Cut flower Bonanza: At What Cost?
Jimma Times, Ethiopia - February 18, 2008

... “I’m used to these smells and thorny stems,” says Meseret. “We sometimes face a strong chemical smell; if we complain we‘re told to work in the next green­house” ... ... Workers develop health problems as a result of being exposed to danger­ous chemicals and work­ing conditions on the job. Workers are forced to work long hours, can be dismissed at will and often handle dangerous chemi­cals without the proper protective equipment. Women workers are par­ticularly vulnerable to ex­ploitation, sexual harass­ment, no maternity leave, overcrowded housing and low wages ... ... “Regional government officials convinced me to sell it. They warned me to take away government land if I refuse to sell it,” says Abiy ...

Government land ownership has created it easier for flower growers to get land easily. Abiy Mezgebu, 28, resides near Ambo town. He recently sold a hectare of land to flower growers for 30,000 Birr, the price that growers fix. But there is no any agreement with the grow­ers how long they use the land. “Regional government officials convinced me to sell it. They warned me to take away government land if I refuse to sell it,” says Abiy. “In my village, many farmers sold their lands but didn’t use the money to improve their lives; they spent on ‘tella’ (alcoholic local beer).”

Aduna Workneh, father of five, lives across bunches of flower farms near Menagesha town. Officials from the govern­ment and flower farms came and talked to him in person. “They told me I’ll benefit much better if we sell my land. Though I rejected it, they still try to convince me.” Aduna has four hectares of land where he grows crops to feed his family. He was offered up to 70,000 Birr but he says “this amount of money doesn’t last long whereas my farm land feeds me for the rest of my life.”

These flower farms benefit us nothing; at least they were expected to provides employment opportunity, says Aduna. “Only a few members of our community got employed; as for the majority we don’t know where they came from.” Showing across the valley, Aduna says “where now these green houses lie was covered by indigenous trees and eucalyptus, where our women used to collect firewood. But today flower farms left us with nothing” ...