allAfrica.com: Eritrea: Agricultural Development - Prompting Enhanced Efforts (Page 1 of 1)

The Eritrean National Charter specifies that achieving sustainable food security is one of the priorities of the Government's development strategy. To this end, the Eritrean Government has been exerting strenuous efforts to develop this sector, which in the past had been incapacitated to the point of non-existence due to war and recurrent drought. The efforts exerted by the Eritrean Defense Forces and large expenditures made by the Government to widen agricultural land and build water reservoirs are vivid examples of the determination of the Eritrean people and Government to achieve sustainable food security.

It is an indisputable fact that those who work hard always reap the fruits of their labor. Hence, even if we cannot yet boast of complete success in the sector, the outcome of our efforts so far confirm that we are on the right track. Since we have toiled relentlessly, this year's adequate rains have been effectively utilized. The dams and reservoirs we have built with our own sweat, now full of ample water, encourage us to work harder. And if we are to reap maximum harvest from the lands cultivated, either by rain or irrigation, necessary and regular agricultural tending should be carried out at the required intervals. Furthermore, the collected harvest should not be wasted unnecessarily but carefully stored and managed.

As everyone is aware, small and large dams and water canals have enhanced our capacity to conserve water. Thus, the careful management of the conserved water for effective utilization is the next step that should be undertaken immediately. Moreover, the work done so far to widen selected agricultural lands has not only paved the way for extensive agricultural production but also encourages us to step up our efforts towards achieving sustainable food security.

Experience has taught us that, for people who cannot feed themselves at a sustainable level, it is very difficult to maintain economic and political independence. Ethiopia under the TPLF regime is a living testimony that sustaining oneself on handouts, in the end, robs one of his/her independence to a point that citizens have no say in how their country should be governed. Through withstanding temporary problems and focusing on long-term solutions, we have been able to uproot the culture of dependence on aid and cultivate a culture of hard work, and thereby establish solid grounds for speedy development. Depending only on one's own sweat and toil holds the key to development and enables one to enhance one's capabilities. The knowledge, skill and organizational capacity we have acquired from our experiences so far have encouraged us to continue our efforts while solely depending on our own capabilities and resources. Hence, such an achievement is a reminder to all of us that we need to further upgrade our management skills for the better utilization of time and resources.

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