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.

Traditional and modern churn set side by side for trial in Ejere district (Photo credit ILRI\Solomon Gizaw)

One should not make the mistake of thinking that ‘traditional’ is synonymous with backward. While traditional methods of agricultural production and processing may have to be modernized through introduction of more up-to-date technologies, these modern technologies need to be better than traditional ones to be adopted by farmers. A case in point is the use of the traditional butter churn in Ethiopia.

Debritu and Jigi, women dairy farmers in Ejere District, Ethiopia, comparatively evaluated a traditional and modern butter churn with facilitation by the Livestock and Irrigation Value Chains for Ethiopian Smallholders  (LIVES) project along the lines of a similar test, in Sidama zone

In the test, Debritu used the traditional pot butter churner, a technology which has been passed on from her foremothers. Jigi on the other hand was using a modern plastic churn with a stainless agitator and a gear system that multiplies churning force.

Sometimes, the traditional method beats the modern one! Debritu churned out 260 grams of butter in 20 minutes, whereas Jigi took 65 minutes to churn 200 grams of butter. In the second round Jigi adopted part of the traditional technology, i.e. a pre-churning stirring of the sour milk using a stick with a three-pronged end. In this round, Debritu and Jigi finished in 32 and 21 minutes with a butter yield of 400 and 230 grams, respectively.

Debritu and Jigi churning milk using the two types of churners (photo credit:ILRI\Solomon Gizaw).

This story is from an action research activity conducted to evaluate a modern butter churn as an alternative to the traditional pot churner with the objective of easing rural women’s labour.

Findings from this observation show that technologies need to be evaluated for their technical efficiency and socioeconomic feasibility before they are promoted for adoption by agricultural producers. The search for an efficient butter churn (including modifying the modern churn evaluated here) that could be affordable and acceptable by farmers like Debritu and Jigi continues.

Watch video that shows Debritu and Jigi churning their milk!

Written by Solomon Gizaw and Dirk Hoekstra.

One of Bizunesh’s bull calves ready for fattening (photo credit:ILRI\Addisu Abera).

This story is about a couple, Bizunesh Abu (30) and Wendu Gutema (40), living in Mojo town, Oromia who are involved in dairy farming and fattening of bulls calves. Prior to starting the their livestock production business, Bizunesh and Wendu had both suffered illness that caused them to lose motivation for living and improving their livelihoods. But their reality changed two years ago when Bizunesh attended a short-term training on business entrepreneurship.

Organized by Mekedem Ethiopia, a local NGO, the training included giving seed money of ETB 2,000 (USD 100) to the trainees to start a business. Right after the training, Bizunesh was motivated to start a business of fattening bull calves bought from traders and farmers in the Mojo market and sold at the same market at a higher price.

With an additional 740 ETB from her savings, she bought two bull calves which she sold two months later for a total of ETB 6,700 (USD 320). She re-invested the money from the sale of the animals a couple of times until she had enough saving to buy a lactating crossbred dairy cow for ETB 16,000 (USD 780). The cow produced about 10 litres of milk per day, which they sold at a price of 10 ETB/litre to a milk processing plant. They used profit from the milk sales to buy animal feed and bull calves as well as other items for the farm and the household. After they had enough savings from the sale of milk, they started another cycle of fattening calves and saved enough to buy a second crossbred cow with its calf. Now, they get 18 to 19 liters of milk per day from the two cows. All this happened within a period of two and half years.

Bizunesh says she finds livestock rearing fascinating because it has given her new found determination to support herself and her family by her own efforts. She has chosen to be a full-time urban farmer. Her husband, Wendu also enjoys livestock rearing and recently left his job as a security guard to work with Bizunesh in the farm. Bizunesh chose bull calves after observing the increased demand for their meat in Mojo town. ‘But even if the bull calves are not sold on time, they keep growing and fetch even higher prices,’ says Bizunesh.

The couple explain that the price of bull calves decreases between September and January as farmers bring many grass fattened animals to market. Particularly in September, they only buy 2 to 3 bull calves, which they sell in January when prices increase as the supply of fattened animals from rural farmers declines. They also target holidays to sell the fattened animals.

Bull calves are kept by the roadside as Bizunesh and Wundu do not have an alternative space (photo credit: ILRI\Addisu Abera).

The calves are fed agro-industrial by-products (AIBPs) and crop residues, with the former bought from retailers in Mojo town. They also buy straws of barley, wheat, teff and lentil from farmers and occasionally from retailers and Atela (a residue from local brewery) from Tella traders in town to feed their animals. They do not buy feed in bulk due to shortage of storage place and capital. Animal health services such as vaccination and deworming are provided, at a cost, by a nearby veterinary clinic.

Both Bizunesh and Wendu have completed elementary level education. They do not have further training in livestock management. They also lack basic training in record keeping and rely on memory for all the information related to their animals’ condition, their expenditures and revenue.

The couple faces many challenges in running their business. Waste management and unfavorable smell from the manure makes their neighbors unhappy and their calves are crowded in small space especially in rainy season due to lack of land, the high price of input, particularly feed, and difficulty in getting credit are also major problems.

But the couple hopes that the bull calves fattening and the dairy business will eventually help them build a milk processing plant and create job opportunities for fellow Ethiopians.

We got introduced to this couple, who were once bedridden and hopeless but are now successful and visionary, during a feed assessment survey. After an inspiring discussion with the couple, we advised them on different issues of livestock business and pointed out that the Livestock and Irrigation Value Chains for Ethiopian Smallholders (LIVES) project can assist them through training on improved livestock management, proper feeding, record keeping and business plan development. In future, the project plans study tours to their farm so that other farmers can learn from their experience in managing their bull calves fattening and dairy production business.

 Written by Abule Ebro, Adissu Abera, Zewdie Adane and Nigatu Alemayehu.

