Month: November, 2013
Location: Oromia region
Zonal staff: / 1. Nigatu Alemayehu
2. Gemeda Dhuguma
3. Adisu Abera
Partners: / Oromia Region
OBA (Ato Terefe, Ato Shalama, Ato Hamissa Burka)
OLDHA (Dr. Dereje Gudeta, Dr. Sahlu Mulu,, Ato Negasa, Abera, Mekonnen)
Oromia-AGP (Ato Melkamu Mosisa)
OARI (Ato Aliye, Dr. Assefa, Dr. Tilahun, and Dr. Tesfaye); Oromia Irrigation Development Authority (Ato Tegegne, Ato Samuel Hussein)
Sululta (Ato Mulualem, Ato Habtamu, Ato Abera, Ato Hailegiorgis, Ato Seyoum, Ato Nigatu and others)
Sululta office of education (Ato Fekadu)
Sululta primary school (Ato Abera Adise, Ato Demlash, Ato Lemma,); Abdi Boru school (Ato Dereje)
Beez Academy ( W/ro Meseret, Ato Tilahun)
Oromia RPIC members (11 members and all males)
East Shewa
Noel Holder
Regional Project Implementation Committee
Ato Dawit (Lume Focal); Ato Abera (East shoa OoA); Ato Getachew (Zonal Focal); Ato Feyessa (Bora Focal); Ato Wolde (Dugda Focal); Melkasa Research center
Jimma zone
Seyoum, Head Jimma zone office of Agriculture and Deputy Jimma zone administrator;Negesu, Head Jimma zone Irrigation authority; Bultuma, Head Jimma zone LDHA; Temesgen, Jimma zone LIVES focal person; Ibsa, Dedo district LDHA staff; Gosa, Dedo district LDHA head; Eliyas, Seka Chekorsa district LIVES focal person; Asfaw, Dedo district LIVES focal person; Wondaferaw, Kersa district LIVES focal person
Faruk, Deputy head, Seka Chekorsa district; Kifle Teshome, Dedo district, Bosase site development worker; Aba Naga, Head Seka Chekorsa district office of agriculture
Lalisa, Livestock expert, Kersa district
Dr. Abule, Oromia Region LIVES coordinator
Tamam A/Macha, S. Chekorsa district Shashemene PA chairman
Solomon, S. Chekorsa, Shashemene PA, Development worker
Negese, Deputy administrator and deputy head of OoA, Kersa district
Takele, Deputy head of OoA, Kersa district
Nazif A/Gojam, Kersa district, Bulbul PA chairman
Wife of Shek Abdulqadir, Kersa district, Toli Qarsu PA, farmer
Shemsu A/Diga, Kersa district, development worker
Haji Zeinu, Kersa district, Awayi Sabu PA, farmer
Daba Tuge & Dawit Emiru, Researchers from Ziway fishery
Fanos Mekonnen, LIVES, HQ
Qamar Yusuf, S. Chekorsa, farmer from Gibe Bosso PA (honey producer)
Tijani A/Fita, , S. Chekorsa, farmer from Sakalla PA (honey producer)
Mohammad Amin, Dedo, farmer from Ganda Bullo PA (honey producer)
Kebede Debele, Lecturer of Jimma University
Tolera Kumsa, Researcher from Holeta Bee Research Center, Oromia Agricultural Research Center
Dawit Asefa, staff of CASCAPE, Jimma University
Mignot Chali, gender focal person, Jimma zone irrigation development authority
Gali A/Rashad, Dedo district, Irrigation development authority head
Mustafa Amano, Kersa district, Irrigation authority head
Alemayehu Seyum, Jimma zone store keeper and KC manager
Mohammad Amin, Kersa district, Girma PA vice chairman
Taju A/Sambi, Kersa district, Girma PA, security head
Delil A/Fita, Kersa district, Girma PA, Girma irrigation scheme committee member
Awol Nasir, Kersa district, Girma PA young farmer
Haifz Nasir, Kersa district, Girma PA young farmer
A/Rashad A/Jobir, Kersa distrct, Girma PA farmer
Oromia Region PIC members
Nine LIVES MSc fellows
West Shewa
Ejere wereda mass AI Team
=5(Male=5/Female=0)
Ejere Field day participants a
bout =20 (Male=15/Female=5)
Adea-Berga office partners =6(Male=/Female=1)
Meta-Robi=7(Male=7/Female=0)
RPIC = 6(Male=6/Female=0)
Ejere district Dairy producer
=1(Male=0/Female=1)
Ejere district Survey participant
= 3(Male=2/Female=1)
Ejere district Mass AI campaign participant farmers
= 84(Male=80/Female=4)
Adea-Berga Survey participant
= 2(Male=1/Female=1)
Ambo producer/ entrepreneur
=1(Male=1/Female=0)
Field day participants about =280 (Male=205/Female=75)
Activities on Capacity Development / Further Actions required (by Regional, Zonal, HQ staff, partners, farmers)
