World Milk Day was celebrated in Hawassa city, the capital of Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Regional State (SNNPRS) in Ethiopia on 30 June 2014. Milk is an important part of a healthy balanced diet and World Milk Day is the perfect opportunity to spread word on the nutritional benefits of drinking milk. This was the first time the day was celebrated in Hawassa though in other parts of the world, the event has been observed for fourteen years.

This event was jointly organized by the Regional Bureau of Agriculture, USAID’s Agricultural Growth Program-Livestock Market Development (AGP-LMD) project, ILRI’s Livestock and Irrigation Value Chains for Ethiopian Smallholders (LIVES) project and SNV Netherlands Development Organisation’s-EDGET project. The organizers’ aim was to:

• Increase awareness of the nutritional benefits of consuming milk and dairy products,
• Increase awareness of the need to boil/pasteurize milk,
• Inspire the government and dairy industry to organize similar events in the future in order to increase milk consumption.

Participants drawn from the Bureau of Agriculture, the Southern Agricultural Research Institute, Hawassa University, The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), private dairy producers and processors, students and city residents, took park in the event.

In his keynote address, the deputy director of the Regional Livestock Development Agency highlighted the major reasons for the low milk consumption in the country and requested all governmental organizations, non-governmental organizations and the private sector to engaged in dairy development and service provisions to bring about changes in attitude, create demand for consumption of boiled and pasteurized milk, improve milk supply by improving dairy value chains, which contributes to the health, productivity of citizens. He further stressed that the region is committed to support initiatives and events such as the World Milk Day.

Traditional music, dancing, poetry readings, question/answer sessions and educative dialogues took place during the event to convey messages on the health benefits of drinking milk as well as the importance of boiling/pasteurizing dairy products. More than 3,000 brochures and flyers highlighting the objectives of World Milk Day, the importance of milk consumption, the nutritional value of milk and the need for boiling/pasteurizing raw milk were distributed to participants and Hawassa residents in the four areas where the event took place. Many participants also enjoyed refreshing pasteurized whole milk and yoghurt that was brought to the event by private producers and processors for promotional purposes.

Debub Television program of the Ethiopian Radio and Television Agency (ERTA) and FM 100.9 Radio broadcast the event live to the wider public.

World Milk Day was also celebrated in Tigray, Amhara and Oromia regions with the involvement of the respective LIVES staff  in those areas.

Last year (2013), the World School Milk Day was celebrated for the first time at Nigist Fura Elementary and Secondary School in Hawassa  on 25 November 2013. The event was jointly organized by the Agricultural Growth Program-Livestock Market Development (AGP-LMD) project of USAID and the LIVES project of the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI).

The World School Milk Day aims to promote the nutritional benefits of drinking milk, encourage young children to drink milk and urge families to provide their children with milk. About 2,335 people attended that event, of which about 65% (30% male and 35% female) were students, 2.57% (24 male and 36 female) were teachers and school administrators, 30% were parents of the students and 2.43% were public stakeholders. Milk producers and processors, distributors and other individuals also attended.

Contributed by Yoseph Mekasha and the SNNPRS LIVES team.

Ethiopia’s millions of cattle owners face challenges to increase the productivity of their animals. They often struggle to keep them healthy and well-fed. Managing the quality of the breed is one of the challenges that is getting better, thanks to improvements in the ways that artificial insemination (AI) services are provided.

Traditionally, AI agents travel around rural areas servicing cattle. This has often been more miss than hit, and cows often do not get pregnant. When they do, the desired female calves don’t always appear.

In its last years, the ‘Improving the Productivity and Market Success of Ethiopian Farmers’ (IPMS) project initiated a series of interventions to try and improve the ways that AI services are delivered. It also sought to increase the chances of success, through hormone synchronization, and female calves, through sex-fixing.

This short film introduces the approach followed and the initial results.

The International Livestock Research Institute’s Azage Tegegne, who leads the Livestock and Irrigation Value chains for Ethiopian Smallholders (LIVES) project has been honoured by the Ethiopian Government for his role in improving dairy cattle genetics and dairy value chain development in the country.

His action research in ‘the application of hormone assisted estrous synchronization and mass insemination’ technology to enhance cattle genetic improvement through improved reproductive performance’ was recognised by H.E Ato Hailemariam Desalegn, Prime Minister of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, at the 5th national award on science, technology, innovation and research. The award ceremony, held at the African Union headquarters in Addis Ababa on 15 November 2014, was attended by high-level government officials, diplomats, representatives of the international community, family members of the awardees and other invited guests.

Azage’s research was part of the Improving Productivity and Market Success of Ethiopian Farmers (IPMS) project, which brought together researchers from the Tigray Agricultural Research Institute, Tigray Agriculture and Rural Development Office and the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) in implementing the genetic improvement work in Wukro, Adigrat, Adwa and in Axum, Ethiopia. Azage was the principal researcher in the project and also led capacity development of regional experts and artificial insemination technicians. Azage secured finance from ILRI to carry out the work as well.

Successes from this project are now being scaled out to other parts of the country including the Amhara, Oromia and Southern Nations, Nationalities and People’s regions.

Azage, along with LIVES staff, continues to support regional partners in capacity development and providing technical advice for the continued improvement of dairy genetics in Ethiopia.

The award ceremony also recognized students and teachers, trainees and trainers, researchers and innovators who have registered outstanding innovation model and technology in science and mathematics, technical and vocational education, research and innovation in Ethiopia.

Read a related story from LIVES blog: More money, milk and meat: Mass artificial insemination for Ethiopian cattle

National media coverage of the event

የቴክኖሎጂ አቅምን ለማሳደግ ለሚደረጉ ጥረቶች ድጋፍ ይደረጋል፡-ጠ/ሚ ኃይለማርያም

PM awards 268 Ethiopians for outstanding achievements in science, technology and innovation

The Oromia region contributes about 44% of the total annual milk produced in Ethiopia. Smallholder farmers in Oromia contribute the largest portion of this yield, but linkages between them and other dairy value chain actors at various levels, which could increase production and consumption of milk and milk products in the region, are weak or lacking.

To address gaps in the dairy production in the region, the Oromia Livestock Development and Health Agency (OLDHA) in partnership with Livestock and Irrigation Value Chains for Ethiopian Smallholders (LIVES) project established the Oromia dairy platform on 6 November 2014. The purpose of this platform is to create a dialog and policy forum for relevant stakeholders in the dairy sector. Key goals of the platform’s first meeting were to:

• identify how dairy sector stakeholders can better work together in various capacities and competencies to support the dairy value chain development in Oromia region
• identify constraints, opportunities and develop strategies for addressing challenges and promote dairy value chain in the region and;
• identify initial steps and modalities for ensuring a dynamic and responsive dairy platform

Forty participants, of whom five were females, attended this first meeting. The participants were milk producers, input suppliers, service providers, milk collectors and processors, milk and milk product traders, representatives from SNV Netherlands – Ethiopia, LIVES, public service providers such as Oromia Agricultural Research Institute,  Oromia Trade and Market Development Bureau, Oromia Bureau of Agriculture, Oromia Bureau of Finance and Economic Development (OFED), OLDHA, Oromia Cooperative Promotion Agency and others organizations working in the dairy value chain in the region.

