The Government of Ethiopia has plans for massive agricultural development in the form of state-run sugar plantations and commercially leased land for the Lower Omo Valley. These plans are linked to the controversial Gibe III dam development upstream of the Lower Omo Valley in that the dam will allow large-scale irrigation agriculture. The sugar plantations are in turn linked to the countrys plans to grow its international market share of the commodity, backed at a country-level by a $640-million credit line from Indias Exim Bank[1]. However, the Lower Omo Valley is home to an estimated 200,000 agro-pastoralists, who would be negatively affected by large-scale development in terms of their access to water to grow crops and ability to exercise their way of life. Reports based on interviews with inhabitants of the region indicate that intimidation and violence are being used as a way of forcing people into leaving their land. Ethiopias policy of villagization in other parts of the country has been widely criticized for a lack of consultation with local communities, intimidation and force. The Lower Omo Valley seems to be no exception in this, as the same approach is being adopted.

Ethiopia plans to increase its sugar production seven-fold from 314,000 tons (in 2009/10) to 2.3 million tons by 2015. Of this, 1.2 million tons are earmarked for export. Ethiopia wants to achieve a 2.5% global share by 2017 [2].