Oromia Region
Facilitating and communicating issues related to students who joined the University
Communicated with OARI heads regarding proposal development training to be undertaken by LIVES HQ for OARI researchers
Attended the MSc presentation of four students on synchronization from the four LIVES regions
West shewa
1.Train Mass AI Team-To Improve AI service provision
To improve the problem of AI service in dairy production, a one day training & discussion was undertaken for Ejere district mass AI campaign team at Ejere district LIVES KC.
The training focused on the previous year drawback (selection of animals for treatment, proper time of insemination, proper understanding of the hormone & its effect on cows or heifers, coordination of the work at the field level, farmers awareness creation about the whole undertakings, issues of post hormone treatment and AI, etc,) and its improvement on this year undertakings. The training utilizes power point presentations, research output documents & Videos very relevant to fruitfulness of the work. The training was given by zonal LIVES coordinator.
Jimma zone
· Four model famers were selected from the LIVES districts (2 from S. Chekorsa and one each from Dedo and Kersa) participated on a two day training organized by CASCAPE in Omo Nada district on “Improved bee keeping managements”
· Facilitated smooth registration of LIVES MSc fellows in Jimma university
Facilitated the signing of ‘sponsorship letter’ for the LIVES MSc fellows registered at Jimma university
East Shewa
Identified trainees for Grafting training
MSc candidates arrived their respective university
. / The district mass AI campaign team should undertake the activities as agreed & to the standard; zonal coordinator coach and give the necessary support (West Shewa).
Close follow up of the farmers (by zone staff) in order that they may exercise what they have acquired from the training (Jimma zone)
Facilitating the TOT training – so that targeted farmers may get action training in time (Jimma zone)
Activities on Knowledge Management / Further Actions required (by Regional, Zonal, HQ staff, partners, farmers)
Region
Communicated the deputy head of OLDHA, gender expert and irrigation people on training of E-readers to be given by Fanos
Attended a 1 hour and half meeting at ESAP office for discussing about PARFE (Pasture and Range Forum Ethiopia) where I am the secretary)
Communicated and facilitated the field trip of the guest of honor of ILRI DG to East and West shewa
Communicated and facilitated the distribution of IPMS materials for Oromia-AGP
Further communication with Afaan Oromo language expert regarding the translation of the LIVES brochure
West Shewa
To improve farmers and other stakeholders’ performance various forms of knowledge sharing and learning events undertaken. Accordingly, the following knowledge sharing and learning events were done:
1. Learning event
The field trip conducted by the Guest of honor of ILRI DG to Ejere district dairy farmer (1-women) and at Ambo-Ato Gadisa’s integrated farming activities. He shared the experience of many parts of the world and particularly of South American small holder dairy production to the visited producers.
2. Farmers field days undertaken
With collaboration of Ejere district Agricultural office & Livestock Agency, district level farmers field days undertaken at Damotu PA. Here the role was to participate organizing the field day events, give the explanation about the forage production, grazing areas management & hay making technology; dairy production, apiculture & small ruminant production; highland fruit (Apple production) interventions while visiting & discussing with participant farmers. The number of participants drawn from different PAs & Ejere twon to attained the event was about 300 (male 220 and women 80).
