Based on the frameworks of the Ethiopian Ministry of Agriculture (MoA), the Natural Resources Management and Small Scale Irrigation Directorate focuses on sustainable land use and water management to enhance agricultural productivity and food security.
Vision
- To see a sustainable, reliable, and improved agricultural production system for smallholder farmers through the development of, and access to, efficient irrigation, ensuring food security, increased household income, and enhanced climate resilience.
Mission
- Empowerment: Empowering communities, smallholder farmers, and agro-pastoralists to manage and use natural resources sustainably.
- Development: Planning, designing, and constructing small-scale irrigation infrastructure to reduce dependence on rain-fed agriculture.
- Capacity Building: Enhancing the capacity of farmers and institutions for adoption of efficient, climate-smart irrigation technologies.
- Protection: Rehabilitating degraded watersheds and catchments to ensure long-term productivity.
Core Values
- Sustainability: Focusing on long-term ecological balance and soil health
- Participation: Community-based approach in watershed development
- Inclusiveness: Benefitting women, youth, and rural households
- Efficiency: Maximizing benefits through modern technologies
- Transparency: Integrity in project implementation
Key Strategic Objectives
- Increase Productivity: Promoting irrigation and integrated crop management to enhance food security and reduce poverty.
- Water Management: Improving the efficiency and effectiveness of available water resources.
- Resilience: Strengthening agricultural resilience against climate change and recurrent droughts.
- Extension Services: Delivering effective, knowledge-based irrigation extension services to water users.