Maranatha Poultry Farming In Ethiopia, the production of eggs is mainly limited to village or backyard production with a basic-level of professionalism. Due to the country's very low egg production, per capita consumption is reported to be amongst the lowest worldwide. However, supply of protein food is particularly important in Ethiopia since there are few alternative animal protein sources available for large part of the population.The joint venture, which will be called Maranatha Poultry Farming, will set up the first large-scale commercial egg production with a modern free range scavenging system in Denbi, nearby Debre Zeyt. The applicant, Gert van Putten Beheer B.V., has been active in poultry farming his entire life and has started up several commercial layer hen and grower hen businesses in the Netherlands and Poland since 1960. This project proposes to improve the quality of poultry farming and transferring the knowledge and experience in Ethiopia.The project will result in the yearly production and sales of almost 7 million eggs in a free range scavenging system realizing a healthy and nutritious supplement to the Ethiopian diet; direct creation of 135 new jobs (of which 90% will be women); transfer of knowledge on poultry farming; set up of 8 small-scale business cases with female entrepreneurs, organisation of open days, group trainings and possibilities for internships; sales of young layer hens to farms, households and entrepreneurs in the region and environmentally friendly entrepreneurship by recycling hen manure, reduction of artificial fertilizer use, quick manure drying reducing ammonia emissions and use of manual weeding in Lucerne production to reduce chemical crop protection.Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)The partners will implement a CSR policy which includes the labour standards (employment contracts including the period of employment, daily wages, policy for payment of overtime, number of working hours and working days per week, provision of safety materials), personnel policy, employee participation, health and safety of employees (including the cover of all medical expenses of the employees and their children), environment and food safety (the project partners will implement an Environmental Impact Assessment and work according to HACCP), rights of local population, chain responsibility, anti-corruption and corporate social involvement.Impact•	Employment and working conditionsThe company will employ 79 basic-level employees that are hired permanently and 7 high- and medium-level employees. In addition, temporary employee contracts will be set up and signed with around 50 seasonal workers for peaks in the Lucerne production. Two years after the project, this will increase to 107 basic-level employees and 12 medium- and high-level. Seasonal workers will increase to 62 people.Wages will be 125 euro per month for the administration employees and 24 euro per month for basic-level workers (including seasonal workers).This is far above the minimum wage. Secondary working conditions for the employees under permanent or temporary contract will include medical care and child care. In addition, a mobile hospital will visit the company on a monthly basis. Maternity leave according to the legal regulations will be offered to the women that are under contract. Safety on the work floor, personal safety, product safety, hygiene on the work floor and surrounding area, the HACCP protocol and working with detergents and other chemicals are all topics that will be dealt with in the trainings given by the project partners.•	Innovation / Transfer of knowledgeThe knowledge transfer will be realised through the trainings and on-the-job support. The following aspects are new for the country and the region:knowledge on the housing and production system, on feeding possibilities, on hygienic issues with respect to the cleaning and disinfecting of hen houses, on the fermentation of manure into organic fertilizer, on irrigation and maintenance of the installations, on registration of production, quality control and HACCP and optimal post-harvest handling of arable crops.•	Chain effectsThe joint venture will purchase the inputs required for the egg production from local suppliers (day-old-chicken, feed concentrates, carton egg trays). Also, the joint venture will work with local traders (eggs, pullet and point-of-layers), local slaughter house and local farmers that need affordable manure to fertilise production fields. Finally, the 8 small-scale business cases in the region will be set up and take part as small production companies in the new-established business chain. Moreover, these small business cases will be used as demonstration stables in the trainings of hundreds of interested farmers. The latter will have a huge impact on the local small-scale chicken rearing sector.•	EnvironmentAt the start of the project an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) will be done. Hereafter, the necessary investments will be done to minimise environmental impact. For instance, the manure will be fast-dried through the use of natural ventilation and temperature, ceiling-mounted ventilators and the warmth of hens to avoid 95% of the emission of ammonia from animal manure. The manure will be fermented to produce organic fertilizer and to produce biogas. The biogas will be used in the generator for electricity and heating purposes. Fertilisation of the Lucerne fields will be mostly done by the use of the organic fertilizer that will be produced from hen manure. The use of crop chemicals and artificial fertilizer will be kept as minimal as possible. During the course of the project, biological control will be implemented as much as possible. Weeding will be done by hand.The production facility will be set up according to HACCP principles, guaranteeing food safety control.•	Position of womenThe company will have a preferential policy to employ women. The aim is that 90% of the work force will be female, for both the permanent and seasonal employees. The project will set up 8 small-scale business cases, which will be set up by female entrepreneurs. In most of the households in Ethiopia women are responsible for hen rearing. As the project will work with many households in improving their hen rearing and egg production, the training of those women will not only improve poultry production but also family management, family planning and the overall living standards of the families involved. Set up a large-scale commercial egg production farm with a yearly capacity of 7 million eggs based on a modern free range scavenging system and assist local entrepreneurs in starting small-scale commercial egg production.