3. The Materials (Soft copy ) provision to districts
To properly undertake their service provision to the farming communities, soft copy of materials (manuals research output documents, videos, training materials, etc) arranged and given to the project district offices. The materials included: Gender, dairy, sheep & goat, Apiculture, and Irrigated Agriculture.
East Shewa
Woreda knowledge centers were assessed and prepared space for ICT equipment set up.
Follow up of FTC forage demonstration sites
Jimma zone
· Jimma Zone KC:
o We asked Jimma zone telecommunication to learn options they have so that we may choose from/among an option that opt for
o We chose a 512 kb capacity and wrote application letter signed by the district LDHA and presented to Jimma zone telecommunication
o The telecommunication office provided us a format to be filled and we filled the format and gave it back to them
· Seka Chekorsa:
Fanos suggested that the room assigned for KC is narrow and the district office of agriculture deputy head showed us other room which was initially built for meeting hall. He also promised to finish everything within a month time / Jimma zone
Close follow up (zone LDHA & zone LIVES staff) and finalize the installation
Close follow up & push S. Chekorsa office of agriculture to finalize the room
HQ shall make clear how to do the monthly payments and how to have an IT person (how to settle his/her payment) for monitoring and maintenance of the items
West Shewa
From the Learning events & discussions information obtained should be shared to other farmers, too.
Activities on Promotion / Further Actions required (by Regional, Zonal, HQ staff, partners, farmers)
Oromia Region
Organized report of the WSMD to be submitted to FAO
Organizing final report of WSMD for submission to LIVES HQ
Cleared unsettled issues of the celebration at Sululta including the Video documentation of the event
East Shewa
Noel Holder a consultant from Guyana visited Tedi poultry farm, Ada Dairy co-operative and EMDTI in Debrezeit. LIVEs staff facilitated this visit.
Jimma zone
Visited two FTCs where some of forage materials planted are somehow promising at least to have maintenance seeds / Jimma zone
1. Enclosure needed – Responsible development workers for the FTCs
Close follow up – zone
2.Strengthening of the selected FTCs with training materials – zone & HQ
Pushing zone and districts’ LDHA staff to prepare seedbeds in time – zone staff
Activities on Value Chain Development
Oromia Region
Discussed and planned TOT training to be given for Oromia LIVES partners with the immediate supervisor
Discussed and planned TOT training on business planning with Agri-expert of LIVES HQ
West Shewa
1. Observation of livestock market & actors
To clearly know the types of species, types of animals marketed; the market actors, observation of Olonkomi-livestock market undertaken.
This market is one of the livestock markets where the project district farmers (part of Meta-Robi & most of the Ejere) are marketing their sheep and goats. The marketing date is Tuesday every week.
The majority of buyers’ of sheep and goats of this market come from Addis Ababa. The majority of owners of the sheep & goats are producers, and local traders who brought the animals from different primary markets for profit.
The support service office workers (Olenkomi-town municipal) are there to levy tax and the police officers also there to keep the security of the marketing activities. The taxes levied from owner of animals while they are out of marketing premises are:-Sheep & goat birr 3 per animal; cattle of any type birr 10 per animal. Brokers are there but their role is majorly in the areas of cattle transaction.
On average about 500 cattle, 300 sheep & 200 goats marketed in the single marketing day alone. The owner of the animals brought to market and buyers are dominated by male; women sellers are seen in the areas of small ruminant. On estimate about 97% of the sellers are male while 3% are women.
To get clear pictures of the livestock marketing conditions the project area additional observations of livestock markets needed at Guder (Manday market), Ejere (Wednsday), Ginchi (Thursday), Holeta (Saturday) and Minare (Sunday) species.
2. Improve AI service provision
To improve the Efficiency of AI service and increase the number of cross-bred dairy cattle, Synchronization of Estrus of dairy heifers and cows undertaken in the Ejere district (Damotu PA) using F2 hormone to make more number of cows come to heat same time & improve estrus detection of cows their by undertake mass AI (Number of cows brought= 291; no of cows palpated = 291; direct AI given =4; pregnant cows=53; poor condition cows= 38 and animals having health problem= 5).