The one-day event included presentations and discussions on status of dairy development and research in Oromia region, overview of an agricultural value chain platform and practical experience-sharing on dairy platforms. Participants also reviewed opportunities, constraints and possible solutions for improving dairy production, input supply/service provision and processing and marketing of dairy products. After the discussions, participants agreed on the need to set up a dairy platform.

As a way forward, issues of how the platform would be sustained were also discussed.  A participatory working group was created to lead the platform and make preparations for registering the platform. Accordingly, seven members were elected to the working group which is chaired by an OLDHA official, with an OFED official as deputy and a LIVES project staff member serving as secretary. The other five members are from other institutions. The Oromia Bureau of Finance and Economic Development agreed to allocate money to support the platform if OLDHA includes the platform’s activities in its annual budget proposal. The working group is expected to organize a second platform meeting to further build on this momentum. The working group will also develop terms of reference (ToR) to guide future engagements of the platform in terms of management, financing, ownership, membership and contribution.

Written by Abule Ebro  and Zewdie Adane with contribution from Tolera Debela  

This poster, prepared for the ILRI@40 series of events, gives an overview of Ethiopia’s dairy value chain system. The poster highlights a recent working paper by the Livestock and Irrigation Value Chains for Ethiopian smallholders (LIVES) project, which summarizes results from a LIVES household baseline survey on butter production, processing and marketing in intervention and non intervention sites and an Improving Productivity and Market Success (IPMS) for Ethiopian Farmers rapid assessment on butter value chains in Ethiopia.

Etaferahu Bogale and Zewdu Berasso are a married couple who live in Daye  town of Arbegona district in Sidama zone, Southern Ethiopia. The couple own a small shop in the heart of the town where among other items, eggs are sold.

Chicken eggs are an important source of protein and income for smallholders in many parts of Ethiopia. Sidama zone’s chicken population is about 1.3 million (16% of the region) of which about 16% are located in the intervention districts (Arbegona, Bona zuria and Bensa) of the Livestock and Irrigation Value Chains for Ethiopian Smallholders (LIVES) Project. These three districts are situated in mid to highland agro-ecologies.

Etaferahu and Zewdu packing eggs for transportation to Hawassa market (Photo:ILRI\LIVES SNNP regional team)

Etaferahu and Zewdu buy eggs from Arbegona district and sell them in Hawassa town. On average, they collect between 13,000 – 15,000 eggs per week to take to the market in Hawassa. About five other egg traders with similar capacities are also operating in the district.

There are 3 market days in and around Daye town of Arbegona, but egg collection is not limited to these days. Etaferahu and Zewdu get their eggs from village collectors who collect eggs from different village markets and get a commission of ETB 0.10/egg. Most village collectors receive working capital to purchase an agreed number of eggs. Sometimes young boys or girls collect eggs and occasionally chicken owners deliver eggs to the couple when they need cash.

In Arbegona, traders inspect egg quality subjectively. The inspection includes manually weighing an equal number of eggs (i.e. if eggs of equal size in one hand are heavier, the conclusion is that they are spoiled), observing physical appearance (the ones that attract flies are spoiled) and looking at the egg against the sun and if the inside seems dark/opaque, the egg is probably spoiled but if it is transparent/bright it is of good quality. Etaferahu and Zewdu use the same method to inspect their eggs. Those that pass the assessment are kept for the Hawassa market while those that don’t are returned. Traders in Hawassa (wholesalers/retailers) also use the same method of quality assessment.

The price of eggs fluctuates following the fasting season of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. For example during the recent fast of Assumption (Dormition) which occurs in the month of August, the price of an egg in Arbegona market dropped from ETB 2.25 to 1.90. Traders in Arbegona usually purchase eggs anywhere from ETB 2.15 – 2.40 each, depending on the quality, volume and regular supply; the higher margin occurs during major holidays such as the Ethiopian New Year.

According to Etaferahu and Zewdu as well as other traders in Hawassa, there is no difference in price between eggs from indigenous and exotic birds during collection, however the selling price of the latter is slightly lower than the former at the Hawassa egg market. Traders normally market mixtures of the different types of eggs together and the larger sized eggs are sold at a higher price in the Hawassa egg market.

Etaferahu and Zewdu have noticed that eggs from indigenous chicken from Arbegona are preferred by the Hawassa market because of their better size and quality. Traders in Hawassa market also indicated that the eggs from Arbegona are larger and have a longer shelf life.

After collection, Etaferahu and Zewdu assemble the eggs in wooden boxes, which were originally constructed to transport tomatoes. They place different packing materials (such as teff or wheat straw) inside the boxes to protect the eggs. Etaferahu mentioned that some of the eggs which break during quality assessment and packing prior to transportation are used to make omelettes for customers in their shop.

Wooden creates for egg packing and transportation  (Photo: ILRI\LIVES SNNP team)

Each week, anywhere from 13 to 15 boxes, each with about 1,000 eggs, are packed and transported to Hawassa. The packed boxes are transported by trucks along with other commodities such as vegetables. Transport charges are ETB 25 per box and approximately 20 eggs per box (1%) get damaged during transport.

Retailers in Hawassa use small cardboard or bamboo boxes and plastic bags with similar packing materials when they sell the eggs. They also use sawdust from furniture shops and saw mills as packing material.

Etaferahu and Zewdu are eager to improve and expand their egg marketing business beyond the Hawassa market but face many challenges. These include lack of working capital, especially during peak demand periods, poor egg transport containers and lack of a proper egg transport system. Moreover, since the couple does not have direct linkage with consumers such as hotels, pastry shops and other institutional buyers, they sell eggs at a lower price directly to wholesalers/retailers at Hawassa market.

To help address their working capital limitations, Zewdu attended a training on Basic Business Skills organized by LIVES. The training included topics such as business plan preparation as well as marketing. Staff from Omo Micro Finance and technical staff from the Zonal Office of Agricultural also took part in the workshop. This helped Zewdu create linkages to develop a business plan which will then be considered by a lending institution.

To reduce losses due to packing/transportation, LIVES is assisting in identifying sources for improved egg packaging materials. LIVES will also provide further support on possible markets and egg bulking arrangements to reduce transport cost per unit of egg in LIVES intervention districts in Sidama.

Written by Yoseph Mekasha and Dirk Hoekstra with contributions from Tesfaye Shewage, Birhanu Biazin,and Dereje Legesse

More pictures  of chicken egg marketing

Harvesting hay in West Shoa Zone, Oromia (photo:ILRI\Abule Ebro).

Grazing land contributes about 67% of livestock feed resources in West Shoa Zone in Oromia, Ethiopia; making it an important resource that deserves attention. This blog story shares the perceptions of communities and experts about the vast wetland grazing areas in the highlands of Ejere and Ada-Berga districts of West Shoa Zone.

Before 2007-08, the system of wetland grazing management  in Ejere and Ada-Berga was communal although there was loose control by individuals on their grazing lands. Nowadays, however, private grazing land and hay preparation are more common in West Shoa Zone. ‘If a person is herding animals in June in one place, you will find them in the same place in September’ explains a community member in West Shoa Zone; showing the high level of private use of grazing lands and the disruption of the previous system that rotated grazing between wetland and upland areas. At the moment, private grazing lands (0.25 to 0.5 ha/household on average) are used for hay making and/or grazing. Furthermore, private grazing lands are larger in size than communal ones and the latter are diminishing.

