Amaroko Nekotelo Shares How Her Life Changed Through Vita’s Vegetable Farming and Irrigation Project in the Omo Delta, Ethiopia

Amaroko Nekotelo lives in the Npusumuriya village in the Nyangatom woreda of SNNPR, Ethiopia. Aged 37, she is married and a mother of five. Amaroko used to rear goats for a living however this was not sustainable for her. She had wanted to expand into vegetable farming to ensure she could support her family but due to a lack of knowledge, rainfall caused by climate change, irrigation, and finance needed to buy the agricultural equipment, this was impossible.

“I want to teach my children the vegetable farming skills I learned in this programme so that they too can live a better life.”

Amaroko was a part of Vita’s EU-funded Omo Delta project that provided irrigation systems and agriculture equipment and training to families like Amaroko’s who are extremely vulnerable to the continuing impacts of climate change. Despite being near the large Omo river, nobody in the community knew how to irrigate this vital water source to create year-round  and daily water access for agriculture. Vita’s project changed this.

Working on cooperative farming lands, Amaroko now is equipped with the tools, knowledge, irrigation facilities and support in the form of her fellow cooperative members and Vita staff to build a new and bountiful career as a vegetable farmer.

When asked about her plans for the futureAmaroko’s ambition is clear: “I want to teach my children the vegetable farming skills I learned in this programme so that they too can live a better life.

€60 provides ten families like Amaroko’s with fruit and vegetable starter kits that enables them to build climate resilience and vital sustainable livelihoods – find out more here