The owners/Participant farmers:
1) Male participants 80
2) Women participants 4
Total participants 84
Jimma zone
· Identification of actors undertaken
· Preconditions to undertake platform meetings underway
· Visited Girma Irrigation Scheme and advised farmers to diversify their vegetables and if possible stagger dates of planting
· Informed problems reported by farmers to zone irrigation development authority head, Ato Negesu
East Shewa
Prepared feedlot management manual and distributed to Woreda partners / Further Actions required (by Regional, Zonal, HQ staff, partners, farmers)
Jimma zone
TOT should be given so that they will give action training for HHs
Platform meetings will be undertaken to create linkages among the different VC actors
West Shewa
1.With zonal & wereda key partners’ experts, the project staff (Regional, HQ, zonal) should give continued value chain intervention,
Activities on Documentation/Research
/ Further Actions required (by Regional, Zonal, HQ staff, partners, farmers)
West Shewa zone and East Shewa
House hold survey instrument testing at field level conducted twice.
● The 1st was conducted at Ejere district of Kimoye PA on 1- male farmer; and Ilu-Aga PA on one-male and one-female farmers on November 8 & 9, 2013, respectively. The 2nd also conducted at Adea-Berga district of Maru-Chebot PA on one-male farmer and one-female farmers on November 9, 2013.
Oromia region and the three zones
Recording of activities has been underway / The HQ expert will take further action on the employment process.
Activities on Project Management
/ Further Actions required (by Regional, Zonal, HQ staff)
Oromia region
1. Communicated and undertook Oromia Region LIVES staff meeting at Ambo (Discussion points were: (Common understanding of project activities, assessment of 6 months performance and plan for the remaining months; common work activities like feed resource assessment, gender and HH survey; other issues)
2. Repeated communications with LIVES HQ, Oromia Bureau of Agriculture and the Oromia Irrigation Authority to fix the problem created because of re-structuring of the irrigation department of OAB
3. Communicated, facilitated and undertook the first RPIC meeting at Ambo KC
4. During the RPIC meeting
●Presented overview of the LIVES project and summary of year 1 interventions as there were new members in RPIC who did not know about the Project
●Presented project activities undertaken so far at the regional coordination unit
●Planned project activities for the remaining months of year 1
● Distributed different materials to the members (program, brochure of LIVES in English and Afaan Oromo, brochure of the WSMD, LIVES Updates 2, responsibilities of RPIC)
● Logistics organized for participants and handled
5. Organized the minute of the RPIC meeting and distribute to all members
6. Organized a report of the RPIC meeting by incorporating comments received and distributed the main report with all the presentations to all members and LIVES HQ
7. Discussed with OARI heads regarding office provision for LIVES project in Oromia although not yet settled because of repeated meeting in the region
8. Communicated with different organizations, LIVES HQ and the zonal coordinators on different issues
West Shewa, East shewa and Jimma zones
1. Prepared the 6 month activity report and presented at RPIC meeting
2. Prepared activity plans for the remaining 4 months and presented at the RPIC meeting
All the zones and the regional coordination unit
● Posted in different location for the recruitment of supervisors & enumerators for house hold survey collection. Documents were sent to LIVES HQ for further process.
● Routine project management activities are underway / The need to incorporate all constructive comments during the meeting and work for realization of the plan with the remaining time by joining hands with the key partners, stakeholders & staff from the regional & HQ (LIVES zonal and regional coordinators)
The key message of the meeting is to clearly indicate the achievements obtained against the plan set at the beginning (LIVES zonal and Regional coordinator)
Plans need to have defined time and budget (Zonal and regional coordinator)
It is the suggestion of the RPIC that all plans at all levels of LIVES project better be shown with clear time frame and budget (All LIVES management levels)
The need to distribute all reports to members 15 days before meeting of RPIC (zonal and regional coordinators).
Strengthening linkages among the different stakeholders (zonal coordinator, focal persons, development workers, zone LDHA and Irrigation authority staff) will be worked on (Jimma zone).
Additional information on crosscutting issues – gender & environment: