Chilalo Agricultural Development Union (CADU) is the first comprehensive package project established in

Arsi Zone Arsi () is a Zones of Ethiopia, zone in Oromia Region of Ethiopia, named after a clan of the Oromo people, Oromo, who inhabit in the area. Arsi is bordered on the south by Bale Zone, on the southwest by the West Arsi Zone, on the northwest by Ea ...

Oromia Region Oromia (, ) is a Regions of Ethiopia, regional state in Ethiopia and the homeland of the Oromo people. Under Article 49 of 1995 Constitution of Ethiopia, Ethiopian Constitution, the capital of Oromia is Addis Ababa, also called Finfinne. The ...

Ethiopia Ethiopia, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country located in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the north, Djibouti to the northeast, Somalia to the east, Ken ...

, to modernize traditional

subsistence agriculture Subsistence agriculture occurs when farmers grow crops on smallholdings to meet the needs of themselves and their families. Subsistence agriculturalists target farm output for survival and for mostly local requirements. Planting decisions occu ...

. The major components of the package programmes include fertilizers, ameliorated seeds, farm credits, marketing facilities, better tools and implements, and improved storage facilities. Encouraged by the successes experienced with India's Integrated Agricultural Development Project (IADP) and Bangladesh's Integrated Rural Development Program (Comilla), the Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA) agreed with the Ethiopian government to start a similar project, and began CADU in 1967. The program included research, extension, marketing aspects and credit and input supply schemes for smallholders. Its main impact was to show that significant increases in cereal yields were feasible through the use of fertilizer. Farmer extension services were an integral part of CADU's activities. Other similar projects were started in later years, but it was realized that implementing them throughout the whole country would not be feasible because of the high manpower needs and costs involved. Currently the project which was initiated by CADU is part of the Arsi Rural Development Unit (ARDU).

Notes

{{Reflist Agriculture in Ethiopia Business organisations based in Ethiopia Oromia