Farmer training centres (FTCs) have been designed and used to improve agricultural extension services delivery in many developing countries. Ethiopia is promoting the FTC approach with the hope of improving the reach and effectiveness of agricultural extension and the participation of farmers in technology development.

Within the broader strategy of agricultural development-led industrialization (ADLI), it is envisioned that FTCs will contribute to general rural transformation in Ethiopia that would not be limited to agricultural development. Extension services ranging from capacity development on use of improved farming technologies (e.g. improved seed production techniques, improved agronomic practices, integrated pest management, animal husbandry and agroforestry, etc.) and providing market-oriented information and communication and advisory services, to name a few, would be provided through the FTC approach.

Non-functional farmer training centre (Photo credit: ILRI\ Zewdie Adane).

In addition to providing information and improving communication and capacity development activities, the agricultural extension services at the FTCs will help in linking farmers with institutional support services such as input supply, credit, cooperative promotion and development offices and marketing services.

In principle, the FTC strategy document of the Ethiopian government states that FTCs should be staffed with at least three diploma holder extension agents who are trained in crop and animal science and natural resource management. In addition, a mid-level veterinarian and a cooperative promotion officer shall serve two to three FTCs by residing at a central location. The strategy also recommends that each FTC have at least two hectares of land for carrying out demonstrations.

Field-extension service is a strong foundation of FTCs and in many cases, trained extension agents are already in place and close to farmers. So far, thousands of FTCs have been established throughout Ethiopia and tens of thousands of extension agents have been trained to support farmers to improve their practices. This implies that many peasant associations (PAs), districts and regional offices are well staffed with professionals who are trained to address new challenges in agriculture and some studies suggest that pockets of entrepreneurialism and innovations are developing in specific FTCs and districts of the country due to the new approach to extension.

However, although there are a few cases where intended objectives are achieved, the majority of the FTCs are not rendering the required extension services to rural communities. Many FTCs have not been fully equipped, staffed and/or budgeted for as originally planned. There also appears to be significant variation in their operations across the country.

In our field visits, baseline and other surveys as well as day-to-day project activities in several PAs in some zones of the Oromia region, we have observed that FTCs have not, on the most part, been used effectively.

Pile of harvested teff stored in farmer training centre (photo credit: ILRI\Zewdie Adane).

Several constraints are observed within the field-level extension system and require particular attention. These include high staff turnover, lack of basic infrastructure, facilities (such as equipment and demonstration sites) and resources (including staff and financial). Most FTCs do not have basic inputs for carrying out typical extension activities on the demonstration sites (where these exist). In some cases, FTC sites are used as storage for crops and other materials or serve as a source of income for the PA administration instead of as a ‘centre of participatory extension delivery’ as intended.

Moreover, there are complaints about the ability of the development agents to serve farmers due to lack of practical skills and tools to effectively implement the FTC centred extension policy. In addition, the FTCs and public extension in general do not have appropriate mechanisms for accessing modern agricultural knowledge and information.

In general, although FTCs are important resources and provide opportunities to move participatory extension forward, making them more functional and effective remains a challenge, despite the fact that FTCs can reach many farmers at a minimal cost.

The Livestock and Irrigation Value Chains for Ethiopian Smallholders (LIVES) project is using FTCs in some intervention areas to demonstrate new technology for fodder development and irrigated vegetable crops interventions. Based on the experience of the past two years, we are convinced that services provided by FTCs can be more effectively used and enhanced  in collaboration with partners.

LIVES plans to collaborate with agricultural offices such as the bureau of agriculture, the livestock development and health agency and the irrigation development agency, PA administration and other stakeholders to boost the role of FTCs in intervention areas. A comprehensive strategy is, however, needed to revitalize the use of FTCs as centres for effective technology demonstration and spaces for participatory learning.

Written by Zewdie Adane, Gemeda Duguma, Abule Ebro and Amenti Chali.

Fufa with his beehives in Ada Berga District (photo credit: ILRI\Gemeda Duguma).

In February 2015, the Livestock and Irrigation Value Chains for Ethiopian Smallholders (LIVES) project’s implementation committee in Oromia region carried out a field visit in West Shoa zone. The objective of the visit was to gain better insight of the reality on the ground so that feasible activities could be planned for the following project year (2015).

During the visit, the team met Fufa Keneni, a farmer who is involved in dairy production, apiculture and to some extent in sheep fattening. Fufa is one of the LIVES project target farmers and is a resident of Reji town, which is near Muger cement factory in Ada’a Berga District of West Shoa.

Fufa explained the impact of the five-day training that he attended in September 2014 on improving honey production and beehive management. The training was organized by the LIVES project at the Holeta Apiculture Research Centre. According to Fufa, the knowledge he received from the training helped him to minimize absconding of colonies from his beehives. Prior to the training about 20 of his bee colonies abscond each year, but in the past six months only two colonies have absconded from his beehives.

Fufa started a honey production business in 2010 with two modern beehives. Now, four years later, he owns 150 modern hives, five transitional hives and 65 local hives. He said that in the past two years he has made about ETB 90,000-100,000 (USD 4,500-5,000) per year from the sale of honey which means that about 9kg of honey/hive is harvested from Fufa’s modern hives per year. This is very low compared to results of prior studies that indicated that 15-20 kg of honey can be harvested from modern hives (per hive per year).

Based on our observations, some of the factors contributing to the low productivity in Fufa’s farm include shortage of feed, absence of sheds, poor hive management (e.g. some of the hives are covered with plastic) and poor hive inspection. To alleviate these challenges; construction of sheds, arranging of hives on shelves (for efficient use of space), regular inspection of hives as well as planting of different bee forages could be considered.

Fufa’s dairy cows in Ada berga District (photo credit: ILRI\Gemeda Duguma).

