Fogera
Encyclopedia
Fogera is one of the 105 woreda
s in the Amhara Region
of Ethiopia
. Part of the Debub Gondar Zone
, Fogera is bordered on the south by Dera
, on the west by Lake Tana
, on the north by the Reb
which separates it from Kemekem
, and on the east by Farta
. The administrative center for this woreda is Wereta
; other towns in Fogera include Amed Ber. Also located in this woreda is the community of Awra Amba
, an Ethiopian grass-roots experiment in egalitarian living.
and the Reb, both of which drain into Lake Tana. A survey of the land in Fogera shows that 44.2% is arable or cultivable and another 20% irrigated, 22.9% pasture, 1.8% forest or shrubland, 3.7% covered with water, and the remaining 7.4% is considered degraded or other. Some 490 square kilometers of land adjacent to Lake Tana is subject to regular and severe flooding. Teff
, corn
, sorghum
, cotton
and sesame
are important cash crops. Fogera is also known for its breed of cattle, which has a large frame and is one of the best native milk cows in Ethiopia; however because other breeds of cattle are brought from Dera and Kemekem woredas to the Fogera plains in the dry season, the local breed is at risk of genetic dilution.
There are 16 co-operatives, 9 of which are multi-purpose, 4 irrigation and 3 financial cooperatives. The multi-purpose cooperatives provide milling service, sell basic household goods, distribute agricultural inputs in collaboration with the Agricultural Input Supply Corporation and the Ambasel and Merkeb Union cooperatives. One micro-finance institution operates in this woreda, the Amhara Credit and Saving Institution SC (ACSI), established in 1998. ACSI has extended loans totaling 8,678,581 Birr
to 5,484 people for farm-related purposes; of these, 53 people defaulted on loans totaling 24,725.30 Birr. Fogera has 55 kilometers of dry-weather and 67 of all-weather road, for an average of road density of 111 kilometers per 1000 square kilometers.
Fogera is known as the birthplace of the well-known Ethiopian dabtara and wit, Aleqa
Gebre Hanna
. The woreda was heavily affected by the flash floods in Ethiopia that started 6 September and receded by 26 September 2006. The heavy rain caused Lake Tana to overflow its banks, making thousands of people homeless. "Thousands of heads of cattle
, whole silos of grain, and significant tracts of grazing and farmland have been washed away," according to IRIN.
of Ethiopia (CSA), this woreda has a total population of 228,449, an increase of 23.30% over the 1994 census, of whom 116,465 are men and 111,984 women; 25,190 or 11.03% are urban inhabitants. With an area of 1,111.43 square kilometers, Fogera has a population density of 205.55, which is greater than the Zone average of 145.56 persons per square kilometer. A total of 52,905 households were counted in this woreda, resulting in an average of 4.32 persons to a household, and 51,504 housing units.
The 1994 national census reported a total population for this woreda of 185,280 in 37,258 households, of whom 95,084 were men and 90,196 were women; 18,375 or 9.92% of its population were urban dwellers. The largest ethnic group reported in Fogera was the Amhara
(99.83%). Amharic
was spoken as a first language by 99.89%. The majority of the inhabitants were reported to practiced Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity, with 94.71% of the population reporting that belief, while 4.55% said they were Muslim
.
Woreda
Woreda is an administrative division of Ethiopia , equivalent to a district . Woredas are composed of a number of Kebele, or neighborhood associations, which are the smallest unit of local government in Ethiopia...
s in the Amhara Region
Amhara Region
Amhara is one of the nine ethnic divisions of Ethiopia, containing the homeland of the Amhara people. Previously known as Region 3, its capital is Bahir Dar....
of Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
. Part of the Debub Gondar Zone
Debub Gondar Zone
Debub Gondar is a Zone in the Ethiopian Amhara Region. This zone is named for the city of Gondar, which was the capital of Ethiopia until the mid-19th century, and has often been used as a name for the local province....
, Fogera is bordered on the south by Dera
Dera (woreda)
Dera is one of the 105 woredas in the Amhara Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Debub Gondar Zone, Dera is bordered on the south by the Abbay River which separates it from the Misraq Gojjam Zone, on the west by Lake Tana, on the north by Fogera, and on the east by Este...
, on the west by Lake Tana
Lake Tana
Lake Tana is the source of the Blue Nile and is the largest lake in Ethiopia...
, on the north by the Reb
Reb River
Reb River is a river of north-central Ethiopia which empties into Lake Tana at . The river originates on the slopes of Mount Guna, and flows west through Kemekem woreda. It has no significant tributaries.R.E...
which separates it from Kemekem
Kemekem
Kemekem is one of the 105 woredas in the Amhara Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Debub Gondar Zone, Kemekem is bordered on the south by the Reb which separates it from Fogera, on the west by Lake Tana, on the north by the Semien Gondar Zone, and on the east by Ebenat...
, and on the east by Farta
Farta
Farta is one of the 105 woredas in the Amhara Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Debub Gondar Zone, Farta is bordered on the south by Este, on the west by Fogera, on the north by Ebenat, and on the east by Lay Gayint...
. The administrative center for this woreda is Wereta
Wereta
Wereta is a town in northern Ethiopia. Located in the Debub Gondar Zone of the Amhara Region, east of Lake Tana and south of Addis Zemen, this town has a latitude and longitude of with an elevation of 1828 meters above sea level...
; other towns in Fogera include Amed Ber. Also located in this woreda is the community of Awra Amba
Awra Amba
Awra Amba is an Ethiopian community of about 400 people, located 73 kilometres east of Bahir Dar in the Fogera woreda of Debub Gondar Zone. It was founded in 1980 with the goal of solving socio-economic problems through helping one another in an environment of egalitarianism—in marked contrast to...