The reasons for strengthening private use of grazing lands and hay preparation vary from locality to locality. For instance, during 2007/08 period in the Elu-Aga Peasant Association (PA) of Ejere District, there was a conflict in the use of grazing lands between those owning large and small number of animals. This led to strong efforts in protection of grazing lands and preparation of hay. Thus, farmers who own large herds started to buy hay and rent grazing lands for seasonal use to those with smaller herds. At the same time, community members in Maru-Chebot PA in Ada-Berga said they started protecting their grazing lands to preserve (from animal trampling) the nesting sites of Berga birds that migrate seasonally from South Africa to breed in Ada-Berga. To protect the birds’ breeding grounds, the community and the Ethiopian Wildlife Heritage agreed to reduce the number of grazing animals, set up a proper grazing system and to use hay to feed their animals.

In addition, the need to prepare hay has increased because farmers, regardless of their economic status, want to adopt indoor feeding for their animals and to conserve feed for the dry season, particularly for dairy cattle. Farmers use different criteria in selecting sites for hay production. Important criteria include presence of enough moisture/water in the land as well as alluvial/fertile soil and good grass species. They protect the land from grazing by fencing and implementing traditional by-laws on land use. Only few of the farmers, about 1%, use urea and/or manure to fertilize their grazing land. Scythes are the common tools used for harvesting grass and the labour cost of harvesting is between ETB 1,500-1,600/hectare (USD 75-76) and a hectare of land for hay making and/or grazing for one season costs about ETB 4,000 (USD 200). Buyers cover all costs incurred in hay preparation.

Farmers primarily produce hay for home use and to a limited extent, for sale. The dried hay is stored in house, piled up outside with or without wood/stone under it and sometimes prepared as baled hay.

Twelve years ago, the price of baled hay was about ETB 3.50-7.00 but it now costs ETB 27-35. Bailing services cost about ETB 6.00/bale. At times, individuals buy the grass and cover all preparation costs which amount to about ETB 14/bale. The cost of bailing is high, particularly for small-scale farmers in Ethiopia, and many are concerned that the rising price of hay (about ETB 85/bale in Addis Ababa) and other livestock feeds will make dairy production unprofitable unless the price of milk is also increased.

In recent years, the communal grazing lands in many PAs in Ada-Berga were allocated to unemployed youth groups by PA administration so that they could generate income from the sale of grass/hay. The youth groups protect the land from grazing by fencing, implementing traditional by-laws and hire labour from income from the sale of grass. However, due to lack of knowledge and skills on grazing land management as well as methods of rehabilitation, they haven’t done much except fencing the land.

According to communities in the two districts; in the past, these grazing areas had high production and nutritious herbaceous plants for livestock. But the wetlands which used to be swampy are drying up in many places and are reducing in size. As a result, meat and milk production and productivity has declined. Moreover, the increase in human and livestock populations and the associated land use changes has resulted in overgrazing, and deteriorating grass quality because pastures do not have sufficient time to recover.

Until recently, there were no rehabilitation activities to improve the condition of these grazing lands. But now, land owners, such as those close to the Holleta Research Centre are using manure as fertilizer and in places where rain water accumulates, are digging canals to drain excess water to enable grass to grow. Although farmers in the dairy producing areas want to use commercial fertilizers on their grazing lands, the high cost of fertilizer often discourages them from using it.

In this era of climate change, much has to be done in awareness creation and training regarding grazing land management and rehabilitation. The degraded grazing lands need to be rehabilitated in a participatory way based on the extent of degradation. Furthermore, detailed ecological and sociological evidence is needed to document the changes in wetland grazing areas and design interventions. The Livestock and irrigation value chains for Ethiopian smallholders (LIVES) project and its partners will play a significant role on this aspect. The use of manual balers, that LIVES is currently testing in West Shoa Zone as well as other project sites will help farmers/groups to bale hay more efficiently and cheaply.

Written by Abule Ebro (PhD), Adisu Abera and Zewdie Adane.

Serbessa Urgessa is a young man who manages the Agricultural Knowledge Center (AKC) located at West Shoa Zone’s Office of Agriculture in Oromia Region. Established by the Livestock and Irrigation Value Chains (LIVES) project more than a year ago, this centre is one of the most active to-date. With the help and coordination of Serbessa, employees of the Office of Agriculture  in the zone make use of the computers, internet, and reference materials and office space at the AKC to conduct meetings, discussion sessions and training workshops.

Serbessa has vast interest and skills in information technology and computers in general. His dedication to learn, serve, facilitate the use of the AKC and share what he knows with others is impressive. He supports his colleagues in editorial work, formatting reports, finding articles and resources on the internet, setting up email accounts and other computing skills that those who visit the centre need. On his own initiative, he has developed an easy-to-use reporting system for documenting the number of users of the AKC and the types of services used.

The centre in West Shoa is open Monday through Friday during regular working hours. Due to the limited number of computers connected to the internet, however, only up to 40 minutes are allowed per use per session, even though Office of Agriculture employees are allowed to access the internet there using their laptops.

In November 2014, the AKC hosted a basic business skills (BBS) training of trainers’ (TOT) workshop for the West Shoa Zone. Led by Dereje Legesse, a LIVES agri-business expert, the training, from November 19 – 23, 2014, was held to support business operators to actively participate in the development of gender responsive commodity value chains and to equip them with basic business principles. Key topics of the training included business plan preparation, cash flow analysis, loan appraisal techniques and marketing strategies.

Trainees were comprised of staff from partner organizations and business operators (zone and district level livestock/irrigation agency, micro and small enterprises office, cooperative promotion/marketing office, trade and investment offices and privates business owners). A total of 14 trainees, two of whom were women, attended this five-day workshop. To help the trainees further in BBS, Serbessa explained the importance of communication and the need to have personal email accounts. He raised three important benefits of having a personal email account:

• As part of business support services, it is crucial to communicate with partners and email is an efficient and cost-effective way of doing so
• Email enables business owners to grow their enterprises by using information resources from the internet
• Email enables business owners to advertise and market produce, share information with customers, distribute documents and receive messages, get feedback and responses from clients and partners

After explaining the benefits of communication, Serbessa offered to create email accounts for participants and explained about search engines. Out of the 14 participants, 11 had minimal skills in browsing and emailing. At the end of the session, all participants had personal email accounts, they knew how to compose, read and forward messages as well as how to download/upload files. Serbessa encouraged the participants to come to the AKC often and make use of the available services.

Being a knowledge intensive sector, agriculture requires up-to-date and relevant information resources that are context specific. The efforts of development professionals and businessmen/businesswomen could be more effective and efficient if supported with the required information and knowledge, which they can then pass on to producers and other value chain actors. Agricultural knowledge centres, which are a relatively new initiative in many of the offices of agriculture in Ethiopia, could contribute to improving access and availability of resources in the agriculture value chain. But in order for these centres to provide good services a knowledgeable and dedicated centre manager, such as Serbessa, plays an important role.