In addition to his honey business, Fufa got into the dairy business in 2011 after purchasing two crossbred heifers from Chancho and Addis Ababa. Currently, he has nine crossbred dairy cows of which seven are lactating. They produce about 90 litres of milk per day which is distributed to local consumers with whom Fufa has signed contracts to provide them with milk at a price of ETB 12 per litre. According to Fufa, there is ready market for his milk.

Fufa keeps his animals in a shed with concrete floors and corrugated iron roofing. Hay and other such materials are used for bedding. The major challenges the team observed and that he reported were: poor feed quality, waste management and water shortage. Fufa says waste disposal is the number one challenge. He might get the required skills and knowledge to solve these problems if he takes part in LIVES demonstration and knowledge sharing events that are organized on topics such as treatment of hay and crop residue with urea, preparation of urea molasses block, demonstration of small-scale bio-digester technology, use of cow mats to minimize discomfort of the animals and reduce waste of hay for bedding materials. LIVES also organizes study tours to improved dairy farms to share better knowledge and skills on dairying.

Written by Gemeda Duguma, Zewdie Adane, Amenti Chali and Nigatu Alemayehu.

Written by Solomon Gizaw

A ‘Ram selection committee’ selects breeding rams for the cooperative breeding group in Tigray, Ethiopia. (Photo credit: ILRI\ Solomon Gizaw)

Cooperative breeding groups are village-level community organizations where smallholder sheep and goat keepers cooperate to improve the genetic merits of their flocks through selective breeding. Smallholders may not be in a position to implement effective selective breeding within their individual flocks due to small number of animals and uncontrolled grazing/mating system.

Indeed, cooperation seems to be mandatory for smallholders as some of the village resources are owned and managed communally. These include grazing lands and watering resources, and even breeding rams are used communally under uncontrolled communal grazing/ mating systems such as in the Ethiopian highlands. Thus implementing genetic improvement, grazing land management and disease control programs would be challenging unless all or most of the villagers participate in the program.

Cooperative breeding group goats are identified by ear tags, West Shoa, Ethiopia. (Photo credit: ILRI\Addisu Abera)

The Livestock and Irrigation Value Chains for Ethiopian Smallholders (LIVES) project has initiated cooperative village sheep and goat breeding activities in its four project regions, namely Oromia, Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples’ (SNNP), Tigray and Amhara. Sheep and goat groups have been organized and training has been provided on cooperative breeding and other value chain interventions to villagers and Bureau of Agriculture experts. Also, the villages’ sheep and goat flocks have been identified with individual animal ear tags, and cooperative selection and use of breeding rams and bucks is underway.

The cooperative breeding groups are a key entry point for introducing other value chain interventions and facilitating collective action by smallholders. Cooperation is increasing economies of scale of smallholders to access inputs and services and profitable markets. LIVES staff coach and mentor cooperative breeding groups to function as collective input providers and marketing groups. The cooperative group will also serve to introduce planned lamb/kid production through hormone-synchronized breeding to produce large cohorts of lambs/kids at a time (a LIVES’ intervention). This leads to more lambing/kidding during the best seasons to maximize lamb/kid survival and higher economies of scale to access profitable markets.

Structured sheep/goat selective breeding programs are non-existent in Ethiopia. Cooperative breeding groups could form a basis for designing structured breed-level or regional sheep and goat breeding programs. There has been quite a number of initiatives in setting up village level cooperative breeding groups for sheep and goat in Ethiopia by the national research system and CGIAR centres. Currently, quite a few cooperative breeding villages have been established for Menz, Bonga, Horro, Wollo, Arsi-Bale, Tigray Highland sheep types and Abergelle, Central Highland and Konso goat types/breeds.

Cooperative breeding group sheep receive strategic deworming, W. Shoa, Oromia, Ethiopia.

It is high time that coordination and structuring of individual activities into breed-level regional breeding programs is initiated. Existing collaboration/coordination among institutes needs to be built and expanded upon (e.g. LIVES with Regional Bureaus of Agriculture, the International Center for Agriculture Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) and the International Livestock Research Institute-Biosciences eastern and central Africa (ILRI-BecA) Hub with the national research system).

The way forward could include institutionalization of the individual breeding activities, standardization of breeding scheme designs, technical coordination, central databases, and adopting value chain approaches.

By Beamlak Tesfaye

The Livestock and Irrigation Value Chains for Ethiopian smallholders (LIVES) project has published its third working paper on the sources of technical inefficiency of smallholder dairy farmers in the highlands of Ethiopia.

The dairy sector plays an important role as a source of livelihood in the form of consumption, income and employment for most of Ethiopia’s rural population. According to a survey published by the Central Statistical Agency (CSA) in 2014, the amount of milk produced in the country in 2012-13 was estimated to be 2.8 billion litres. But the annual growth of milk production in the dairy sector has been moderately slow through the years and according to some researchers, is a result of an increase in the number of cows rather than increased productivity.

Increasing production efficiency is key to increasing productivity. This working paper identifies factors associated with the inefficiency in Ethiopia’s dairy production from data collected from more than 1,000 rural farm households in Amhara, Oromia, SNNP and Tigray showing where there is a high level of technical inefficiency in milk production and, consequently, significant room to increase milk production at household level by improving technical efficiency.

The paper calls for the education system to respond to the education needs of farmers whose literacy can be improved through formal and informal methods and use of targeted trainings and other capacity development activities to counter the negative effects of low literacy. It also calls for policy attention to improve infrastructure to enable milk producers gain more access to major markets and institutions.

Download the paper.

LIVES Steering Committee members and LIVES staff members group photo during the 5th PSC meeting at ILRI Campus, Addis Ababa. (photo credit: ILRI\ Aklilu Bogale)

The 5th meeting of the Livestock and Irrigation Value Chains for Ethiopian Smallholders Project (LIVES) Steering Committee was held on 12 June 2015 at the ILRI Campus, Addis Ababa. The meeting was chaired by Dr. Siboniso Moyo, Program Leader for Animal Science for Sustainable Productivity (ASSP) and Director General’s Representative in Ethiopia. Participants of the meeting included representatives from the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development (DFATD) of Canada, the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA), the International Water Management Institute (IWMI), the Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research (EIAR), Regional Agricultural Research Institutes (RARIs) and Regional Bureaus of Agriculture (BoAs).