, an Ethiopian grass-roots experiment in egalitarian living.
Overview
The altitude of this woreda ranges from 1774 to 2415 meters above sea level. Rivers in Fogera include the GumaraGumara River
Gumara River is a river of northern-western Ethiopia and empties into Lake Tana at from the east. Hot springs on its banks at Wanzagay, which were popular in medicinal hot baths in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, are mentioned by the missionary Henry Stern.The river is an important...
and the Reb, both of which drain into Lake Tana. A survey of the land in Fogera shows that 44.2% is arable or cultivable and another 20% irrigated, 22.9% pasture, 1.8% forest or shrubland, 3.7% covered with water, and the remaining 7.4% is considered degraded or other. Some 490 square kilometers of land adjacent to Lake Tana is subject to regular and severe flooding. Teff
Teff
Eragrostis tef, known as teff, taf , or khak shir , is an annual grass, a species of lovegrass native to the northern Ethiopian Highlands of Northeast Africa....
, corn
Maize
Maize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...
, sorghum
Sorghum
Sorghum is a genus of numerous species of grasses, one of which is raised for grain and many of which are used as fodder plants either cultivated or as part of pasture. The plants are cultivated in warmer climates worldwide. Species are native to tropical and subtropical regions of all continents...
, cotton
Cotton production in Ethiopia
Cotton is grown throughout Ethiopia at elevations above 1000 meters and below 1400 meters. Because most of the lowlands lack adequate rainfall, cotton cultivation depends largely on irrigation.-History:...
and sesame
Sesame
Sesame is a flowering plant in the genus Sesamum. Numerous wild relatives occur in Africa and a smaller number in India. It is widely naturalized in tropical regions around the world and is cultivated for its edible seeds, which grow in pods....
are important cash crops. Fogera is also known for its breed of cattle, which has a large frame and is one of the best native milk cows in Ethiopia; however because other breeds of cattle are brought from Dera and Kemekem woredas to the Fogera plains in the dry season, the local breed is at risk of genetic dilution.
There are 16 co-operatives, 9 of which are multi-purpose, 4 irrigation and 3 financial cooperatives. The multi-purpose cooperatives provide milling service, sell basic household goods, distribute agricultural inputs in collaboration with the Agricultural Input Supply Corporation and the Ambasel and Merkeb Union cooperatives. One micro-finance institution operates in this woreda, the Amhara Credit and Saving Institution SC (ACSI), established in 1998. ACSI has extended loans totaling 8,678,581 Birr
Ethiopian birr
The birr is the unit of currency in Ethiopia. Before 1976, dollar was the official English translation of birr. Today, it is officially birr in English as well....
to 5,484 people for farm-related purposes; of these, 53 people defaulted on loans totaling 24,725.30 Birr. Fogera has 55 kilometers of dry-weather and 67 of all-weather road, for an average of road density of 111 kilometers per 1000 square kilometers.
Fogera is known as the birthplace of the well-known Ethiopian dabtara and wit, Aleqa
Aleqa
The title Aleqa is used in the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church. It is used as the title of a chief priest, the head of a monastery, as well as being an honorific for a highly educated member of the church, especially in the case of dabtaras.-Sources:* by Zelealem Tefera Ashenafi and N...
Gebre Hanna
Gebre Hanna
Aleqa Gebre Hanna was a dabtara of the Ethiopian Church, renowned in Amharic oral tradition for his "his quick and biting wit." He was a master of the genre of Amharic poetry known as qene, as well as introducing a new style of ceremonial dancing to the Ethiopian Church.- Life :Gebre Hanna...
. The woreda was heavily affected by the flash floods in Ethiopia that started 6 September and receded by 26 September 2006. The heavy rain caused Lake Tana to overflow its banks, making thousands of people homeless. "Thousands of heads of cattle
Cattle
Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
, whole silos of grain, and significant tracts of grazing and farmland have been washed away," according to IRIN.
Demographics
Based on the 2007 national census conducted by the Central Statistical AgencyCentral Statistical Agency (Ethiopia)
The Central Statistical Agency is an agency of the government of Ethiopia designated to provide all surveys and censuses for that country used to monitor economic and social growth, as well as to act as an official training center in that field. It is part of the Ethiopian Ministry of Finance and...
of Ethiopia (CSA), this woreda has a total population of 228,449, an increase of 23.30% over the 1994 census, of whom 116,465 are men and 111,984 women; 25,190 or 11.03% are urban inhabitants. With an area of 1,111.43 square kilometers, Fogera has a population density of 205.55, which is greater than the Zone average of 145.56 persons per square kilometer. A total of 52,905 households were counted in this woreda, resulting in an average of 4.32 persons to a household, and 51,504 housing units.
The 1994 national census reported a total population for this woreda of 185,280 in 37,258 households, of whom 95,084 were men and 90,196 were women; 18,375 or 9.92% of its population were urban dwellers. The largest ethnic group reported in Fogera was the Amhara
Amhara people
Amhara are a highland people inhabiting the Northwestern highlands of Ethiopia. Numbering about 19.8 million people, they comprise 26% of the country's population, according to the 2007 national census...
(99.83%). Amharic
Amharic language
Amharic is a Semitic language spoken in Ethiopia. It is the second most-spoken Semitic language in the world, after Arabic, and the official working language of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. Thus, it has official status and is used nationwide. Amharic is also the official or working...
was spoken as a first language by 99.89%. The majority of the inhabitants were reported to practiced Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity, with 94.71% of the population reporting that belief, while 4.55% said they were Muslim
Islam in Ethiopia
According to the latest 2007 national census, Islam is the second most widely practised religion in Ethiopia after Christianity, with over 25 million of Ethiopians adhering to Islam according to the 2007 national census, having arrived in Ethiopia in 615...
.