Written by Dereje Legesse (LIVES) with contributions from Serbessa Urgessa (AKC manager, West Shoa Zone).

The baseline survey of the LIVES project and the IPMS sponsored rapid butter market appraisal study clearly demonstrate the importance of butter in rural Ethiopia. The results of the rapid market survey conducted in the 10 Pilot Learning Woredas provided an insight into the functioning of the butter value chain. Results show that to improve the production of fluid milk and to increase the production of butter in rural areas, feed and fertility management need to be improved. Genetic improvement, especially crosses of local breeds with high fat content breeds, should also be encouraged. Since artificial insemination (AI) is not usually available in rural areas, use can be made of mobile teams and hormone assisted oestrus synchronization and mass insemination.

The working paper starts by describing butter production system in Ethiopia and its importance in the LIVES project areas.  It then presents results obtained from the LIVES baseline data exercise as well as from the rapid butter value chain assessment study conducted by the IPMS project. The final section presents conclusions and recommendations on strategies and interventions to increase the size and efficiency of the butter value chain in the country.

Download the working paper

Five International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) researchers–Azage Tegegne, Berhanu Gebremedhin, Dirk Hoekstra, Gebremedhin Woldewahid and Yayneshet Tesfay–working with the Livestock and Irrigation Value Chains for Ethiopian Smallholders (LIVES) project have been honoured by the Tigray Agricultural Research Institute (TARI) for their contribution for the successful completion of the mass synchronization and artificial insemination of cattle in Tigray, Ethiopia and for strengthening regional research system.

The five were recognized by Kiros Bitew, vice president of the Tigray regional state and head of the bureau of agriculture, in the presence of TARI leadership and other high-ranking officials from Tigray at an event held 10 Jan 2015 in Mekele Town.

Recently (Nov, 2014), Azage Tegegne and researchers from TARI were recognized by the Ethiopian government for their role in improving dairy cattle genetics and the dairy value chain in the country.

Knowledge centre management and use training workshop in Dessie, Jun 14-15 2014 (photo credit: LIVES).

Training is one of the most widely used capacity development approaches to develop knowledge, skills and attitudes of individuals. Many organizations invest resources and train their employees to improve organizational performance. However, research shows that only about 10% of training programs by organizations transfer knowledge to improved performance in the workplace.

A number of factors affect transfer of knowledge and skills including trainee characteristics, training design, delivery methods and processes as well as work environment. To address these transfer problems, a number of strategies can be embedded in the design and delivery of training programs.

This story describes two knowledge transfer strategies ‘learning logs’ and ‘action planning’  which are being tested and used in the Livestock and Irrigation Value Chains for Ethiopian Smallholders (LIVES) project to facilitate application of knowledge and skills from training events to the work environment.

Learning logs use active learning to encourage trainees to take responsibility for their own learning and applying what they learn. This strategy encourages trainees to understand the need for a training and find a reason for learning by relating training objectives and content to their work context. Trainees formulate their own learning goals and monitor the learning progress throughout the training process.

A learning log facilitates reflection of the learning process and outcomes by the trainees themselves. The tool presents trainees with a check-in and check-out process that includes questions to facilitate daily reflection and journaling of key learning and insights, observations, lessons learned and possible actions to take. This process helps trainees internalize the learning process and relate key learning with their work. It also facilitates retention and application of knowledge and skills from training programs.

The other transfer of knowledge strategy during training events is action planning. It is important that trainees become motivated to apply learned knowledge and skills and action planning helps to do just this. At the end of training programs, trainees develop action plans that identify activities, contexts and requirements for the application of the newly acquired knowledge and skills. The action planning tool can also include deliverables, milestones and mechanisms to monitor and self-evaluate progress.

As part of the action planning exercise, a force field tool is used to identify perceived opportunities and constraints for application of knowledge and skills and to come up with mitigation strategies.

Experience from the LIVES project shows that when training is coupled with coaching and mentoring, learning becomes continuous and experiential and has relevance to practice. Action planning is required to provide post-training support for effective application of new knowledge and skills in the work environment. Most of the knowledge and skills gained from training programs cannot be effectively retained and applied without repetition and practice so trainees are provided with coaching and mentoring support as well as performance feedback on a regular basis. Coaching and mentoring involve not only technical support but also organizational and management issues.

Written by Mamusha Lemma (PhD), LIVES. 

Livestock market in Bahir Dar during a holiday season (photo credit:ILRI\Zeleke Mekuriaw).

Ethiopia has one of largest livestock populations in Africa and the Amhara region has the second largest population of livestock in the country. Livestock, especially cattle, in Amhara region are kept not only for their meat and milk but also to supply draught power and as assets. Mostly, these animals are fed through traditional free grazing practices, which are now threatened by takeover of communal grazing lands by food crops farming and attempts to conserve soil and water in many degraded rangelands. Increasing human population and urbanization are also putting pressure on land forcing many smallholders to abandon traditional grazing. In many areas of Amhara region, cut-and-carry feeding systems now dominate.

Year-round short supply of feed is a significant challenge for livestock keepers in the region and even though controlled (cut-and–carry/zero grazing) feeding has various biological and economic benefits over free grazing, its need for additional labour for mowing and transporting forage and for fetching water from distant rivers is a key problem, particularly for smallholder farmers. Indoors feeding of animals also suffers when, in dry seasons, there is shortage of harvestable forage for stall feeding, which forces farmers to rely on crop residues, which may not be of optimum quality, to meet livestock feed needs.

These challenges are forcing many farmers in Amhara region to cull their cattle and small ruminants, which in some cases is threatening the quality of breeding stock. For instance, large numbers of heifers and ewe lambs are sold, during holiday seasons, in Bahir Dar and Adet livestock markets as holidays are good times of the year for better pricing of their animals. The quality of meat from younger animals is superior to older ones, however,  from a production point of view farmers are losing young animals that could be used for future breeding purposes. Selling heifers and ewe lambs may have negative consequences on the future livestock populations in the region and could also endanger the livelihoods of smallholders by reducing the amount of income they get from feedlots and abattoirs.

To ensure sustainable livestock production in Amhara region, there is a need to maintain stable livestock numbers and increase their meat and milk production. To achieve higher production and productivity, genetic improvement and forage development are pre-requisites. Thus, there is a need to supply improved genotype of livestock to smallholder farmers. An affordable way of improving the genotype of cattle is by cross-breeding already existing local cows/heifers in farmers’ hands with exotic sires.

The Livestock and Irrigation Value chains for Ethiopian Smallholders (LIVES) project team in Amhara region has started demonstrating and introducing improved fodder to smallholder farmers. The project is also setting up training programs on feed conservation, genetic improvement and culling strategies of dairy cattle for farmers, development agents and agricultural experts. In the future, LIVES and partner organizations hope to focus on developing water sources for livestock, scaling out of feed development and processing technologies and improving efficiency and coverage of artificial insemination services. Awareness creation forums are being arranged for smallholder farmers to discuss consequences of indiscriminate culling of breeding stock.

Read a related story on Estrus synchronization of dairy cattle takes off in Amhara region

Written by Zeleke Mekuriaw (PhD) with contribution from LIVES team in Amhara.

