Established in 2002, the Ethiopian Horticulture Producer Exporters Association (EHPEA) is a business membership organization comprising producer exporters of flowers, cuttings, fruits, vegetables, herbs, and hybrid seeds. It is one of the strongest sectoral associations in the country, providing structured and proactive support to enhance sectoral competitiveness and assist its members. EHPEA has a membership base of 126 companies, with 45% belonging to the vegetable sub-sector. Currently, 31 of these vegetable farms are focused on export. New companies are emerging to invest in vegetable farming in Amhara, Oromia, Sidama, South, and Central Ethiopia (EHPEA’s operating areas), driven by the expansion of irrigation infrastructure in those areas. The number of companies is expected to rise by 10% to 20% in the next two years.

With a staff of 30 (10 women), EHPEA offers evidence-based policy advocacy, tailored capacity building, investment promotion, market access and promotion, and support for accessing funding and grants to enhance business competitiveness, sustainability, and market demand. The Association generates revenue through member contributions, income from training programs, and grants received from various projects. Member contributions form a foundational aspect of EHPEA’s funding, reflecting the commitment and investment of its members.

EHPEA promotes the sustainable growth of the private sector in horticulture production and export businesses. It supports its members in staying competitive in the market by building the capacity of farms to comply with Global Good Agricultural Practices (GAP). EHPEA offers a range of training programs aimed at enhancing the skills and knowledge of its members, with the income generated from these programs contributing to its revenue. EHPEA trains farmers directly through their cooperatives or provides TOT (training of trainers) to staff, enabling them to cascade the training to their members.

Upon request, EHPEA’s certified experts conduct comprehensive gap assessments to identify capacity, infrastructure, and documentation needs and develop tailored action plans. A dedicated Global GAP team comprising 10-15 experts from both the association and the company is established. EHPEA’s experts provide a minimum of four training sessions and offer hands-on support with facility set-up and documentation processes until farmers are fully prepared for certification. This end-to-end support for Global GAP certification is offered at a rate of 100 euros per hectare.

Contact: Mr Tewodros Zewdie (photo) Email Email

Develop and Popularize Local GAP to Ensure Safe Vegetable Access and Improve Smallholder Income

The objective of the CASA partnership with EHPEA (December 2024 – December 2025) is to enhance domestic vegetable market competitiveness and ensure safety for domestic consumption. This partnership will help design the business model, develop Local GAP protocol and guidelines, and address vegetable safety issues to create business opportunities for members. It will also help EHPEA address sectoral issues affecting effective and sustainable production and consumption, and provide demand-based technical assistance to improve producers’ adaptive capacity and resilience to climate change.

Through this collaboration, EHPEA aims to co-create a business model with localized GAP that includes climate resilience and adaptation practices, initially training 2,000 farmers to produce safe certified vegetables, building trust and relationships with farmers, and facilitating market linkages. By adopting Global and/or Local GAP, smallholder farmers can reduce the negative influence on the environment (curb inappropriate use of pesticides and instead use Integrated Pest Management Practices) and earn better incomes, becoming more resilient to cope with potential shocks. 

The partnership will leverage the Horti Flora Expo 2025 to promote the initiative, attract sector actors, and facilitate market access for certified products. This will involve farmers producing and supplying safe vegetables using a Local GAP standard tailored for the domestic market. EHPEA will promote safety assurance standards (Local GAP) for its members, leading to integrated farm assurance (IFA) and Global GAP certification through certifying bodies. This initiative allows companies to sell their products regionally, locally and for export. Additionally, EHPEA will advocate for a public sector safety standard for the local market, involving the development and endorsement of Local GAP by the Ministry of Agriculture. The Agriculture Authority will certify producers for Local GAP, preparing them to meet international demand for safe agricultural products.

At a total project cost of £130,840, CASA’s support of £76,465 (58%) includes technical assistance and a grant.

Business investment opportunities include:

• Policy Advocacy: EHPEA’s role in promoting Local GAP standards and advocating for public sector certification processes presents a valuable opportunity to invest in policy advocacy and development services for the agriculture sector.
• Climate Resilience and Adaptation: EHPEA’s collaboration with CASA to enhance climate resilience for farmers creates an opportunity to invest in climate-smart agricultural technologies and practices that support sustainable farming amid climate change.
• Capacity Building and Digital Training: Investing in expanding EHPEA’s capacity-building programs or developing digital platforms for agricultural education offers a profitable opportunity to enhance farmer knowledge and adoption of Global GAP standards.
• Market Access and Export Infrastructure: EHPEA’s focus on improving market access for its members and actors in the value chain opens opportunities for investment in infrastructure or platforms that streamline access to domestic and international markets for certified horticultural products.
• Sustainable Agricultural Practices: With an emphasis on sustainable farming practices, including integrated pest management and reduced pesticide use, there is an opportunity to invest in environmental solutions that help farmers meet safety standards while promoting eco-friendly agriculture.

To enhance the EHPEA Training Center infrastructure, digitize EHPEA services, facilitate increased investment and implementation of private sector extension services, establish linkages between commercial and smallholder farms through contract farming models, and promote climate-smart agriculture and sustainable production models that are both environmentally and economically viable, a budget will be assigned from internal funds and members’ contributions. Additionally, the association will seek partnerships to cover the costs.

Updated: March 2025