Setting up Micro-enterprises to Promote Soybean Utilization at Household Level in Ethiopia

This project built on the previous work of the Centre for Development Innovation, Wageningen UR in the soy sector development in Ethiopia. As processors were linked more and more to producers in the soy sector, the need arose to explore options to enhance household nutrition security of producers in soy growing areas. One of such option was setting up a pilot microenterprise based on the VitaGoat system at the most successful soy growing cooperative in Ethiopia. The VitaGoat system has been already proved an economically viable initiative in several African countries. The system can produce soy milk, tofu, yogurt, fruit and vegetable sauces, purees and juices, flour or meal from corn, wheat, soy, rice, etc. and ground roasted coffee. While the VitaGoat system has been very promising, the project encountered challenges, some of the was Ethiopia-specific, that only partly could be solved. Report CDI-14-014.