Participants of the Oromia regional irrigated fruits and vegetables commodity platform establishment meeting (photo credit: ILIRI\LIVES)

Oromia region is endowed with vast natural resources and a huge potential for irrigated agriculture. The region has about 23 billion cubic metres of surface water, 58 billion cubic metres of ground water and 1.7 million hectares of irrigable land. However, only about 30% of the irrigable land is utilised by about 45 % of households mostly using traditional farming practices on a small scale. Despite the region’s proximity to input importers, producers and potential domestic and export markets, residents are not fully benefiting from its resources and the area’s agricultural potential is underdeveloped.

As a result, the yield and quality of irrigated crops is far below potential. In addition, low return on investment due to limited markets access also poses challenges to the development and sustainability of the agricultural sector. Some of these problems result from poor linkage and collaboration among relevant stakeholders and a weak link between research, extension, policy and action/practice which results in inefficient practices along the agriculture value chains.

Therefore, establishment of strong linkage among stakeholders including value chain actors can help tackle some of the major bottlenecks to the development of irrigated crops in the region. One of the strategies of bringing together different actors to address agricultural production challenges and identify opportunities is by establishing a specialized regional innovation platform for different commodities. The platform can be used to link farmers, input suppliers, extension system, research institutes, output traders, processors, development partners and other governmental and non-governmental service providers. It can also serve as space for linking research to action/practice to better and jointly articulate existing problems and lay foundations for participatory diagnosis of problems, participatory action research and identifying possible solutions.

To encourage irrigated crops commodity development in the region, the Livestock and Irrigation Value Chains for Ethiopian Smallholders (LIVES) project and the Oromia Irrigation Development Authority (OIDA) with partners Greenlife Trading PLC, Agricultural Transformation Agency (ATA) and other institutions, held a meeting, on 12 January 2015, to start the process of setting up an irrigated fruits and vegetables innovation platform for the Oromia region.

The initial meeting was conducted at a cost of 103,000 Ethiopian birr (ETB) [USD5000] which was shared among OIDA (ETB68000), LIVES (ETB34000) and Greenlife (ETB1000). Representatives of irrigation development authority from all zones of Oromia participated in the meeting, which was also attended by public service providers, input suppliers, Ethiopian horticultural agency, agricultural unions, farmers and government and non-government organizations.

In total, 44 participants of which two were women, attended the platform establishment meeting including representatives from OIDA, LIVES, Greenlife Trading and Oromia Agricultural Research Institute, who each made presentations on the status, major challenges and opportunities of the irrigated crops development in Oromia. A representative from SNV Netherlands Development Organisation-Ethiopia also shared experiences in managing multi-stakeholder commodity platforms in other countries in Africa.

Following the meeting, participants agreed on the need to establish a regional innovation platform for irrigated fruits and vegetables in order to speed up the development of the sub-sector. To ensure the effectiveness of the platform, a committee of 11 members was elected to lead the process of formalizing the innovation platform. Accordingly, representatives from OIDA and LIVES were elected to serve as chair and secretary to the leadership committee, respectively. In addition, a draft term of reference (ToR) on platform membership with the roles and responsibilities of members as well as that of the leadership committee was discussed, reviewed and ratified. Capacity development for leadership committee, is now planned and will be offered by the LIVES project and the Africa-RISING Program.

Read a related story on LIVES supports creation of new dairy platform in Oromia.

Written by Amenti Chali and Zewdie Adane.

Above-ground plastic biogas digester and storage bag introduced by LIVES (photo credit:ILRI\LIVES).

Mechanization of livestock production is not given sufficient attention in Ethiopia’s livestock development programs. Most of the country’s livestock production is dependent on manual work, both in rural smallholder and peri-urban/urban medium-scale systems. However, in order to move the smallholder livestock value chain forward, introduction of modern livestock technologies and appropriate mechanization is essential.

Mechanization of the livestock sector would include optimizing productivity (for example, ensuring that cows are milked quickly and completely to remove all the milk in the udder, improving labour management to reduce cost of production, relieving women and girls in rural Ethiopia from the burden of farm and household activities and using livestock waste to generate bio-gas energy and reduce environmental pollution (particularly in urban dairies). Livestock waste can be used to generate biogas, which if packaged and stored, could be used for other purposes beyond providing cooking and lighting.

In the dairy value chain, manual daily farm operations like milking, barn cleaning and feeding are heavy burdens for rural women and children. This could also lead to unhygienic livestock products such as unhygienic milk from poor milk handling practices.

Portable milking machine introduced by LIVES (Photo credit:ILRI\Solomon Gizaw)

The Livestock and Irrigation Value chain for Ethiopian Smallholders project (LIVES) has introduced a number of dairy technologies, including single and double bucket portable milking machines, biogas packages (including above-ground plastic digester, biogas pump/compressor, biogas storage bag and biogas electric generators) and cow mats. Use of  portable milking machines, biogas electric generators and cow mats is entirely new in Ethiopia. LIVES is also introducing technologies, such as Hormostos progesterone kits and heat mount detectors, to improve synchronized artificial insemination (AI) services in Ethiopia.

Improved poultry cage with hygienic and automatic feeding and watering facility introduced by LIVES (Photo credit:ILRI\LIVES)

In addition to these dairy technologies, LIVES is introducing technologies to boost poultry production in Ethiopia including improved chicken feeding, watering and housing as an alternative to the widespread scavenging system of chicken production in the country. The project is also improving the poultry value chain by reducing constraints in delivery of inputs and services. For example, LIVES has introduced technologies such as small scale incubators to improve supply of day-old chicks by small hatcheries, which in the past relied on large-scale commercial hatcheries.

LIVES has also introduced technologies to improve Ethiopia’s small ruminant and honey value chains. To address challenges in sheep and goat breeding, which is largely unplanned in conventional breed development strategies, LIVES has introduced a pregnancy detection device known as Preg-Tone, to facilitate planned and hormone-synchronized sheep and goat breeding and production. In the honey value chain, LIVES has demonstrated a honey quality-testing device known as a ‘refractometer’ to improve the quality of honey supplied to the markets.

LIVES zonal coordinator demonstrating feed chopper (Photo:ILRI\ Abule Ebro)

Feed is a major cost in livestock production, particularly the need for formulated rations for poultry and dairy production. At the same time, inappropriate conservation and use contributes to fodder wastage. To alleviate these challenges, LIVES has introduced fodder choppers and grain shredders to improve fodder use and conservation as well as livestock feed ration formulation from locally available resources.

The LIVES overall strategy is to identify, procure, demonstrate and introduce appropriate livestock technologies suitable for small and medium-scale production systems in its intervention regions, namely Oromia, Tigray, Amhara and the Southern Nations, Nationalities and People’s (SNNP). The project works with partners nationally across the four intervention regions. Technical staff and LIVES-sponsored MSc students from regional bureaus of agriculture (BoAs) and research institutes (RARIs) have been trained on the installation and operation of the various livestock technologies, some of which have already been tested and demonstrated to producers, businesses as well as BoA and RARI staff.