During the meeting, the annual progress of the project in the areas of value chain development, capacity development, knowledge management, promotion, research and documentations at all levels were presented. In addition, committee members discussed the annual work plan and budget for the upcoming fiscal year April 2015 – March16.

The LIVES Project Manager Dr. Azage Tegegne noted the past year was a year of consolidation and expansion as LIVES moves into its third year of implementation. To this effect, there have been a series of revisions to key strategic directions, approaches and interventions. In particular,the Performance Monitoring Framework (PMF) was revised to make project targets more realistic, achievable and easier to monitor. In the upcoming fiscal year, project activities and interventions will be intensified further; and results and lessons learned will be scaled out beyond project areas. In addition, new beneficiaries will be selected and included to reach project targets.

Dr. Azage Tegegne (LIVES Project Manager) explaining about the new milking technology introduced through LIVES (photo credit: ILRI\Aklilu Bogale)

During the meeting which also consisted of plenary sessions, committee members provided productive thoughts and inputs on the way forward. It was stressed that further efforts need to be put in place to strengthen gender balance in capacity development and knowledge management activities of the project. It has also been noted to further align project strategies and interventions with the work plans of the Woredas.

LIVES ultimate outcome is  increased economic well-being for male and female smallholder producers in the regions of Oromia, Amhara, Tigray and Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Region (SNNPR) through the development of livestock and irrigated value chains .

Collaborative Action Research Proposal Writting Workshop participants at the ILRI Campus, Addis Ababa (photo credit: ILRI\Aklilu Bogale)

The Livestock and Irrigation Value Chains for Ethiopian Smallholders (LIVES) project conducted a Collaborative Action Research Proposal Writing Workshop from 15-17 June 2015 at the ILRI Campus, Addis Ababa.

Dr. Siboniso Moyo, Program Leader for Animal Science for Sustainable Productivity (ASSP) and Director General’s Representative in Ethiopia officially opened the workshop. Thirty-five researchers from the Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research (EIAR) and Regional Agricultural Research Institutes (RARIs) of Amhara, Oromia, SNNP and Tigray regions attended the workshop.

The project’s livestock and irrigation experts presented more than twenty collaborative action research themes, proposed during a consultative meeting with EIAR and RARIs in Adama, Oromia Region. Following the interactive presentations, participants discussed the objective, design and theoretical framework of the respective action research themes.

During the last two days of the workshop, twenty-two proposals were drafted and circulated for further discussion among participants.  The workshop is the basis for the planned multi-locational thematic action research across the four regions with support from LIVES.

Written by Berhanu Gebremedhin

Partial view of meeting between LIVES and agricultural research instituted directors in Bahir Dar (photo credit:ILRI/ Zeleke Mekuriaw).

The Livestock and Irrigation Value Chains for Ethiopian Smallholders (LIVES) team recently met its key partners in Ethiopia to discuss progress in promoting LIVES’ project interventions in the country.

The second joint meeting between LIVES, the Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research (EIAR) and the regional agricultural research institutes (RARIs) of Amhara, Oromia, Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples (SNNP) and Tigray regions, discussed ongoing collaborative action research activities between LIVES and the two partners including efforts in promoting LIVES project activities in the national research system.

The directors general of EIAR and the agricultural research institutes from the four regions participated in the meeting, held 15-16 July 2015, at the Amhara Region Agriculture Research Institute (ARARI) in Bahir Dar.

Birru Yitaferu, the director general of the Amhara Agricultural Research Institute and Azage Tegegne, the LIVES project manager, officially opened the meeting.

The directors of the regional research institutes made brief presentations on the facilities and research activities of their respective research institutes. Yigzaw Desalegn and Zeleke Mekuriaw, from the Amhara region LIVES team, explained the overall regional LIVES research for development (R4D) activities in the region including the market-oriented development interventions that the project is promoting and integrating in existing development interventions in these regions.

Berhanu Gebremedhin, LIVES research coordinator, said the project had completed more than 30 research activities in the country and is already working with the national research system in collaborative action research with the national research system.

He noted that since the first meeting with the director, in April 2015, the project had identified more than 25 research topics and had held a proposal writing workshop, in June 2015, in which more than 30 researchers from the national research system participated. Proposals from the workshop are currently being revised and submitted to LIVES. The meeting also discussed the framework for the collaborative action research between the partners.

Director generals of regional agricultural research institutes and LIVES team  visiting an improved irrigated fodder field  site (photo credit:ILRI/ Zeleke Mekuriaw).

Additionally, participants visited field visits of LIVES market-oriented development interventions, where they experienced, first hand, the impacts of LIVES-led or supported interventions such as bio-gas electric generation, modern poultry housing and ration formulation using grinders for dairy improvement, private fruit seedling supply and improved irrigation of fodder.

The directors of the research institutes commended the results of the LIVES interventions and praised the project’s collaborations with various actors in the agriculture sector, which are improving agricultural value chains in the country.

Written by Gemeda Duguma and Amenti Chali

LIVES’ model farmers, Ijigu Tefera and his wife, removing weeds from grafted avocado seedlings (photo credit: ILRI\Amenti Chali).

The Livestock and Irrigation Value Chains for Ethiopian Smallholders (LIVES) project recently trained farmers in Jimma zone of Oromia region, on grafting and management of improved avocado seedlings.

Ijigu Tefera has grafted and raised more than 1000 improved avocado seedlings. He earned ETB 25,000 (USD 1,250) from the first batch of seedlings he sold.

