SAA-Ethiopia held its 2023 Annual Stakeholders Planning Workshop from the 10th – 11th March at Naflet Hotel, Adama, Ethiopia, aimed to share the 2022 achievements, and receive inputs, comments and suggestions on 2023 plan.

The workshop was organized with the theme: Sustainable and Climate Resilient Agri-food System for Improved Food and Nutrition Security, and attended by Officials from the Federal Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) and Authority for Civil Society Organizations (ACSOs) as well as delegates from the Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research (EIAR), the Ethiopian Agricultural Transformation Institute (ATI), Regional Research Centers, Ethiopian Cooperative Commission (ECC), Regional and District agricultural offices, International NGOs, Universities, Development Partners including JICA and GIZ, media institutions, and several others.

Dr. Fentahun Mengistu, the Country Director of SAA Ethiopia, in his welcome remark underlined SAA’s catalytic role in the establishment of the Ethiopian national extension program in the mid-1990s, the impact of SAA over the years, and its current strategy. In his keynote address, Dr. Mel Oluoch, Director of SAA Strategic Partnerships presented a synopses of agriculture in Africa towards food sovereignty.

A keynote message was delivered online by Dr. Kitanaka Makato, SAA President, reiterating the SAA’s learning from the 30 years’ experience in Ethiopia and the importance of its current strategy to promote food, nutrition and income security of farmers. Moreover, he said that farmers had faced challenges in accessing fertilizers due to the rise of prices and extreme climate to which SAA is responding through the promotion regenerative agriculture. Furthermore, he underlined the need for coordinated efforts with partners and stakeholders in 2023 in implementing SAA’s strategy which is in its mid-way of implementation.

Mrs. Yenenesh Egu, Lead Executive Officer for the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Extension at the MoA opened the workshop officially. In her remarks, She applauded SAA’s contribution to her educational and carrier achievements through the SAFE program. Mrs Yenenesh emphsized that SAA’s initiatives are well aligned with the government’s current efforts on green legacy, ‘Yelemat Tirufat’ ,a national initiative focusing on nutritional opulence, and irrigated wheat production. Finally, she encouraged attendees to critically review and provide inputs for the betterment of SAA’s 2023 plan implementation.
 

Mrs. Yenenesh Egu, Lead Executive Officer for the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Extension at the MoA

Four technical papers were presented and discussed at the workshop:

• “Enhancing agro-biodiversity for improved Ecosystem Services and Resilient Agri-food System” by Dr. Fentahun Mengistu,
• “The critical role that Transforming Food Systems must play in climate mitigation, adaptation, and building resilience” by Dr. Stella Kibiri, Lead, Regenerative Agriculture at SAA, and
• “GIZ’s Experience in Integrated Soil Fertility Management (ISFM)” by Mr. Debela Bersisa. 
• “SAA’s progress in digitalization of Agricultural Extension and Advisory Services: The case of Talking Books” by Binyam Tesfaye, Communication Officer, SAA-Ethiopia

In addition, SAA’s 2022 achievements, challenges, and lessons learned as well as  the 2023 Annual Operational Plan were presented and discussed.  Breakout sessions and plenaries helped to capture feedbacks that  enriched the 2023 planned activities.

Finally, Mr. Fassikaw Molla, Deputy Director of Authority for Civil Society Organizations (ACSOs) gave a closing remark followed by a vote of thanks by Dr. Abraham Tadesse, Deputy Director of SAA, and the workshop was officially closed.

Mr. Fassikaw Molla, Deputy Director of Authority for Civil Society Organizations (ACSOs)