Vita Ireland

29/09/2026

Every year, millions of tonnes of food are lost before they ever reach the table. Globally, 13.2% of food is lost between harvest and retail, while a further 19% is wasted at retail, food service and household levels. Food loss and waste also contribute an estimated 8-10% of global greenhouse gas emissions.
For crops like potatoes, post-harvest losses are often driven by poor storage conditions, disease spread and inadequate ventilation. Addressing these challenges is essential to improving food security, farmer incomes and sustainability.
With our partner, Posner Foundation, we are helping reduce potato spoilage through the promotion of Diffused Light Storage (DLS) technology. DLS structures are designed with excellent ventilation, allowing air to circulate freely around stored potatoes. This helps maintain potato quality, keeps tubers fresh for longer periods and creates conditions that make it easier to identify and manage diseases before they spread throughout the storage unit.

By extending shelf life and reducing post-harvest losses, DLS empowers farmers to:
✅ Preserve more of their harvest
✅ Improve market timing and profitability
✅ Reduce food loss along the value chain
✅ Strengthen food security in their communities
Investing in practical storage solutions is one step toward a more resilient and sustainable food system.

21/09/2026

🏆 Recognition for excellence in water programming

We are proud to share that, for the second consecutive year, Vita Impact’s climate-resilient water programme has been recognised by the Zonal Water and Energy Department in Ethiopia as the best-performing water programme.

The team received a Certificate of Recognition and Trophy at the Zone’s Annual Planning Meeting, recognising their strong performance and contribution to the water sector.

This achievement reflects the dedication, leadership and teamwork of our colleagues in Ethiopia, supported by our wider teams and partners.

But what makes this recognition particularly meaningful is the approach behind the programme.

Rather than focusing on drilling new waterpoints, Vita Impact trains communities to repair and maintain broken waterpoints. This approach costs a fraction of constructing new infrastructure while building practical skills within communities, enabling them to restore and maintain their own water supplies.

With more than 45% of waterpoints estimated to be non-functional at any given time, repairing existing infrastructure offers an opportunity to reach more people, more quickly and at a lower cost than relying solely on new boreholes.

Congratulations to our Amhara Field Team on this well-deserved recognition — and thank you to everyone whose commitment makes this work possible.

Fondation Internationale Roncalli WasserStiftung Community Foundation Ireland Clifford Chance Posner Foundation

18/09/2026

By 2030, Vita Impact will plant two million trees. 🌱

So, how will we get there?

Swipe through to see how our communities, partners and innovative climate finance are helping us turn this ambition into action.

08/09/2026

Through our partnership with Irish Aid, Vita Impact is helping smallholder farmers in Ethiopia turn potato production into a pathway to stronger food security, better incomes and more resilient livelihoods.
For many rural households, food security depends not only on what farmers can grow, but on whether they have the knowledge, inputs and support needed to produce enough quality crops that can meet local demand.
That is where Vita’s potato programme is making a difference.
Through training, access to quality and high yielding potato seed, planting material and post harvest storage facilities, potato growers are gaining the skills and resources they need to increase production, improve the quality of their harvests and protect their crop from post harvest loses.
For farming families, the impact goes beyond the field. Higher and more reliable potato production means more food available at household level-contributing to good health and wellbeing
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26/08/2026

Nearly half of rural water points in sub‑Saharan Africa are broken at any given time, leaving millions without safe water. When pumps fail, families return to unsafe sources, health gains vanish, and women and girls lose hours each day walking long distances in search for water.
Vita’s approach—training local community members to repair and maintain these systems—directly tackles this challenge by building affordable, lasting expertise right in the community.
Why local expertise matters:
Continued clean water — Repairs happen faster, reducing downtime and protecting health and promoting gender equality.
Affordability — Large‑scale community water points are cost‑effective when maintained locally.
Skills transfer — Knowledge stays in the community, empowering women and men to lead.

21/07/2026

Seeing is believing. 🌱

When farmers see what's possible, confidence grows.

For Kaleb Chika, a farmer and leader of a newly formed Seed Multiplication Cooperative in Ethiopia, potato seed multiplication once seemed beyond the reach of smallholder farmers.

Everything changed after joining a Vita-supported farmer exposure visit where he met experienced small holder potato seed producers and witnessed successful cooperative businesses in action.

"I used to think improved seed production was too difficult for small farmers like me. But after seeing farmers like us doing it successfully, I understood we can also do this." – Kaleb Chika

The visit It strengthened his confidence to:

✅ Improve the management of his own seed multiplication plot.