The training, which was done in collaboration with the Jimma zone and Dedo, Kersa and Seka Chekorsa districts’ irrigation development authorities, targeted nine model farmers, who will then supply these seedlings to smallholder farmers in the region.

Jimma zone is one of the largest avocado producing areas in Oromia. Across Ethopia, more than half a million farmers produce 80,000 tons of avocados every year and many smallholder households in the country depend on avocado farming for their livelihoods.

But most of the avocado trees in the country are low yielding, take long to start fruiting (six-seven years) and grow to more than 20 metres in height making harvesting difficult and increasing post-harvest losses. Shortage of improved avocado seedlings is a major bottleneck to improving avocado production in the country.

Ijigu Tefera, one of the LIVES model farmers in Kersa District in Jimma, took part in the avocado grafting and management training sessions and study tours that also targeted development workers in the region. As part of the exercise, Ijigu and other model farmers were trained and given grafting equipment to graft avocado seedlings that will serve as future high-yielding mother trees for scion production. The improved avocado seedlings not only yield more but also take a shorter time to start bearing fruit (about three years) and are much shorter (five-six metres tall) for easier fruit harvesting.

Following this intervention, Ijigu has grafted and raised more than 1000 improved avocado seedlings. He earned ETB 25,000 (USD 1,250) from the first batch of seedlings (about 500) he sold. He has successfully transplanted 17 grafted seedlings for fruit and scion production and he also own 24 avocado trees grown from seedlings that LIVES provided previously. Currently, Ijigu is collecting avocado seeds to raise root stocks to produce both scion and grafted seedlings and he is also involved in avocado fruit production.

To help scale out the use of these seedlings in the Jimma, LIVES organized a field day for development workers, local administrations and more than 200 farmers from 16 kebeles who visited Ijigu’s farm to learn from his experience.

Meeting between LIVES and agricultural research institute directors in Addis Ababa (photo credit:ILRI/Aklilu Bogale).

The Livestock and Irrigation Value Chains for Ethiopian Smallholders (LIVES) project and Ethiopian agricultural research partners have finalized plans for 50 new collaborative action research projects in the country.

The plans and proposals were agreed at the third joint meeting of the LIVES team, the directors general (DGs) of the Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research (EIAR) and Regional Agricultural Research Institutes (RARIs) from Amhara, Oromia, SNNPR and Tigray in Addis Ababa on 17 Sept 2015.

At the meeting, held at the campus of the International Livestock Research Insitute (ILRI) in Ethiopia’s capital, participants agreed on final plans for the action research projects, which include plans for irrigated crops and livestock initiatives presented by Solomon Gizaw, LIVES’ livestock expert and Amare Hailessilassie, a LIVES irrigation expert, respectively.

LIVES and Ethiopian agricultural research partners have finalized plans for 50 new collaborative action research projects. Some of the research project topics are:

• Evaluating the effects of integrated agronomic practices on smallholders Banana productivity and economic performances
• Biological and economical evaluation of alternative dairy rations formulated from locally available feed ingredients
• Participatory evaluation and demonstration of alternative mastitis prevention and control strategies in urban/pre-urban dairy systems
• Evaluating the effects of capacity development and different organizational models on improving motor pumps supply and maintenance services in Ethiopia

In his opening remarks, Azage Tegegne, the LIVES project manager, said the research projects will generate useful information to enhance value chain development for livestock and irrigated crops. He added that the initiative would also aim to mainstream research findings by graduate students’ researches to benefit both the national research system and the collaborative action research projects.

Berhanu Gebremedhin, the LIVES research coordinator, said plans for the new projects started with a first meeting of the group in April 2015, where more than 25 research topics were identified and later narrowed down during a proposal writing workshop in June 2015. The proposals were then shared with LIVES senior technical staff for final review and prioritization. Berhanu expressed his optimism about the collaboration.

At the meeting, Muluhiwot Getachew, the LIVES project coordinator, presented the draft contract and agreements that will be used to develop financial and reporting guidelines. Official agreements with the respective research partners will be concluded later this month.

The LIVES project has allocated ETB 5 million (USD 2.4 million) to the national research partners for the implementation of the action research projects in Amhara, Oromia, SNNPR and Tigray.

Written by Mamusha Lemma and Beamlak Tesfaye

Agriculture and extension service experts at the West Shoa agricultural knowledge centre (photo credit: ILRI\Addisu Abera).

New policies, actors and relationships are increasingly influencing the ways in which information and knowledge is accessed and used in Ethiopia’s agricultural sector. Agricultural experts and development agents are key front line sources of information and knowledge for smallholder farmers.

But access to up-to-date and relevant information remains a key challenge in serving farmers and other users of agricultural extension services.

Information and communication technology (ICT) can, however, facilitate rapid, efficient and cost effective access to agricultural information and knowledge among agricultural experts, development agents and producers.

This post tells the story of a champion agricultural expert who is using the facilities of an agricultural knowledge centre (AKC) in West Shoa zone to promote a learning and sharing culture in the zone’s agricultural development office.

Sarbessa Urgessa leads one of the most active AKCs established under the Livestock and Irrigation Value Chains for Ethiopian Smallholders (LIVES) project. The West Shoa AKC is located at the zone’s agricultural development office. Sarbessa uses his ICT and interpersonal communication skills to assist the knowledge centre’s users in setting up email accounts, searching for online resources and creating online information folders for basic information management. He also offers advice on basic computer troubleshooting techniques and creates awareness about the purpose and services of the AKC.

The zone’s agricultural development office supports him by informing users about the AKC and encouraging experts to properly utilize the facilities and services. As a result of these efforts, more agricultural experts and other users in West Shoa are now aware of the presence of the AKC and are using the ICT services it provides to expand their knowledge and keep up-to-date with new information on farming practices. ‘We have moved beyond using the social media sites in these centres,’ says Sarbessa.

The West Shoa AKC is now a key service of the zonal agricultural development office, which buys stationery and printing and cleaning materials to ensure smooth running of the centre. Sarbessa has collected more than 40 books to enrich the library services at the AKC, in addition to developing a user friendly data gathering, analysis and reporting system to document and share reports on the use of the AKC services and facilities.

The West Shoa AKC is an example of how ICT facilities can be used to develop experts’ knowledge and skills on agricultural innovations and improve effectiveness of extension services..

Using the knowledge acquired through the knowledge centre, Sarbessa wrote a proposal for the introduction, in West Shoa, of ‘Anchote’ (Coccinia abyssinica) a root crop that is grown in the south and western parts of Ethiopia. The proposal received support from a non-governmental organization, enabling the introduction of Anchote to women farmers in the zone. This initiative is now supported by West Shoa agricultural development office.

His example has inspired colleagues to develop proposals that have led to the introduction of biogas and vermicomposting in the zone. At a recent focus group discussion with AKC users, a female expert said, ‘the AKC has brought access to new knowledge and information which is helping them to deliver on new assignments.’

Due to his exemplary actions, Sarbessa has been invited by the LIVES to train others on best practices in knowledge capturing, processing and sharing. He is also organizing  awareness raising session on how the AKC services can be used by other sectors of government in the zone.

The West Shoa zone AKC experience shows the important role champions play in promoting effective and sustainable use of ICT services. The LIVES project will continue developing the skills of AKC managers and monitoring how these facilities are used across the country.

Siboniso Moyo, program leader, ILRI Animal Science for Sustainable Productivity program and Gebremedhin Woldewahid, LIVES Tigray region coordinator, at the agriculture extension week opening (photo credit: ILRI\Beamlak Tesfaye).

The Livestock and Irrigation Value Chains for Ethiopian Smallholders (LIVES) project is showcasing its value chain development interventions and project outcomes at this week’s (12-16 October 2015) 2nd Africa-wide Agriculture Extension Week in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Themed ‘Reinvigorating extension services for market-led agriculture within the context of the Malabo declaration’, the event is organized by the African Forum for Agricultural Advisory Services (AFAAS) in partnership with the Ethiopia Ministry of Agriculture, the African Union Commission’s Department of Rural Economy and Agriculture, the Sasakawa Africa Fund for Extension Education, Ethiopian Society of Rural Development and Agriculture extension and the Swiss Development Cooperation in Ethiopia.

HE Tefera Derbew, minister of agriculture and HE Wondirad Mandefro, state minister, Ministry of Agriculture opened the exhibition and related side events.

The LIVES project and the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) projects on FeedSeed, Africa RISING and N2Africa are exhibiting at the event, which is also attended by CGIAR Centres including the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) and the International Water management Institute (IWMI).

Dirk Hoekstra, LIVES senior project advisor, speaking at the AFAAS workshop (photo credit:ILRI\Beamlak Tesfaye)

Dirk Hoekstra, senior advisor for the LIVES project, spoke about the importance of facilitating access to market information and market linkages, and promoting collective marketing for agricultural transformation in Ethiopia in a presentation on market oriented extension services in Ethiopia. The work was co-written with Azage Tegegne, LIVES project manager and Berhanu Gebremedhin, LIVES research coordinator.

The event, which brings together more than 300 extension practitioners, policymakers, research and development partners, farmers and commodity associations is exploring ways of reinvigorating agricultural extension and facilitating information and knowledge exchange in agricultural extension across Africa and beyond.

AFAAS is a platform for mutual learning and innovation among agricultural extension and advisory service providers in Africa.

Azage Tegegne, the LIVES project manager, welcoming participants at the LIVES progress report review meeting in Axum (photo credit: ILRI\Aklilu Bogale).

The Livestock and Irrigation Value chains for Ethiopian Smallholders (LIVES) project will, in coming months, organize regional workshops and exhibitions in Amhara, Oromia, Tigray and SNNPR to promote LIVES experiences in value chain development and encourage partners to further scale out these interventions.

This decision follows a meeting of LIVES staff and partners, from the four project implementation regions, that reviewed key project achievements, challenges, and opportunities so far, and their impact on the remainder of the project period.

The meeting reviewed progress from April to September 2015 based on project progress review presentations by LIVES regional coordinators and headquarter staff.

Azage Tegegne, the LIVES project manager, said the project needs to respond to opportunities offered by changes at the federal and regional level  in Ethiopia, to raise the profile of International Livestock Research Institute’s (ILRI) and LIVES contributions to agricultural development in the country.

Some of the major achievements reported at the meeting include increased vegetable production in Jimma zone in Oromia where potato and onion yields have increased to 555 quintals/ha and 267 quintal/ha from 200 quintals/ha and 80 quintals/ha, respectively, following LIVES project interventions.

Other LIVES achievements discussed include introduction and adoption of improved forage crops and new dairy technologies, adoption of young animal fattening practices, improved feeding and housing of livestock and adoption of multi-cycle fattening practices.

LIVES staff members visiting LIVES intervention sites in Laelay Maichew, Tigray region (photo credit: ILRI\Aklilu Bogale).

The meeting was held 19-22 October 2015 in Axum, Tigray. As part of the meeting, LIVES staff visited a number of LIVES value chain development interventions in Laelay Maichew woreda and surrounding areas. They visited Fisum Gebremariam, a model small-scale farmer who is growing fruits with the support of LIVES. Fitsum has established a private nursery and provides smallholders in his area with avocado, mango and orange seedlings. He has also been trained, coached and mentored on grafting and nursery management by the LIVES project.

By Mamusha Lemma and Gemeda Duguma

Ejigu Tefera managing his grafted avocado trees (photo credit: ILRI\Gemeda Duguma).

To promote value chain thinking and practice in Ethiopia, the Livestock and Irrigation Value chains for Ethiopian Smallholders (LIVES) project is using coaching and mentoring combined with training, demonstration and study tours to facilitate knowledge sharing and skills transfer among actors in the livestock and crop value chains.

