External+events+attended

& : November 30, 2015, Dereje L. ||
 * || [[file:Ethiopia Socioeconomic Survey (ESS) Data Lunching Workshop.docx|Ethiopia Socioeconomic Survey Data Lunching Workshop]]: Feb. 22, 2017_ Dereje L.
 * || [[file:Batu-Ziway Agribusiness Finance Fair March 27-28, 2015.docx|Batu/Ziway Agribusiness Finance Fair]]: March 27 - 28, 2015, Dereje L. ||
 * || Agri-Pro-Focus_Annual Network day_Dec4,2014_Ephrem ||
 * || Field day_ Forage and forage seed produciton_Meki Nov 4 2014_ Amare ||
 * || [[file:Meeting with OCSSCO.docx|Meeting with Oromia Credit & Saving S.C. (OCSSCO)]]: Oct, 2014, Dereje L. ||
 * || [[file:CASCAPE and Agri_hub_ 24102014_Ephrem.docx|CASCAPE and Agri-Hub on Gender _Oct24, Ephrem]] and Impressions of Gender workshop ||
 * || ECCO learning session_ AGP_AMDE value chain good practices_ Oct 22_14- Solomon and Dereje L. ||
 * || KIT( royal tropical institute) on gender and capacity development_ Oct14_14_ Berhanu and Ephrem ||
 * || EU Delegations visit ILRI_LIVES approach and activity presented_oct 8-2014_ Amare ||
 * || [[file:Gender innovative group session_jluy17 2014_Ephrem.docx|Gender innovative working group session_july 17 2014_ Ephrem]] ||
 * || Bishoftu Agribusiness Finance Fair July 15-16, 2014, Pictures from the fair Dereje L. ||
 * || ICRISAT stakeholder meeting_june 18 2014_Abule ||
 * || 25th Honey Value chain national mulitistakholder meeting June 12-13 2014_Abule ||
 * || Building Resiliance for food and nutrition security May14-15, 2014_Fanos ||
 * || Mapthon- Mapping CGIAR projects in Ethiopia_May 13_ Yasin ||
 * || Api-Expo- Ethiopia, May 9 2014, Fanos ||
 * || Agri-hub_Gender working group_April 29, 2014_Ephrem ||
 * || [[file:FeedSeed Project Launching Lunch.docx|FeedSeed Project Launching Lunch]] April 4, 2014 Dereje L. ||
 * || [[file:FSRE Fund Linking & Learning Workshop.docx|FSRE Fund Linking and Learning Workshop]]: April, 2014, Dereje L. ||
 * || Blogging for impact workshop March 18, 2014 ||
 * || Agri-business Finance Fair in Hawassa, March 01 & 02, 2014:Dereje L. ||
 * || N2 Africa project launch_Feb 27.2014_Ephrem ||
 * || **Ethiopian Dairy Genetics Platform Meeting_Feb 19-20-2014_Yoseph M ** ||
 * || Learning from innovation platforms in CGIAR February 26 2014  ||
 * || A Capacity Building Session for Implementation of Agribusiness and VC Dev. for universities in Ethiopia, February 19, 2014 ||
 * || ===Sharing Experiences on video-based ICT for rural development in Ethiopia: The Digital Green approach in Ethiopia, Feb 7 2014=== ||
 * || ===Meeting with M-birr, First mobile money service in Ethiopia, Feb 3, 2014=== ||
 * || **Quarterly meeting of partners of AGP/LMD & GRAD **January 21, 2014, Hawassa ||
 * || ==**Community based sheep breeding in Atsbi **== ||
 * Participant || Yayneshet Tesfay ||
 * Date || October 7-8, 2013 ||
 * Venue || Atsbi and Mekelle (TARI) ||
 * <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">No of participants || <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">10 ||
 * <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">LIVES contribution || <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Technical backstopping, coordination, and supervision ||
 * <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Background || <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Community based animal breeding is pioneered by ICARDA’s researchers and has been successfully demonstrated to smallholder sheep farmers in Southern Ethiopia. The need to test this approach in Atsbi district of Tigray region has long been felt both by ICARDA and the former IMPS project. ||
 * <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Points of interest/follow up || <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Formalizing the collaboration among the partners (ICARDA/ILRI, LIVES/ILRI, TARI and the District Office of Agriculture.

