriculture and forestry. Despite this, Ethiopia remains a desperately poor country, consistently ranked one of the lowest in the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Human Development Index.

The Forest, Fruit and Forage for Farm Families (or 5Fs) Project was set up by SIMaid in 2004. The 5Fs Project aims to work with local farmers to help improve their quality of life through better agriculture and forestry practices. With the help of locally trained staff, the 5Fs Project operates a nursery that grows indigenous plants, which are made freely available to the local community. The 5Fs Project also undertakes valuable research on a range of fruit trees and vegetables to identify nutritious varieties suited to the region. In addition, the 5Fs Project has introduced a portable sawmill that is operated cooperatively to produce timber for furniture and cabinetry. Through this initiative, local people are trained in sawmilling techniques and timber marketing. The mill predominately utilises exotic timber species such as Mexican cypress, introduced to Ethiopia for forestry purposes.

As a result of a project inspection in April 2010, Beyond Subsistence plans to provide professional foresters and agricultural scientists to support the 5Fs Project over the next several years. These professionals will provide ongoing assistance with project development, training, research and infrastructure expansion.