The project trains and coaches producers (farmers) to transfer skills and knowledge to other producers in project Peasant Associations (PAs) as well as neighboring PAs within the intervention districts through a spontaneous dissemination process. The project and partners also use discussion circles, informal visits and field days to scale out best practices of intervention households.

Ejigu Tefera is a farmer in Omoticho PA of Kersa District, Jimma zone. He has participated in training sessions and study tours organized by LIVES on vegetable production, business development, motor pump repair and maintenance, grafting techniques and management of grafted seedlings.

Access to improved seeds and planting materials is a major constraint for fruit and vegetable producers in the district, but after Ejigu was trained in grafted avocado seedlings production and management, he planted eight demonstration avocado mother trees provided by LIVES. He also actively experiments with integrated nursery management practices in his farmland.

He produced about 750 grafted avocado seedlings and earned ETB 25,000 (USD 1,200) from selling more than 500 seedlings to relatives, the Kersa Office of Agriculture and other producers in his PA and beyond. Ejigu now coaches other farmers who have bought grafted avocado seedlings, and says there is high demand for grafted fruit tree seedlings, particularly for apple mango trees.

LIVES in collaboration with the Irrigation Development Office of Kersa District held a field day at Ejigu’s farm to promote and create demand for improved fruit and vegetable production practices following which the Kersa District Administration promoted his work in the presence of PA administrations in the district.

The district’s natural resources department of the Office of Agriculture later invited him to train producers and development agents in six farmer training centres, on avocado grafted seedling production and management. He later carried out follow up coaching of the participants. According to Ejigu, coaching after training helps farmers better apply their new knowledge and skills. Ejigu is now a key local resource person who trains and coaches producers and Development Agents (DAs) on seeds, seedling production and grafting techniques.

Saying that he has learnt much from the LIVES project, Ejigu adds that ‘agriculture today is not like in our fathers’ time,’.  He encourages farmers to learn new skills and diversify into fruit and vegetable farming. He has a plan to buy a high-power motor pump and to dig a shallow well to expand his irrigated fodder cultivation of desho, napier grass and alfalfa, for his planned dairy business.

Ejigu’s experience shows that innovative producers can benefit from experimenting with new crops and production practices and support extension services by training and coaching other producers to scale out best practices. The implication is that extension workers should expand their role as knowledge brokers by identifying and supporting innovative producers and facilitating farmer-to-farmer dissemination of improved agricultural practices.

Practical training session for producers and development agents on fruit grafting techniques at Melkassa Agricultural Research Centre (photo by ILRI)

Market-oriented development is a relatively new strategy in Ethiopia and a lot of work is needed to help transform the country’s agricultural sector. As part of this process, the capacity development pillar of the Livestock and Irrigation Value Chains for Ethiopian Smallholders (LIVES) project have undertaken to strengthen innovation and the learning capacity of value chain actors and service providers to develop livestock and irrigation agriculture value chains.

Between April 2013 and March 2015, LIVES has trained and coached 17,202 (41% female) producers, 5,729 (78% female) input/service providers, and 717 (67% female) processing and marketing businesses.

The ILRI capacity development brief 7, Capacity development in the LIVES Ethiopia project, examines three aspects of this issue in Ethiopia: training and coaching value chain actors and service providers; LIVES capacity development scaling out strategy; and capacity development of public sector staff.

Using participatory processes to assess knowledge and skills gaps of value chain actors and service providers, LIVES staff identify capacity development interventions. Project staff then design and implement these interventions using a range of strategies, including training, coaching and mentoring, and training coupled with coaching and mentoring. The sequence and combination of learning activities depend on specific situations.

Innovation capacity development is crucial for value chain actors and service providers to gain knowledge and insights into the commercial system in which they engage. It also develops skills to analyse challenges and opportunities, and create market linkages. Between April 2013 and March 2015, LIVES has trained and coached 17,202 (41% female) producers, 5,729 (78% female) input/service providers, and 717 (67% female) processing and marketing businesses.

However, coaching and mentoring cannot be provided to all producers as not all of them adopt a market-orientated approach to production. Therefore, LIVES identified a few market-oriented input and output producers who had the skills, an entrepreneurial mind-set and resources, and showcased them as demonstration households. The project forms extension circles of trained and coached producers designed to facilitate the spontaneous dissemination and scaling out of knowledge and skills within and beyond project districts. In addition, LIVES develops learning materials to support self-learning of market-oriented producers and service providers.

Strengthening research and development partners through graduate training and research is a significant capacity development intervention of the LIVES project. Institutionalization of a value chain development approach within the public sector requires a critical mass of trained individuals who will champion implementation and scaling out. To date LIVES has supported value chain-based graduate training and research of about 200 public sector staff.

Consequently, intervention households have adopted a number of improved livestock and irrigation value chain practices, which has had a strong demonstration effect on other producers. A number of input/service providers—such as grafted seedling producers—have started to provide inputs/services to intervention and domain households. Study tours and training events have enabled public extension services to scale out value chain development interventions within and beyond the project intervention peasant associations and districts.

For more information, see ILRI capacity development brief 7, Capacity development in the LIVES Ethiopia project

By Mamusha Lemma and Gemeda Duguma

Yohannes Eshetu, an irrigation expert, at the Irrigation Development Office of the Seka Cherkosa district ( Photo Credit: ILRI\ Gemeda Duguma)

Recurrent water pump damage and malfunction is a major challenge to smallholder farmers in Seka Cherkosa District, Jimma Zone. According to Yohannes Eshetu, an irrigation expert at the Irrigation Development Office of the district, lack of adequate knowledge and skills on water pump operation and maintenance, and absence of reliable repair and maintenance service are hindering irrigation development in the area.