The goal to mechanize small- and medium-scale systems also involves linking the various technologies being introduced. For instance, the biogas technology is expected to supply electricity for milking machines in areas not connected to the national electric grid. Furthermore, the capital costs of the technologies need to be justified by the amount of future wages that they will save. Thus it is important that the technologies are introduced through organized groups such as dairy cooperatives. But the best strategy of introducing the technologies is encouraging partnerships between private sector and producers to ensure sustainable business models that integrate with government efforts to create more jobs for the youth and women.

See more pictures of the livestock technologies LIVES has introduced

Written by Solomon Gizaw (PhD)

Teklemariam Simie (right), a farmer in East Shoa zone practicing multifunctional agriculture and agritourism (photo credit:ILRI\Zewdie Adane).

The practice of agritourism and multifunctional agriculture may be less familiar to audiences in developing countries compared to developed ones.  Agritourism and multifunctional agriculture, as alternatives to conventional farming, emerged mainly in recent versions of the European Union’s common agricultural policy (CAP). In the era of rapid urbanization, rural and urban areas have become mutually reliant on each other and the concept of multifunctionality refers to agriculture, that is not only assessed in terms of its contribution to food and fibre production, but also for its wider range of social, environmental and economic benefits. In Dugda District of Oromia Region’s East Shoa Zone, Teklemariam Simie, a 79 year-old farmer is engaging in what may be considered an emerging version of multifunctional agriculture. He integrates livestock rearing with crop production as well as a cafeteria business in his small-scale farm of five hectares in total. Before embarking in the farming business, Teklemariam was a taxi driver in Addis Ababa for 11 years. However, the income he earned did not allow him to provide for the ten family members he was supporting at the time. Therefore he started the farming business in 1973 as an alternative means of livelihood. Teklemariam recounts that his childhood experience and knowledge in rural Bulga, Central Shoa, gave him the confidence to start farming as a business. In the 1980s his farm activity was hampered as a result of the unfavorable socialist policies regarding asset ownership and security. After some time, things became easier and he was able to focus on his farm activities full time. Teklemariam performs much of the farm activities himself although he is supported by his daughter and a handicapped son who lost one of his hands. He grows fruits such as papaya, mango, avocado, lemon, peach, guava, grape and custard apple; and he also grows cotton, silk worm and about 11 types of fodder. In addition, he cultivates basil, green beans, garlic, onion, soya bean and moringa. Cotton was the first crop he planted with the support of the Melkasa Agricultural Research Center. Teklemariam informed us that income from cotton sales was enough to buy two oxen which were then used to expand the farm.

Teklemariam Sime’s hive on a tree (Photo credit:ILRI\ Zewdie Adane)

The farmer grows various fodder seeds such as cowpea, lablab, pigeon pea, alfalfa, sesbania, leucaena, rhodes and elephant grasses, vetch, and bracharia. In 2003, his first year of fodder seed production, he earned about 8,400 Birr (USD 410) from the sale of 110 kg of cowpea. Motivated by this income, he expanded fodder seed multiplication and has invested more than 22,000 Birr in fodder seed production in recent years with the aim of becoming a fodder seed supplier in his village. He says he provides fodder seeds to fellow farmers, some of whom he met at a training on fodder production in Debre Zeit last year (2014). Teklemariam’s farm also serves as a demonstration and field-level practice teaching site for farmers allowing him to share his experiences. In the livestock sub-sector, Teklemariam is involved in poultry, dairy and apiculture production. He buys day-old chicks from Debre Zeit which he rears and sells after three months and has innovatively constructed a traditional incubator out of mud that is heated with wood fire to mimic the electrical incubator. He is currently expanding his poultry business and plans to buy at least 3,000 day-old chicks for commercial broiler production. In terms of apiculture, he plans to increase his 10 hives to 50 by the end of the year. Teklemariam values diversification over specialization in Ethiopia’s weather-dependent and risky farming context. The farm solely depends on manure and natural fertilizer from decomposed parts of trees and crops in the farm but he also conserves and efficiently uses water by among other methods, covering the roots of the trees and the surrounding soil with grasses and other materials to help the soil retain moisture. Teklemariam also started operating a small grocery adjacent to the farm to sell food and drinks to visitors and other customers. He performs all of these activities with only 4 years of formal education. He says that his main teacher was the problems he faced and his commitment to get out of poverty. An interesting aspect of his farm is how all activities are integrated and complement others in terms of inputs and outputs. For example, the apiculture business benefits from access to crops which provide nectar while at the same time, the bees pollinate the crops. On the other hand, the fodder crops provide feed for his dairy cows and manure from the livestock fertilizes crops and is used to produce biogas for cooking and lighting. The farm is not only a source of income for Teklemariam but is also a source of amenity value for his community. Young couples reportedly take shelter in the beautiful green farm for a day or so during weekends particularly during dry seasons when the surrounding vegetation is dry; making the farm one of the few remaining options for shelter from the sun in the area which lies in the East African rift valley. This service, is an opportunity for Teklemariam and can be commercialized as a result of increasing demand from urban dwellers. The farmer supplements his indigenous knowledge on the production and management of his activities with additional knowledge obtained through trainings. He has received trainings and advice from the office of agriculture on improved farming practices such as water harvesting techniques and row planting. He was, recently, the champion of a water harvesting campaign in his peasant association. Teklemariam has also been trained by the Livestock and Irrigation Value Chains for Ethiopian Smallholders (LIVES) project on improved poultry production and marketing which he says has enabled him to better plan his poultry expansion project. Some of the major challenges at the farm are water shortage, lack of someone to take over the farm as Teklemariam is aging and low awareness of opportunities offered by the farm such as its touristic potential. It’s also Teklemariam’s concern that he may not have a capable successor to expand the farm as he envisions it. Time seems to be against him. His daughter who is managing the cafeteria business and his son are the only family members around him. Empowering these two young people to manage their father’s five hectare land through coaching and mentoring is an option. LIVES and its partners could look into ways in which this exemplary farmer could be supported to make the farm more attractive to tourists, marketing and awareness campaigns and value-addition procedures for the farm’s produce such as eco-labeling of products from the farm could increase his income and make it a model of rural agritourism and multifunctional farming. Teklemariam Simie can be reached on his mobile phone at +251 91 957 6853. His farm is about 2.5 kilometres north of Meki town, on the way to Addis Ababa. GPS coordinates: N = 08` 11.668’ E = 038` 51.628’ Written by Zewdie Adane and Abule Ebro. 

Biogas electric generator being tested in Sebeta town, Ormia (photo credit:ILRI\ Solomon Gizaw).

Tadesse Abebe, a farmer with a medium-sized dairy farm in Sebeta, in Ethopia’s Oromia region has installed a biogas plant with a 10 m³ pit digester producing about 4 m³ of biogas per day. Biogas is increasingly becoming a low-cost alternative energy source since only an estimated 12% of the Ethiopian population is connected to the national electricity grid. Ethiopia’s biomass energy resource potential is considerable and includes biogas generated from agro-processing industries and livestock residues. With 77% of the country’s farmers owning cattle, many Ethiopians are eligible for biogas installation.