✅ Mobilise his cooperative to develop a communal storage facility.

✅ Share new knowledge with neighbouring farmers, multiplying the impact beyond the cooperative.

With support from Irish Aid, Farmer-to-farmer learning visits are building confidence, accelerates the adoption of improved practices, strengthens cooperatives and inspires investment in sustainable livelihoods.

13/07/2026

A very big thank you to the South Ethiopia Regional government and the communities we partner with for making our work possible.

24/06/2026

Vita Impact through the Vita Green Impact Fund is advancing a practical model where climate action meets real economic transformation.

By using a blended finance structure, the fund is accelerating the adoption of improved cookstoves that significantly reduce wood consumption and lower emissions at household level. The impact is measurable: reduced deforestation pressure, cleaner cooking environments and carbon savings.

Emissions reductions are rigorously recorded, verified, quantified and then issued as carbon credits on the voluntary carbon market. This creates a revenue stream that sustains and scales impact.

The benefits go far beyond carbon. Cleaner cooking directly improves health outcomes and reduces the burden of fuel collection—work that disproportionately affects women. At the same time, local production and sales of improved cookstoves are creating income opportunities and strengthening women-led livelihoods within communities.

30/05/2026

Today, as we celebrate World Potato Day, we recognise a powerful, climate-smart food that sits at the heart of resilient food systems.
The potato continues to prove itself as a strategic “super food”: nutrient-dense, highly adaptable and capable of producing more food per unit of land compared to many staples. Its multiple growing cycles within a year make it a practical solution for bridging hunger gaps—especially the critical lean months between harvests when many rural families we work with in Ethiopia and Eritrea face food shortages.
At Vita Impact, we are proud to stand at the center of this transformation. As a founding member of Irish Potato Research and Development Association (IPRaDA), we continue to support coordinated efforts that strengthen the potato value chain in Ethiopia.
IPRADA plays an important role in bringing together key actors across research, seed systems, production and market linkages to accelerate innovation, improve seed quality and ensure farmers can access better yields and stronger markets.
Vita Impact remains committed to advancing climate-resilient food systems across Ethiopia and Eritrea.

30/03/2026

We were honoured to meet with His Excellency Lalisa Berhanu at the Embassy of Ethiopia, London for a focused and forward-looking discussion on strengthening rural development and climate action across Ethiopia.
Our conversation centred on practical collaboration — how we can build on our long-standing work with rural communities to scale solutions that are locally led, economically viable and climate resilient.
A key priority discussed was expanding our carbon credit initiatives to accelerate clean energy adoption and reduce pressure on forests. Discussions also touched on opportunities for collaboration in the lead-up to COP 2027, which Ethiopia will host and the potential to showcase scalable initiatives that demonstrate how government and international partners can work together to deliver real impact.
Vita remains committed to working alongside national and local partners to expand programmes that deliver measurable, lasting impact for rural communities across Ethiopia.

𝗘𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝗘𝗺𝗯𝗮𝘀𝘀𝘆 𝗛𝗼𝘀𝘁𝘀 𝗗𝗶𝗮𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘂𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗩𝗶𝘁𝗮 𝗨𝗞 𝗼𝗻 𝗔𝗱𝘃𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗥𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗗𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗖𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗜𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀

The Ethiopian Embassy in London hosted a constructive meeting between His Excellency Ambassador Lalisa Berhanu and representatives of Vita UK, including Chairman Andy Flatt and Business Development Advisor Jamie Goode.

Discussions highlighted Vita as an international development organization working with rural communities to build sustainable livelihoods, strengthen climate resilience, and promote locally driven economic opportunities. The conversation focused on enhancing collaboration to support community-driven development across Ethiopia.

Vita’s long-standing engagement in rural Ethiopia, particularly through climate-smart agriculture, clean water systems, and the distribution of fuel-efficient stoves, was recognized as an important contribution to improving livelihoods while protecting the environment.

Both sides also discussed scaling up Vita’s presence in Ethiopia and expanding its carbon credit initiatives, which help reduce deforestation and support clean energy solutions for rural communities.

A shared commitment was made to work closely together to deepen cooperation and scale up impactful programmes across Ethiopia.

Biruk Mekonnen Office of the Prime Minister-Ethiopia The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia MFAEthiopia Amharic የውጭ ጉዳይ ሚኒስቴር Lalisa Berhanu British Embassy, Addis Ababa - UK in Ethiopia