<span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Establishing farmer groups for sharing rams ||
 * **<span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Event ** || ==**<span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Capacity development for livestock researchers **== ||
 * <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Participant || <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Yayneshet Tesfay ||
 * <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Date || <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">September 11 & 13, 2013 ||
 * <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Venue || <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Tigray Agricultural Research Institute, Mekelle Research Center ||
 * <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">No of participants || <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">30-40 ||
 * <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">LIVES contribution || <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Trainer ||
 * <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Background || <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">TARI is playing a lead role in carrying out agricultural research in the regional state of Tigray. Each year, young researchers who are their early career join TARI. TARI management identified on job training on various agricultural research issues. As part of this capacity development needs, the LIVES project in Tigray was requested to contribute to two identified needs: Research methodology and grazing land management. ||
 * <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Points of interest/follow up || <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Further capacity development need identification at TARI’s outreach centers where LIVES is operating

<span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Continued collaboration on selected livestock commodities ||
 * Event || ==<span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Zonal poultry and bee resource improvement conference == ||
 * Participant || Mesfin Tefera ||
 * <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Date || <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">August 1,2013 ||
 * <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Venue || <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">South Wello administration hall ||
 * <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">No of participants || <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">500 : <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 14.44px; line-height: 1.5;">People from 22 districts of South Wello (administrators, agriculture offices, government and private enterprises and civil societies). ||
 * <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">LIVES contribution || <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Indicated additional opportunities in working together as a partner particularly on livestock and irrigation value chain. Then the contribution will be capacity development in selected value chain at zonal level. ||
 * <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Background || Zonal agriculture livestock sector has introduced the existing situation of managements of bee hives for the last decades. Despite the efforts, apiculture is not expanding. The number of bee hive, which is mainly traditional, is small in number in all South Wello districts.

Area under irrigation is expanding and hence use of agro chemicals is increasing. Queen splitting techniques, the skill of development workers in apiculture, lack of improved technologies and use of agrochemical’s, pests and diseases, shortage of bee colonies were among others. <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">To this effect manuals were produced and distributed to participants. Action plan prepared for each districts and major stakeholders identified. || <span style="font-family: Candara,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">A Glimmer of Hope: Gebrehiwot, Bejiga, Brian & Alexy || <span style="display: block; font-family: Candara,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">Dr. Yayneshet and Dr. Gebremedhin redesign & develop a credit proposal in line with ILRI/LIVES Project & Glimmer interest under the title: “**//Integrating credit and capacity development with high value livestock and irrigated crops to improve income of smallholder farmers, Laelay Maitchew district, northern Ethiopia”//**. <span style="display: block; font-family: Candara,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">The proposal is drafted based on the previous ‘A Glimmer of Hope Foundation’ initiated proposal and in close consultation with Glimmer Country Director, Mr. Gebrehiwot Abebe. <span style="display: block; font-family: Candara,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">Comments given from ILRI/LIVES (Dirk & Dereje) to enrich the drafted proposal. At the same time discussion made with Tigray Regional Team. <span style="display: block; font-family: Candara,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">Mr. Gebrehiwot also discussed with the Glimmer team in Texas on the proposal details. <span style="font-family: Candara,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">So, today’s meeting was arranged to discuss on how best we (//ILRI/LIVES & A Glimmer of Hope Foundation//) can cooperate to get the best out of the credit & capacity development proposal and clearly define the partnership (roll & responsibilities). || - <span style="font-family: Candara,sans-serif;">Finalized & funded end of December, 2013. - <span style="font-family: Candara,sans-serif;">The credit program will started in January, 2014. - <span style="font-family: Candara,sans-serif;">Livestock insurance operated by DECSI. <span style="font-family: Candara,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Roof water harvesting for human and livestock water consumption. || <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Contribute some on the discussion. || **//AHE//** is working on a range of themes for agricultural development, and one of the working areas is **//access to finance//** **//in agriculture//**. **//AHE//** organized Four (4) Finance Fairs in the year 2012 & 2013: **USAID/AGP-AMDe** and **Bunna International Bank** partnership also taken as a Success Case. That happened after attending the past Finance Fairs. Mr. Tadesse Chinkil (//Bunna International Bank V/President & Credit Department Manager//) explained the process/how the partnership starts after attending their first Finance Fair in Hawassa. About the Finance Fair:[]
 * <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Points of interest/follow up || //<span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Opportunities, constraints and zone potentials explained by zone SMS and conference facilitators which need to be considered by LIVES for further implementation, partnership and documentation. //
 * //<span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Queen rearing, trainings on apiculture, experience sharings //** ||
 * **<span style="font-family: Candara,sans-serif; font-size: 12.5pt;">Event ** || ==**<span style="font-family: Candara,sans-serif; font-size: 12.5pt;">A Glimmer of Hope – Meeting on the Credit Proposal **== ||
 * <span style="font-family: Candara,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Participant || <span style="display: block; font-family: Candara,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">ILRI/LIVES : Dr. Gebremedhin, Dr. Berhanu, Dirk & Dereje
 * <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 14.44px;">Date || <span style="font-family: Candara,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">October 09, 2013 (04:00 PM – 06:00 PM ) ||
 * <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 14.44px;">Venue || <span style="font-family: Candara,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Hilton Hotel, Addis Ababa ||
 * <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 14.44px;">N __<span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 14.44px;">o __<span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 14.44px;"> of participants || <span style="font-family: Candara,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Eight (8) One Female, 7 male ||
 * <span style="font-family: Candara,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">LIVES contribution || * <span style="font-family: Candara,sans-serif;">Commented on the content of the proposal & shared the IPMS experiences.
 * <span style="font-family: Candara,sans-serif;">Explained the **//LIVES//** project and our Value Chain approach.
 * <span style="font-family: Candara,sans-serif;">Clearly tell **//LIVES//** will not be responsible /hand on the credit rather it’s A Glimmer of Hope Foundation fully responsible & handle.
 * //<span style="font-family: Candara,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">LIVES //**<span style="font-family: Candara,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"> will support & engaged in the proposal development, assessment on the best modality (DECSI Vs Union/Cooperative), assess feasibility of the business, linkage with funding source, capacity development, technical assistance & follow up. ||
 * <span style="font-family: Candara,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Background || <span style="display: block; font-family: Candara,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">A Glimmer of Hope Foundation (Glimmer) have an integrated community based development approach in which they cluster some Tabias/Kebelles and investment in social (WASH) and productive interventions (microfinance) to beneficiaries in those geographical areas.
 * <span style="font-family: Candara,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Points of interest/follow up || **//<span style="font-family: Candara,sans-serif;">The Next Action will be: //**
 * __<span style="font-family: Candara,sans-serif;">Joint assessment on the best modality (DECSI Vs Union/Cooperative) __<span style="font-family: Candara,sans-serif;">: that will include, among others, //capacity of handling the fund, flexibility on loan terms and conditions, finance innovative ideas/interventions, develop new products **(based on the clients need)**, capacity development, follow up & reporting.//
 * __<span style="font-family: Candara,sans-serif;">Join work on feasibility of the business identified (as per the proposal) __<span style="font-family: Candara,sans-serif;">.Here we might involve DECSI OR the Unions as needed.
 * <span style="font-family: Candara,sans-serif;">Work on the proposal as per the comments.
 * <span style="font-family: Candara,sans-serif;">The proposal expected to be:
 * <span style="font-family: Candara,sans-serif;">Try to support the ADWA dairy business or District, Zonal level input/service providers with credit would be outside Glimmer scope.
 * <span style="font-family: Candara,sans-serif;">Propose to have 3 clusters, one in each of the 3 Districts of Central Zone – rather than only one in Laelay Maitchew (if they are prepared to put in 500.000, the money should be sufficient to finance the 3 clusters – assuming that some of the activities proposed can in fact be financed from regular credit). We can than pilot credit and other interventions in each of these 3 village/community clusters. At the same time we can superimpose our Zonal District interventions with these village/community clusters.
 * <span style="font-family: Candara,sans-serif;">Propose potential & new interventions (not yet included in the proposal so far):
 * **<span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 12.5pt;">Event ** || ==**<span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 12.5pt;">Agri-Hub Ethiopia Finance Fair 2014: Partners Meeting **== ||
 * <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Participant || <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Dereje Legesse, ILRI/LIVES ||
 * <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Date || <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">October 1, 2013 (//Half Day//) ||
 * <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Venue || <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Harmony Hotel, Addis Ababa ||
 * <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">N__o__ of participants || <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Around **//20//** participants. They were from //Banks// (Public & Private), //Microfinance Institutions//, and //INGOs//. ||
 * <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">IPMS/LIVES contribution || * Attend & present what I did when I was at Agri-Hub Ethiopia.
 * <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">IPMS/LIVES contribution || * Attend & present what I did when I was at Agri-Hub Ethiopia.
 * <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Background || **//Agri-ProFocus (APF)//** is a network of Dutch companies, Banks, NGOs and Academic Institutions working in agriculture at global level. In Africa it is working in //ELEVEN// countries via ‘Agri-hubs’. **//Agri-Hub Ethiopia (AHE)//** is one.
 * 2012: Jimma & Hawassa.
