N.Z. irrigation expertise to help Ethiopians

Press, Volume CXVI, Issue 34099, 11 March 1976, Page 12

N.Z. irrigation expertise to help Ethiopians

A Rotorua man will leaxe next «eek to .-pend two years in Ethiopia, planning and building an irrigation scheme « hieh •“ill ensure food for 12.000 people now survixing on foreign relief. He t 5 xli Graeme Smith, who “ill take his wife and four xoung children, aged from four to nine, into «rocodile-imested country inthe Ogade area 380 miles-south-east >f Addis Ababa Mi Smith, an agricultural consultant, applied to World! Vision an American reliefniganisa'ion to undertake the mission. He has a budget

of S5OO 000. which was raised in New Zealand last year during a 40-hour fast for monex for relief services overseas. Mr Smith earlier this; week visited major public; and private irrigation; schemes .n Canterbury to: get ideas for the project confronting him. Mr Smith said he planned to divert water from the Webi Shebelle River to a 5000-acre block He would adopt the flood irrigation method, because this would eliminate rhe need for costly pumping and sprinkling I’gear whicn might fall into disrepar after bis departure. Initially he will establish millet and maize crops a>

the fundamental diet for the i local people who have been: facing starvation for several years. The region in which; they live has had eight! inches of rain in the last! four years. He will take seeds from; :New Zealand to grow other! crops to ensure a suitable! supply of vegetables for his’ own family. While Mr Smith was visiting irrigation projects this week his wife was in Wellington. obtaining information about correspondence lessons for their children. She will pe their teacher for: the next two years. Mr Smith believes the sue--, cess of his work will depend l nn his introducing labour-in-

tensive rather than capitalintensive equipment. He be- 1 lieves the local people, once they get the idea, will be: able to carry on successfully; ■ and grow sufficient food not- . only for themselves but for' I some livestock. The ultimate 1 aim will be to resettle the j people in 10 villages sur- ’ rounding the irrigation i scheme. He thought it a good idea; that money raised in New ■ Zealand tor famine relief would be 'pent abroad under. ■ the supervision of New- Zea-; landers. This eliminated any risk of its being frittered; aw 7 ay by chiefs or other; I people who might, get access l ifo it before it reached those) -for whom it was intended. i