US-driven agricultural “development” in Northern Ethiopia

Keywords: Development, agriculture, food security, Ethiopia, Africa
Abstract Type: Paper Abstract

Abstract

My panel contribution will focus on The US Agency for International Development’s (USAID) agricultural projects in Ethiopia aimed at long-term subsistence goals, including USAID’s mission to prevent the need for assistance from foreign aid and development agencies. This research builds from previous experience in Tigray, Ethiopia, interviewing smallholder farmers where I learned agricultural policy and products (e.g. agrochemicals) originating in Western development institutions have detrimental impacts on farming practices, such as crop diversity and adaptation strategies. My current PhD research explores USAID policies and projects targeting agro-food systems that are highly vulnerable to climate change and communities that have limited decision-making power or influence over development directions. My panel contribution will highlight these tensions in agricultural “development,” and offer suggestions for how to shift decision-making processes in development from Western institutions to communities, and offer ways to support communities that have been negatively impacted by development projects.