The Livestock and Irrigation Value chains for Ethiopian Smallholders (LIVES) project is helping to address problems of lack of skills in pump use and maintenance by training, coaching and mentoring agricultural experts in Seka Cherkosa, who, in turn, train farmers at the local level.

Yohannes  is one of the beneficiaries of the training by LIVES.  A graduate in small-scale irrigation and drainage management from the Technical Education and Vocational Training (TEVT) Institute in Weliso, Yohannes has been trained in water pump maintenance and repair by the project. A training which he says was ‘practical’ and has enabled him to apply the knowledge he gained.

He is now an active user of the LIVES-supported agricultural knowledge centre that was established in the district. He uses internet services and other reference materials at the centre to improve his capacity and to gain additional knowledge to help farmers address their water pump problems. Currently, Yohannes is a lead trainer in the  LIVES Training of Trainers cascade program on irrigation motor pump repair and maintenance.

He says the agricultural knowledge centre has empowered him and given him the desire to know more about agriculture because it offers an opportunity for experts like him to develop computer skills and learn how to use audiovisual equipment and share information via email and social media.

The Seka Cherkosa knowledge centre manager, Jallele Dingata, shares Yohannes’ view saying the centre inspires experts to search for new information, develop computer skills and aspire to pursue higher education by giving them knowledge resources to upgrade themselves. She says the centre has helped her network with other experts in her work as an irrigation trainer.

She encourages more agricultural experts in the district to take advantage of the opportunity for learning and exchange that the knowledge centre offers to build their capacity in delivering extension services.

By Amenti Chali, Berhanu Biazin and Beamlak Tesfaye

Solar pump installation at Malima Bari peasant association of Bora district, East Shoa zone ( Photo Credit: ILRI\ Amenti Chali)

Household-based micro-irrigation systems can encourage smallholder farmers to start  small businesses based on water lifting technologies. In many parts of Africa, smallholder farmers use motor pumps, hand pumps, treadle pumps, rope and washer pumps and pulley systems to irrigate their farms.

In Ethiopia, motor water pumps are used commonly. But they have higher operational costs including for fuel, oil, labour and maintenance.

Solar water lifting pumps are a promising alternative that could lower costs for farmers because they have relatively lower operational costs in addition to contributing fewer carbon emissions and pollution, which makes smallholder farming more resilient to shifting rainfall patterns caused by climate change.

Additionally, pumps powered by solar energy are far more efficient than an equivalent AC powered pump and are cost-effective and reliable for livestock watering, irrigation, and domestic uses. Solar water pumps may be especially useful in small-scale or community-based irrigation as large-scale irrigation requires large volumes of water that require a large solar photovoltaic array.

Although these technologies are available and used across the world, the awareness and skills of Ethiopian smallholder farmers on these technologies is very low.

The Livestock and Irrigation Value chains for Ethiopian Smallholders (LIVES) project in collaboration with the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) has commenced the demonstration of solar water pumps with pilot households in Oromia and the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples’ (SNNP) regions.

Solar pump demonstration at Bekele Girisa peasant association of Dugda District, East Shoa zone ( Photo Credit: ILRI\ Amenti Chali).

Four solar water pumps were purchased by the project from India for USD 6,800 each of which discharges 0.5 litres of water per second from shallow wells with a maximum depth of seven metres. One solar water pump has the capacity to fully irrigate vegetables on 0.2 hectares of land.

In early December 2015, the solar water pumps were installed and demonstrated for selected households in Gamo Gofa and East Shoa Zones of the SNNP and Oromia regions respectively. The households, which were selected based on their access to shallow groundwater, interest in adopting the technology and previous experiences in household-based micro-irrigation, were briefed on the proper operation and minor maintenance services of the solar water pumps.

A business model will be developed by the end of the piloting test to demonstrate to policymakers the benefits of wider use of solar water pumps in the country. In addition, the system of irrigation water distribution and application to crops will be tested by using the drip kits and furrow methods.

By Berhanu Gebremedhin and Dereje Legesse

Trainees working in groups to develop action plans (photo credit:ILRI\Dereje Legesse).

The Livestock and Irrigations Value chain for Ethiopian Smallholders (LIVES) project and partners recently carried out a training of trainers (ToT) on Market-Oriented Extension (MOE) and Value Chain Development for agricultural extension agents in Oromia.

These extension agents, who are required to not only promote productivity and production but also provide marketing services to smallholders and their enterprises, are promoting MOE services that will be critical in commercializing agricultural production in Ethiopia.

Incorporating input and output market-related information, MOE services are an expanded version of the production-oriented extension services that have traditionally focused on technology promotion and productivity enhancement.

The LIVES team and partners trained 48 staff, including five women from Oromia’s zonal, district and regional level agricultural extension offices at a workshop in Ziway on 11-15 January 2016.

A trainee presenting an action plan (photo credit:ILRI\Dereje Legesse).

Facilitated by Berhanu Gebremedhin and Dereje Legesse of LIVES, the five-day event covered an introduction to MOE, basic concepts in agricultural marketing, value chains and the value chain development approach, agricultural market information services, facilitating market linkages and collective marketing.

Participants also worked together to develop and present actions plan on how they will scale out the training throughout the Oromia region.

LIVES organized the workshop in collaboration with the Oromia Agricultural Research Institute (OARI), the Oromia Bureau of Agriculture, the Oromia Livestock Development Agency and the Oromia Irrigation Development Authority.

LIVES and Ethiopia government partners hope these training will support on-going policy and practice change efforts that emphasize market-oriented extension (MOE) for the commercialization of smallholder agricultural production which will generate better incomes for the country’s small-scale farmers.

A similar workshop was organized in Tigray in collaboration with the Tigray Bureau of Agriculture & Rural Development. Workshops in the Southern Nations Nationalities and Peoples’ (SNNP) and Amhara regions are scheduled for February and March 2016, respectively.