 * 2013: Bahir Dar & Mekelle.
 * 2014: plan to organize **//__4-5 Finance Fairs__//**.

About APF: []

<span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">About AHE:[] || Follow closely **//when & where//** the next Finance Fair will take place, and participate. **//__<span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Proposed Action __<span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">: LIVES should contribute some and take part in the next Finance Fair. That will give us a good opportunity to link our Agribusinesses with both financial & non-financial service providers, apart from sharing LIVES experience & knowledge. //** || More detail, the idea of the //Agri-business Finance Fair// is to increase the uptake and quality of Agricultural Finance for individual and/or organized Farmer Entrepreneurs, Producer Organizations, Rural SMEs and Agribusinesses. Their concept. . . Banks/MFIs have for long considered farmers, agricultural cooperatives and rural SMEs as being not bankable because they lacked the organization and professionalism. For those that do have a valid business case, it was often impossible to get access to financial services because Banks/MFIs had little or no means of understanding and managing the risk related to agriculture. They tried to address by: 1. **//Connecting both Demand & Supply sides//**, so that both can understand each other’s businesses and know how each one operates. This will trigger business relationship, collaboration & partnership. - Farmers got the opportunity to meet & discuss different stakeholders that offer financial & non-financial products/ services. - Farmers got the right information on the type of products & services offered & conditions on accessing. - Financial & Non-financial service providers also know the needs of the farmers. 2. **//Creating a market place//** where farmers look at the services & products financial service providers (SACCOs, MFIs, Banks, and Insurances), equipment suppliers, other farmer organizations and capacity builders. This also creates a good opportunity to acquire new clients and knowledge in the Agriculture sector. 3. **//Arranging a parallel sessions//** where stakeholders discuss the opportunities and constraints of providing financial services to Farmers, Producer Organizations, Rural SMEs and Agribusinesses. It will enhance a chance for discussions on system constraints with the financers, capacity builders & policy makers as well. <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">As discussed on the event, there is a lot room to make the event more focused to the best of our project areas and selected commodities. || <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">up || CIDA still needs a lot of commitments and better quality work from partners who are beneficiaries of its funding with the commitment of mainstreaming gender in all project activities. For those projects who are working on gender sensitive research and development work, the involvement of female and male in the rural areas has become one of the outstanding issues of interest among partners. Collecting gender disaggregated qualitative and quantitative information and reflecting it on periodically submitted reports is also raised as a point of advice by the CIDA team. Project that mainstream gender in their intervention can present a separate report on gender or they can also prepare a report contains gender intervention results in an integrated manner. || <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">invited to share experiences on Gender and Value chain development intervention. In the present experiences, LIVES, ATA and Legal Unit of the Ministry of agricultural share experiences on topics related to gender and agricultural development. || Nutritive value of cane tops is poor as the study by ILRI (on the table “**Nutritive values of the most commonly used feeds in Ethiopia**”) states that DM is 94.74%, CP 10.13% and ME 1.73% even though the CP is in the higher scale as has been aired by some of the participants. This is because Crude Protein, according to FAO ([]), is in the range of 5-8% on DM basis. During his presentation, he also mentioned that around the already functioning factories, farmers and some youth groups are currently utilizing the tops but the way they are is inefficient. Therefore, what better ways can be demonstrated and scaled so that cane tops are efficiently used and experiences from these practices be scaled up/out to the newly coming up factories? ILRI/LIVES should approach the RED&FS secretariat to be included in the TC of the livestock technical committee. <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">To facilitate livestock integration in the other TCs and TFs we should also explore opportunities with the secretariat to be invited. || Two Agshare staff shared their experience on the work done so far on open education resources (OER) [] work in Africa and their work on supporting university student’s research work. Few things about Agshare are:
 * Points of interest/follow up || There are a number of working groups functioning. // Access to Finance working group // is the one organized this meeting. **//__<span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Proposed Action __<span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">: LIVES Agribusiness Expert continues attending the platform to share LIVES knowledge and learn from others. //**
 * <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">What we learn from them?? || **//production, processing and marketing needed to foster a broad based agricultural growth?”//** I think this is what we are trying to address through LIVES.