Accordingly, the current Growth and Transformation Plan (GTP) targets to install 25,000 domestic biogas plants in rural Ethiopia, mainly in Oromia, Amhara, Tigray and the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples’ (SNNP) regions. Besides providing alternative energy, biogas plants also provide crop fertilizer, help manage dairy waste and reduce greenhouse gas emissions as well as the burden, on rural women and children, of travelling long-distances to fetch firewood and the health risks associated with firewood smoke.

Tadesse and other farmers with biogas plants use biogas energy for cooking and lighting. But biogas, like natural gas, can be used in many others ways, including as fuel for engines to generate electricity. The average calorific value of biogas is about 21-23.5 MJ/m³, so 1 m³ of biogas corresponds to 0.5-0.6 liters of diesel fuel or about 6 kWh. A drawback in the use of current biogas technology is the high cost and difficulty in constructing the Sinidu fixed dome digester and storage and transport of excess biogas.

The Livestock and Irrigation Value Chains for Ethiopian Smallholders (LIVES) Project, which works across the dairy value chain – from milk production, input/service provision and milk processing/marketing to dairy waste management– seeks to use dairy waste management interventions to contribute to rural electrification by introducing alternative energy sources such as biogas.

The project has introduced a new biogas package which includes biogas electric generators, biogas pumps/compressors, desulfurizers, dehydrators, biogas storage bags and above-ground plastic digesters. The generator converts biogas to electricity enabling use of modern electric-powered innovations to alleviate the challenges of livestock production, marketing and human development in the rural communities of Ethiopia. Livestock development technologies that could be powered by the biogas generated electricity include small-scale milk machines, small scale milk coolers and, incubators and mobile phone-based advisory services.Rural communities could also access more information through television and other communication technologies powered by electricity from biogas.

Biogas being pumped and compressed into biogas storage bag in Sebeta Oromia (photo credit: ILRI\ Solomon Gizaw).

Tadesse was willing to test the biogas electric generator, biogas pump and biogas storage bag at his plant. During the test, his plant produced biogas with a pressure of about 15.3 kPa, which is sufficient to run a biogas electric generator. The generator produces electricity with 227 volts, which is sufficient to run most household electric appliances. The biogas pump efficiently generated pressure which was actually beyond the measuring capacity of a gauge which measures up to 18 kPa. This pressure level was estimated to be sufficient to fill the plastic biogas storage bag within a few minutes. The bag enables storage and transportation of excess biogas that’s produced. LIVES is carrying out an evaluation of biogas technologies to assess the feasibility of portable plastic digesters and to find sustainable business models for the whole technology package.

The biogas package is suitable for households (individual, medium-scale dairies in peri-urban and urban areas) and communities (dairy cooperatives and groups in small-scale rural dairy farms). The technologies are currently being tested and will be demonstrated and introduced in the four LIVES project regions of Amhara, Oromia, Tigray and SNNP. The biogas technologies will also be introduced to producers and/or businesses which could pack and sell biogas.

Read related story: LIVES introduces new technologies to boost Ethiopia’s smallholder livestock production

Written by Solomon Gizaw (PhD).

Artificial insemination (AI) activity in progress in Jimma zone (photo credit: ILRI\Gemeda Duguma).

In the past 50 years, little success has been registered in dairy cattle genetic improvement through artificial insemination (AI) in Ethiopia. A weak AI delivery system, absence of targeted technological interventions (such as synchronizing hormones, sex fixers, etc.) and weak extension services are some of the major bottlenecks hindering dairy cattle genetic improvement through AI.

In Jimma zone, Oromia region, in addition to the above bottlenecks, there is an assumption that cultural and religious issues influence the expansion of AI, but the Livestock and Irrigation Value chains for Ethiopian Smallholders (LIVES) project team in Jimma had doubts about this. The project team set out to investigate whether cultural and religious issues are really hindering the expansion of AI in the zone. A team of LIVES project staff, livestock development, health and administration officials from Dedo, Kersa and Seka Chekorsa districts and zone administrators designed and implemented a hormone assisted oestrous synchronization and mass artificial insemination (OSMAI) project from October – November 2014 in the three districts.

The OSMAI team carried out several meetings to plan on how, when and where to undertake project activities. Peasant associations (PAs) were selected, awareness creation and mobilization was carried out and cattle handling facilities were constructed or renewed before the start of the OSMAI program. To further support the project’s activities, the Jimma zone livestock development and health agency organized a refresher course for four artificial insemination technicians at the Asela artificial insemination centre. As part of LIVES’ contribution, 800 hormone doses, ear tags, ear tag applicators and permanent markers were provided for the activity.

LIVES initiation of the OSMAI project in the area triggered further action. Impressed by the progress in the targeted districts, the Oromia region and Jimma zone livestock development and health agencies provided additional doses of hormone to Dedo and Seka Chekorsa districts. As a result, about 1,500 selected cows and heifers were inseminated with the support of LIVES staff who were involved in guiding, measuring and recording information during the exercise.

Waste from the AI  activity is burned right away (photo credit: ILRI\Gemeda Duguma).

Despite their tight schedules, the administrative teams of the three districts carried out most of the community mobilization for the project. Moreover, district administrators supported the project team by providing lunch and coffee at the OSMAI sites. Generally, contrary to the previous assumption, there are no religious and cultural factors that hinder dairy genetic improvement through artificial insemination in Jimma. Rather, we observed overwhelming interest from households in getting their animals inseminated. Therefore, it can be concluded that successful dairy cattle genetic improvement requires involvement of local administrations and if community mobilization and awareness creation supports such efforts. Having a well-organized and well-trained team of AI technicians is also key in expanding the reach and success of artificial insemination in Ethiopia.

Read related stories:

Estrus synchronization of dairy cattle takes off in Amhara region

Azage Tegegne of ILRI-LIVES recognized for role in improving Ethiopia’s dairy production

Oestrus synchronization in sheep: A promising intervention

Written by Gemeda Duguma, Temesgen Minamo, Sebsib, Eliyas A/Jabal and Abule Ebro.Ku

Kelifa is one of the farmers from Jimma who joined the training and study tour to learn about improved vegetable production techniques in Holeta and Meki (photo credit: ILRI\Gemeda Duguma.

Tomato is one of the most important irrigated vegetables in Seka Chekorsa District of Jimma zone, Oromia. According to an April 2013 report by the Livestock and Irrigation Value chains for Ethiopian Smallholders (LIVES) project, tomato is the third largest irrigated vegetable in the district, preceded only by potato and cabbage. Land under potato production is about 1375ha while that of cabbage and potato are 2438ha & 5277ha, respectively. Most tomato farming in Seka Chekorsa relies on use of local cultivars and traditional production practices.

Tomato staking is one of the practices that, if improved, could help smallholder farmers in Jimma improve the crop’s production. Staking is the process of supporting tomato plants with a wooden or metallic rods or mesh wire so that they take up less space and the fruits don’t weigh down the plant close to the ground risking damage from dirt, disease and infestation by insects or rot. Staking also makes harvesting easier but it needs to be done systematically to save time and make it resource efficient.

Traditionally, farmers in Seka Chekorsa, stake their tomato plants in two rows leaving a wide space in between rows. The farmers find this approach tedious and laborious particularly during peak seasons. For this reason, some tomato producers do not stake their plants resulting in damage and loss.

Cognizant of this fact, in November 2014, the LIVES project organized a tailor-made study tour and training for farmers in the project intervention districts to the Holeta Agricultural Research Centre and to five farmers involved in high-value vegetable crops farming in Holeta and Meki towns. Farmers from LIVES intervention households and extension staff from two of the project’s intervention zones in Oromia (Jimma and West Shoa) took part in this event. The objective of the training and study tour was to give participants opportunity to learn and experience the processes of improving irrigated vegetable production using improved techniques of tomato, onion and potato production. Nine farmers and seven extension experts from Jimma zone attended this event.

Post-training progress showed that two farmers from Seka Chekorsa District applied knowledge from this training in their irrigation schemes. These farmers, Kalifa A/Sambi (from Ushane Koche peasant association (PA)) and Tadesse Teshome (from Alaga PA), took pictures and recorded videos during the study tour using their smartphones. Upon returning to their districts, they reported to the district Irrigation Development Authority (IDA), which upon learning of the new-found best practice from the farmers, organized a one day district-wide farmers’ conference where the two farmers shared their experiences with 282 other farmers.

Using the smartphone pictures and videos from the training and their newly-gained knowledge as a reference, Kalifa and Tadesse staked their tomato plants that had been planted prior to the training event. Nearby farmers observed their new approach and started using this new method as well. The district administration office and IDA then invited journalists to the two farmers’ fields to document the best practice that was now being used by more farmers.

Tadesse realized that he could use the extra space gained by staking his tomato plants differently to plant cabbages. He also intercropped khat with cabbage, green pepper and tomato for optimal use of his land. This is a new practice in the Jimma area where farmers mostly farm coffee and khat.

Tadesse has been praised by the district administration and the IDA for intercropping of khat with irrigated vegetables. The local authorities are now seeking to promote the best practices of these farmers to wider areas in collaboration with the zonal LIVES office by organizing field days for farmers.

Read related stories:

Improving seedling supply for smallholders to boost Ethiopia’s hybrid tomato production

Tomatoes and onions improving livelihoods in Gamo Gofa Zone

Farmers and development agents getting a practical training on apple tree management and scion selection in Holeta (photo credit: ILRI\LIVES).

The Livestock and Irrigation Value Chains for Ethiopian Smallholders (LIVES) project is testing different training approaches and methods such as couples training, mixed-participant training, coaching and mentoring, direct training and training of trainers (ToT). This blog story shares preliminary observations on potential advantages and disadvantages of a mixed-participant training approach used in LIVES.

Traditionally, specific-participant training offers targeted information to specialists such as development agents and farmers separately on the ground that they have different training needs and levels of knowledge and skills. In such contexts, mixing participants who have different training needs and levels of knowledge and skills is not the best way of providing effective task-oriented training. However, specific-participant training programs limit interaction, cross-learning and joint action among farmers, subject matter specialists and development agents.

To address this limitation, the LIVES project is experimenting with mixed-participant training where farmers, development agents and subject matter specialists come together in a farmer-focused training program. A review of these training events shows that the mixed-participant training has several advantages over the specific-participant training approach. The advantages of mixed-participant training approach include:

• Facilitating experience sharing, learning and problem-solving among participants.
• Subject specialists and development agents help in localizing learning activities, providing feedback and responding to questions raised by farmers during the training.
• Facilitating joint action plans by farmers and development agents, which creates ‘social pressure’ to help farmers apply knowledge and skills and on development agents to provide coaching and mentoring support to farmers.

Training farmers or development agents separately can lead to challenges in effectively transferring learning. If farmers are trained alone, development agents may not have the incentive to support trained farmers to apply knowledge and skills. Likewise, if development agents are trained alone, farmers may not be keen to reach out to development agents to seek new knowledge and skills, as they will not know what the development agents were trained in. Mixed-participant training can address this kind of learning transfer constraint.

After one of these mixed-participant training events in Yilmana Densa District in Amhara region, farmers asked for representation of line departments in future farmer training programs so that the government official could support and follow up with farmers on the application of the learning. Farmers said joining these mixed-participant training programs motivated and gave them confidence to interact with development agents. Additionally, discussions with farmers and development agents in North Gondar and West Gojjam zones of Amhara region showed that practical training and action planning help them in applying new knowledge and skills. Farmers appreciated practical demonstrations and use of audiovisual materials during training sessions. When asked about the knowledge and skills they gained, they were able to recall what they saw and practiced more than what they heard.

Learning by seeing and doing are the most effective methods of applying knowledge and skills from training sessions. Farmers are motivated to use, in their farms, what they observe and practice during training program and study tours to other well-performing farms as it enables them to see and judge the likely results of applying new skills and knowledge.

Lastly, it is important to contextualize and present information within the thinking and practice framework of farmers. Development agents help to contextualize training activities by articulating the problems of farmers, giving practical examples and assisting training facilitators during practical sessions. This is probably why farmers prefer mixed-participant training to specific-participant training.

The LIVES project will continue to document evidence on the advantages and disadvantages of mixed- and specific-participant training approaches in order to characterize conditions where these training approaches are most appropriate.

Written by Mamusha Lemma, capacity development and innovation expert, LIVES.

OARI headqurter inauguration_Abule Ebro explaining about LIVES project to the Oromia regional president and other higher officials (Photo:ILRI\LIVES)

The Oromia Agricultural Research Institute (OARI) inaugurated its new headquarters on 8 February 2015. The building houses a food science laboratory, conference centre, library, training rooms and several offices. High-level government officials including Muktar Kedir, the Oromia regional president, state ministers and directors of federal and regional research institutes attended the event. About 500 guests including researchers, development practitioners, NGOs staff, farmers and extension professionals attended the inauguration ceremony.

The ceremony included an exhibition of agricultural research and development work in Ethiopia and Oromia in particular. Research outputs and agricultural technologies in crop, livestock, natural resources, agricultural mechanization, extension and socio-economics developed by OARI research staff were displayed.

OARI inaguration_Azage Tegegne welcoming the regional president and higher officials to the LIVES booth (Photo:ILRI\LIVES)

The Livestock and Irrigation Value Chains for Ethiopian Smallholders (LIVES) project was represented by regional and HQ staff  including Abule Ebro, Azage Tegegne and Berhanu Gebremedhin at the event. Abule and Azage highlighted on-going LIVES projects at the federal and regional levels to the regional president and other participants who visited the LIVES booth. Major LIVES project activities showcased at this event included capacity development of staff in Oromia’s research and development organizations through MSc study scholarships, short-term training programs, establishment of regional commodity platforms and agricultural knowledge centres, and the introduction of innovative technologies on livestock and irrigated agriculture to increase the productivity of Oromia’s smallholder farmers.

More than 2,500 publications from LIVES, the Improving the Productivity and Market Success of Ethiopian Farmers (IPMS) project and CGIAR were distributed to participants.

Guests were happy to see and discuss the new technologies LIVES is introducing in Ethiopia. The event also provided a chance for LIVES to network with new partners such as investors and the OARI mechanization research team expressed interest in evaluating and demonstration the livestock technologies used in the LIVES project.

Written by Abule Ebro, LIVES regional coordinator in Oromia.