In Bahir Dar, Ethiopia, the Association for Strengthening Agricultural Research in Eastern and Central Africa (ASARECA) and the International Centre for Advanced Mediterranean Agronomic Studies-Institute of Bari (CIHEAM Bari) collaborated with Ethiopian partners, the Water and Land Resources Centre (WLRC), for a follow-up training and scenarios identification workshop on April 19-20, 2024. This workshop targeted farming communities in the Koga catchment area of Bahir Dar, aiming to share knowledge among farmers and the technical teams supporting project implementation. Held at Unison Hotel, Bahir Dar, the workshop drew 41 participants, primarily from Koga, the project site. The trainers led discussions on the progress of the three Best Management Practices (BMPs) selected for Ethiopia: agroforestry, crop rotation, and efficient water management through Water Users’ Associations.
Gaetano Ladisa, the Project Manager at CIHEAM Bari, and Alberto Tarantino, the Project Coordinator at AICS Cairo joined online to initiate the follow-up training. They emphasized that the WATDEV project is a unique research initiative that relies on the participatory inputs of local communities to align research and development outcomes with farmers’ needs. Dr. Ladisa highlighted that engaging with farmers allows researchers to understand better and address the farmers' needs, enhancing the project's development goals. Regular engagement with farmers is crucial for integrating acquired knowledge with traditional practices and conducting participatory feasibility and sustainability analyses of BMPs. The workshop provided a platform for stakeholders to discuss issues related to agroforestry, intercropping, water use efficiency through Water Users Associations, and the benefits of combining BMPs.
Tena Alamirew, Deputy Director General of the WLRC at Addis Ababa University, stated that the follow-up meeting focused on tracking the farmers’ use of selected BMPs and innovations. The interaction between trainers and farmers facilitated the collection of feedback, documentation of community views and challenges, and the adaptation of BMPs to local contexts.
ASARECA’s Head of Programmes, Moses Odeke, noted that the WATDEV project employs regular consultations, sensitization, and training of farmers to maximize the adoption of BMPs, leading to sustainable soil and water management, increased productivity, and improved livelihoods in the Koga Catchment area. Integrated soil fertility management, incorporating germplasm choice, improved crop varieties, and the combined use of inorganic and organic fertilizers, is essential for long-term soil health. This practice, along with agroforestry, provides a key strategy for climate-smart agriculture, offering benefits such as improved soil fertility, diversified products, better nutrition, and enhanced women's engagement. During the workshop, farmers expressed their appreciation for agroforestry, citing its benefits and challenges while sharing their experiences and knowledge, which provided valuable insights for the technical teams. The farmers also identified challenges such as limited land, high seedling costs, and inadequate water supply, and proposed practical solutions to mitigate these issues.
On the second day of the workshop, the results of a participatory prioritization exercise conducted in 2023 were presented to the farmers. With this exercise, the farming community had identified the priority objectives of implementation associated with the BMPs, such as job creation, understandable legislation, improved partnerships, increased crop production and income, and environmental concerns such as groundwater access and soil erosion control. During the second day of this training, farmers also engaged in a group session on participatory selection of future scenarios, revealing key problems and proposing solutions. They were grouped based on their farmland locations within the Koga Irrigation Scheme. Each group discussed specific issues and outlined scenarios for implementing BMPs. On the other hand, they identified indicators to monitor the achievement of the BMPs' objectives of implementation. This practical modeling exercise is a critical component of the WATDEV project.
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