 * **<span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Event ** || ==**<span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Gender Equality Mainstreaming Experiences in CIDA Projects **== ||
 * <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Participant || <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Ephrem Tesema ||
 * <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Date || <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">14/6/2013 ||
 * <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Venue || <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Canada Cooperation Office(ECCO) ||
 * <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">No. of participants || <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">8 male and 10 female ||
 * <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">ILRI/LIVES contribution || <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Participation during the discussion and sharing Lives current gender mainstreaming processes ||
 * <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Background || <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">CIDA has prior experience of organizing session on gender mainstreaming for its partners. The objective of this meeting was to share experiences and gain knowledge to achieve better gender mainstreaming results in the future. During the discussion “a presentation on CIDA’s expectations from The Gender Equality advisor and two more presentation from MEDA Ethiopia and Benishangul Gumuz Food Security and Economic Growth Project were presented. Participants discuss various gender mainstreaming related issues on the basis of the presentations and also from experiences each has encountered in their respective projects. To add stimulation to LIVES team in its current gender mainstreaming efforts, “couples (Husband and wife) training” approaches which was pioneered by ILRI/IPMS project is currently at use in weaving and rice value chain projects implemented by MEDA Ethiopia in Amhara and SNNP Regional states respectively. This approach is replicated by Rebika Ameha a former staff of ILRI/IPMS who is presently managing the Gender and M&E section of MEDA Ethiopia's project. ||
 * <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Points of interest/follow
 * **<span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Event ** || ==<span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">AGP's Consultative meeting and experience sharing on Gender == ||
 * <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Participant || <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Ephrem Tesema ||
 * <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Date || <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">30/5/2013 ||
 * <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Venue || <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Debrezeit, <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Lisak Hotel ||
 * <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">No of participants || <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">15 Female and 34 male ||
 * <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">ILRI/LIVES contribution || <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Experience shared on both IPMS and LIVES Gender in Value chain development and research planning, opportunities, challenges and lessons learnt. Sharing of IPMS publications on Gender, crop and livestock value chains and the LIVES brochure. <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5;">LIVES Presentation and involvement took place on the final day of the workshop (30th of May, 2013. ||
 * Background || <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Ministry of agriculture Women’s Affairs Directorate and AGP jointly plan and monitor gender mainstreaming activities within the AGP project activities in selected districts in Amhara Tigrai, Oromia and SNNP Regional States. Periodically they organize a consultative meeting where district AGP coordinators, Regional Gender Experts, Regional Cooperative Office Gender focal persons rendezvous and share experiences and monitor project progress. Partner organizations also are
 * <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Points of interest/follow up || AS key partner to LIVES, Ministry of agriculture, Women Affairs Directorate and AGP could share the lessons learnt not only on Gender in value chain development but also on opportunities and challenges related to AGP project implementation, commodity/value chain development, group formation (Common Interest Group, Innovation Group) and on collaboration with LIVES and other partners on target areas where we make convergence. ||
 * **<span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Event ** || ==**<span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Briefing LIVES to students of Iowa state university **== ||
 * <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Participant || <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Dirk Hoekstra, Fanos Mekonnen ||
 * <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Date || <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">29/05/2013 (morning from 90.00 – 10.00) ||
 * <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Venue || <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Addis Abeba – ILRI campus ||
 * <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">No of participants || <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">18 of which 15 women – 13 students, 2 supervisors from Iowa state university plus LIVES and ILRI- CApDev colleagues. Students were under graduate students in animal scince and agricultural education hoping to pursue their carrer in agri business, veterinary or productionist. ||
 * <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">LIVES contribution || <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Brief the students on the overall activities of the LIVES project, experiences from IPMS on livestock interventions and planned activities for LIVES ||
 * <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Background || <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">A group of 13 students and their supervisor from the Iowa state university was visiting the ILRI campus for experience sharing in the livestock sector. In addition to the LIVES presentation session, they have also visited the gene bank. ||
 * <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Points of interest/follow up || <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Possible internships ||
 * **<span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Event ** || ==**<span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Briefing LIVES to students of Wisconsin-Madison **== ||
 * <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Participant || <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Dirk Hoekstra, Fanos Mekonnen ||
 * <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Date || <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">27/05/2013 (morning from 0.00 – 12.00) ||
 * <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Venue || <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Addis Abeba – ILRI campus ||
 * <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">No of participants || <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">11 of which 9 women – six students, 2 supervisors from Wisconsin- madison university plus EIAR and LIVES colleagues. ||
 * <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">LIVES contribution || <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Organize and carry out briefing of the students on the overall activities of the LIVES project and planned interventions in livestock, ILRI’s animal/human health program (based on Delia’s presentation), and Dr. Kidane Georgis’ -EIAR/ATA presentation on agriculture and climate change in Ethiopia. ||
 * <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Background || <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">A group of eight students and their supervisor from the University of Wisconsin-Madison are visiting Ethiopia for a field course on Biodiversity, Food Traditions and Health in Ethiopia as part of their Global Health Field Course. They were interested to learn about ILRI’s work in Ethiopia and the connection of agricultural practices with human health and also climate change. ||
 * <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Points of interest/follow up || <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Possibility of internship arrangement ||
 * **Event** || ==**Consultative meeting on the use of sugar cane tops as a source of livestock feed**== ||
 * Date || 22/05/2013 ||
 * Venue || <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Ministry of Agriculture ||
 * LIVES participant || Kahsay Berhe ||
 * No. of participants || <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">16 people (all men) from MoA head office, EMDTI, NGOs, Private sector (feed processors) and ILRI ||
 * LIVES contribution || contribute to discussion ||
 * Background || The meeting started with the introduction participants. Following this, an expert from EMDTI made an introduction on feed demand and supply in Ethiopia and potential of sugar cane top as potential for feed in Ethiopia. He highlighted that feed is in short supply by over 19 million tons (DM basis). He also mentioned that the currently functioning sugar factories are producing 125,800 t DM feed in the form of cane tops. However, all the sugar factories (old and new) will be able to generate over 2.1 m t DM feed in total in the future. Therefore, these factories will be able to fill a gap in terms of feed requirement. Even though, quality of this feed is nutritionally poor. He also mentioned that feed costs 60-80% of livestock enterprises.
 * Background || The meeting started with the introduction participants. Following this, an expert from EMDTI made an introduction on feed demand and supply in Ethiopia and potential of sugar cane top as potential for feed in Ethiopia. He highlighted that feed is in short supply by over 19 million tons (DM basis). He also mentioned that the currently functioning sugar factories are producing 125,800 t DM feed in the form of cane tops. However, all the sugar factories (old and new) will be able to generate over 2.1 m t DM feed in total in the future. Therefore, these factories will be able to fill a gap in terms of feed requirement. Even though, quality of this feed is nutritionally poor. He also mentioned that feed costs 60-80% of livestock enterprises.
 * What was not done**: There was no review of experiences on how tops are used in Brazil or India or elsewhere to learn from. These countries have long experiences on developing sugar cane.
 * Who were missing**: There was no body from the research system, Sugar Corporation or the regions where the sugar estates are developed or being developed in the meeting. In the absence of these important bodies participants questioned the relevance of the meeting but decided to continue while calls will be made to these bodies. However, among these, Sugar Corporation has shown willingness, in previous meeting, to collaborate with the cause of this meeting.
 * Way forward**: EMDTI was given the task to develop TOR and also translate the already developed strategy to English and share them both by e-mail within 10 days with the participants. ||
 * Points of interest/ follow up for LIVES || Explore potentials on which LIVES could contribute on this once the EMDTI develops TOR and strategy. ||
 * **<span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Event ** || =**<span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">RED&FS Brainstorming session onIntegration of a New Livestock, Pastoralism Component within the RED&FS Structure **= ||
 * <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Participant || <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Dirk Hoekstra I – LIVES senior advisor ||
 * <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Date || <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">22/05/2013 (morning from 10.00 – 12.00) ||
 * <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Venue || <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Addis Abeba – MoA ||
 * <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">No of participants || <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">29 of which 3 women – mainly donor representatives and MOA program leaders – see list of participants ||
 * <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">LIVES contribution || <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Contribute to the discussion (see below) ||
 * <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Background || <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">For some time the MoA and RED&FS had examined how to incorporate Livestock and pastoralism in the RED&FS structure of technical committees (TC) and taskforces (TF). Now with the emergence of the Livestock State Ministry, the MoA asked for advice on this topic from the RED&FS secretariat. Presently 3 technical committees exist, more or less following the CAADP pillar structure and the MOA structure (Agricultural growth, Sustainable land management and Disaster prevention). The meeting recommended that a 4th committee was to be added on livestock. I pointed out that this was a deviation from the CAADP pillar structure (no problem) and that livestock integration should also take place in the TFs in the other 3 TCs ||
 * <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Points of interest/follow up || As part of LIVES promotional activities, assuming the recommendations will be accepted:
 * Event || =**<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">Intergraph Eastern Africa User Group Meeting 2013 **= ||
 * Participant || <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Yasin Getahun ||
 * Date || <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">2nd May, 2013 ||
 * Venue || <span style="color: #333333; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">Sheraton Hotel, Addis Ababa ||
 * No. of Participants || <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">35 male & 5 female ||
 * IPMS/LIVES contribution || <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Presencee ||
 * <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Background || <span style="color: #333333; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">Intergraph and Oakar Services Ltd. Introduction & experience sharing of the power of Intergraph Geospatial dynamic Portfolio suite (Image analysis & GIS software.) ||
 * <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Points of interest/follow up || <span style="color: #333333; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">It’s mentioned that the software already used by our colleague in Kenya office so, for our consumption it is important to contact them & have a shared license. ||
 * Event || =**<span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Agri-Hub Ethiopia Consultative Meeting on Gender in Value Chains **= ||
 * Participant || Ephrem Tessema ||
 * Date || 09/05/03 ||
 * Venue || <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Addis Ababa, Agri-Hub Ethiopia Office, Meskel Flower Road, Arsho Laboratory Building, 5th Floor ||
 * <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">No of participants || <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">9 Female and 3 male ||
 * <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">ILRI/LIVES contribution || <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Presenting LIVES Gender Mainstreaming Processes in the Livestock and Irrigated Agriculture Value Chain development Presentation ||
 * <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Background || <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">On the annual Network Day on the 13th of December, 2012 the Gender in Agricultural Value Chain was formed. The objective of the Working Group is to facilitate coaching track for partners who need knowledge and experience on integrating gender equity issues in their value chain development programmes. As a follow up to this objective Agri-Hub carried out a survey on capacity building gaps across gender sensitive projects and organ ||
 * <span style="font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">Points of interest/follow up || Agri- Hub Ethiopia Carried out a capacity building survey across gender sensitive organizations and projects in order to prepare a plan to delivery coaching on gender mainstreaming in value chain development and intervention. The draft TOR of the Gender Group will be further reviewed on the basis of the findings of the survey. Annual plan of action will be put in places in the next meeting and a secretary and chairperson will also be elected and resume formal activities of the working group. ||
 * **Event** || =**AgShare discussion - Innovating the delivery of Agricultural Education through Action Research**= ||
 * Participant || Dirk Hoekstra, Fanos Mekonnen ||
 * Date || 15/02/2013 ||
 * Venue || ILRI Addis Campus ||
 * No of participants || 3 Female and5 male ||
 * ILRI/LIVES contribution || Discussion on the experiences of IPMS in participatory action research with MSc students and open access repository to all project documentation ||
 * Background || Agshare is aiming at improving the capacity of universities in bringing out relevant research and development outputs and capacitating university students to focus on and solve context specific gaps and challenges. The approach used is student centered. All outputs of Agshare are made available online for free.
 * Background || Agshare is aiming at improving the capacity of universities in bringing out relevant research and development outputs and capacitating university students to focus on and solve context specific gaps and challenges. The approach used is student centered. All outputs of Agshare are made available online for free.
 * 1) 1. It works with agriculture faculties of universities (Mekelle and Haramaya and Hawassa about to start) to enhance the graduate student experience/process by ‘opening’ up their action research process (beyond theses alone) to include a wider range of products and outputs (for the community) such as case studies, videos,……
 * 2) 2. It is producing a range of ‘open educational resources’ (OER) that contribute to science and learning and are open access
 * 3) 3. It enhances student capacities and their academic experience
 * 4) 4. It makes their research more relevant
 * 5) 5. The AgShare work focuses on commodity value chains ||
 * Points of interest/follow up || // Proposed Action: Partnership with AgShare could be beneficial as it’s complementary with the objectives of LIVES. Including outputs of LIVES and even IPMS in the OER may enrich the contents on the repository. //

// Capacity development could be coordinated and organized together with LIVES to reduce duplication of efforts // ||


 * ~  ||~ =** Agri-Hub Gender in Value Chains Working Group”meeting **= ||||   ||
 * participant || Ephrem Tesema ||
 * Date || 31/01/2013 ||
 * Venue || Addis Ababa, Agri-Hub Ethiopia Office, Meskel Flower Road, Arsho Laboratory Building, 6th Floor. ||
 * No of participants || 7 Female and 6 male ||
 * ILRI/LIVES contribution || Discussion on the possibilities of LIVES contribution on Issues related to Gender in Agricultural Value Chains for network members and institutions. ||
 * Background || On the annual Network Day on the 13th of December, 2012 the Gender in Agricultural Value Chain was formed. The objective of the Working Group is to facilitate coaching track for partners who need knowledge and experience on integrating gender equity issues in their value chain development programmes. ||
 * Points of interest/follow up || As gender integration in agricultural value chains is being a recent area of engagement particularly in the agriculture sector, a number of organizations lack the capacity to successfully integrate gender equity issues in their projects and programmes.

// Proposed Action: LIVES in collaboration with CIDA will be engaged in identifying major areas where gender issues should be addressed. In addition, will contribute on the draft proposal of Agri-Hub Ethiopia particularly on tools, coaching methods, and through sharing resources to the WG members from IPMS as well as LIVES experiences. // ||

=** Livestock feed resources in Ethiopia: Challenges, opportunities and the need to transformation **=
 * Participant || Dr Azage Tegegne, Dr Berhanu Gebremedhin, Fanos Mekonnen, ||
 * Date || 21 12/2012 ||
 * Venue || Addis Ababa – EIAR Hiruy hall ||
 * No of participants || About 70 participants (about 7 female), comprised of participants from MoA, research, NGOs, LIVES, education institutes ||
 * IPMS/LIVES contribution || Dr Azage facilitated a session, others attended the workshop ||
 * Background || Livestock feed resources in Ethiopia: Challenges, opportunities and the need to transformation” organized by the Ethiopian Animal Feed Industry Association (EAFIA) and ACID/VOCA. The workshop highlighted issues of feed resource availability and quality, marketing, quality issues; existing institutional policy support and the need for transforming the feed sector through research results and practical experiences from projects and programs. ||
 * Points of interest/follow up || Gaps on bringing to scale and sustaining use cultivated forage were discussed. Ineffective extension approach, lack of suitable seeds, lack of proper production technology, lack of incentives, shortage of land… were some of the gaps identified


 * //Proposed Action://** //LIVES RDOs in collaboration with partners and stakeholders identify sustainable feed production mechanisms, and improved extension approaches. FEED project of ACID/VOCA has already been functional for three years. Sharing lessons from the experiences of the project would be one learning point.// ||
 * ^  || Lack of awareness on the need to conserve and cultivate forage plants
 * //Proposed Action//**//: LIVES RDOs in collaboration with partner institutions strengthen skill and knowledge of development agents and producing farmers on the need for cultivating forage through the use of area closure/ wasted lands and conserving high quality hay in times of plenty to be used in times of scarcity. Link producers with input suppliers and market.// ||

In the use of ICT for agricultural extension were shared. Different working groups were created to discuss issues of: knowledge needs, content and delivery tools, policy and regulatory environment, and enabling access to use ICT. I joined the group that discussed on ‘content for ICT and delivery tools and means’ where existing opportunities, challenges and way forward were discussed. PPt slides of all presentations are on the server
 * || **Consulative stakeholder workshop on “enhancing agricultural extension and advisory services in Africa south of the sahara through innovative use of ICTs.** ||
 * Participant || Fanos Mekonnen, Dr Berhanu Gebremedhin IPMS/LIVES ||
 * Date || 13-14 12/2012 ||
 * Venue || Addis Abeba – ILRI Campus ||
 * No of participants || About 45 - 7 female, comprised of participants from Eastern and southern Africa working in research, extension, radio, universiteis, government organizations, farmer organizations, and cooperatives ||
 * IPMS/LIVES contribution || Sharing IPMS experiences in use of ICT: radio, video and resource centers in working group discussions. ||
 * Background || “Enhancing Agricultural extension and advisory services in Africa, South of the Sahara through innovative use of ICTs” is a research project of IFPRI. The project will be implemented in southern and Eastern African countries in which Ethiopia will be one. One of the objectives of this three year research project (which is just starting) is to assess the existing ICT capacity and services for agricultural extension services in southern and Eastern Africa. ||
 * Points of interest/follow up || Case studies that assess the experience of different countries (Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia and Malawi)
 * //Proposed action: LIVES KM/communication specialist to follow up on the activities and learn from the experiences of the case studies on content relevant delivery, processes and tools; develop simple ICT use manuals/ flyers in local languages.//** ||
 * ^  || Some of the ICT tools do not involve women smallholders. Mobile phones are in the hands of men, Radio are usually portable and thus in the hands of the men,


 * //Proposed action: LIVES Gender specialist to look a possibilities of making ICT tools women friendly and the sharing of relevant information//** ||
 * ^  || Sustainability and financing are key issues to consider in use of ICT in agricultural value chains. Issues of relevancy
 * //Proposed action: LIVES M&E team to design and follow up a possible monitoring and learning aspect on the use of ICT for impact and its integration into the organizational framework//** ||

<span style="display: block; height: 1px; left: 0px; overflow: hidden; position: absolute; top: 3920px; width: 1px;">Event Report for EEA agricultual transformation workshop_ Kaleb Shiferaw_ Dec 29th