Humidtropics Program Situational Analysis Launch Meeting report Ethiopia (Western Oromia) Action Site (not all participants shown) September 9, 2014 Compiled by: Elias Damtew (ILRI) Randall Ritzema (ILRI) Participants 1 Name Benti Tolossa Organization Anno Agro-Industry (Private sector) 2 3 4 Seid Mohammed Bayissa Gedefe Minilik Besega 5 Tamrat Negussie 6 Teshome Terfessa 7 Taha Mume AVRDC (World Vegetable Center) Bako Research Center (OARI) EIAR (Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research) HUNDEE (Oromo Grassroots Development Initiative) HUNDEE (Oromo Grassroots Development Initiative) OARI (Oromia Agricultural Research Institute) 8 Mengistu Desalegn 9 Britta Kowalski 10 Alan Duncan 11 Randall Ritzema 12 Elias Damtew IWMI (International Water Management Institute) CIP-SSA (International Potato Center-Sub Saharan Africa) ILRI (International Livestock Research Institute) ILRI (International Livestock Research Institute) ILRI (International Livestock Research Institute) Position Plant breeder and business owner Human nutritionist Socio-economic researcher Biometrics and GIS researcher Livelihoods expert Site manager for Jeldu area Humidtropics Action Site Facilitator and Director of Socioeconomics and Agricultural Extension Researcher, Social Science Systems Research Scientist Scientist-Innovation systems, Livestock Scientist - Systems Analysis Innovation systems Research Technician Introduction to Workshop Objectives The meeting started with an introduction session where participants introduced the person sitting next to them to the rest of the group. Randall presented the objectives of the launch meeting as: 1. Develop a shared understanding of: The Humidtropics CGIAR research program The Humidtropics East and Central Africa Action Area The Humidtropics Ethiopia Action Site 2. Identify data and human resources available within the group, as well as possible consultants, who will all be involved in undertaking the situational analysis in the Ethiopia Action Site. Likewise, two primary outputs of the meeting were to be: 1. Confirm a work plan for the Ethiopia Action Site 2. Clarify roles and responsibilities for the partners involved. Introduction to Humidtropics program and action areas In introducing the program, Dr. Alan Duncan (ILRI) emphasized that though there is tremendous potential in areas of the humid tropics, most of these areas are still experiencing low productivity. To unlock this potential, the Humidtropics program has adopted an integrated system approach with a strong emphasis on viable partnerships. The program focuses not only on production systems but on policy, and market and institutions. It considers crop, livestock, and natural resource management subsystems as well, and therefore considers the system as a whole. Different innovation system trajectories of natural resource bases and livelihood status that were used as a rationale for the program level hypothesis were presented. Global action areas, and the action sites in east and southern Africa, were introduced. The Humidtropics program in Ethiopia underwent a site selection process in late 2013. The main variables when considering sites were: Rate of poverty Ease of market access Fragility of the ecosystem or risk of degradation Based on different scales of these variables different development domains were mapped and used for ranking and prioritizing potential Humidtropics field sites. A combination of hard and soft criteria were considered for field site selection. The process emphasized that the number of field sites should be manageable and each site should consist of roughly 20,000 households, equivalent to the size of a woreda in the Ethiopian context. A brainstorming meeting was held with stakeholders to select eight sites in reflecting different priority levels. Tier 1 sites selected were Jeldu and Diga. Tier 1 / 2 sites were Dedo and Lemo. Although the program is in the process of identifying entry points, a range of Innovation Platform activities have been undertaken at field level by CIP and IWMI. Major partners in the program are: CGIAR Centers - IITA, ICRAF, ILRI, CIAT, Bioversity, CIP, IWMI Non-CGIAR partners - AVRDC, Wageningen University, icipe, FARA Advanced Research Institutes - CIRAD, CSIRO, SLU National research institutions Development organizations Farmer organizations Discussion Points after Presentations Benti- I now see this is a large program. The situational analysis study should flesh out not only problems but suggest solutions to the identified problems. The most important crops in West Oromia are wheat, teff, and maize: these particularly should be studied in depth. It is good to make use of the large amount of information produced at the Bako Research Center over the last 40 years and another large USAID study conducted previously in the area. Alan- The Situational Analysis has a plan to make use of resources from Bako Research Center. It is a work of systematically compiling existing information and builds on what is already there. We will look for the previous USAID study and we also look into a recent USAID resource- the Atlas of Ethiopia Livelihoods. Taha- How did you select members of this supervisory committee? Randall- The committee membership needed to reflect membership from diverse perspectives who have knowledge of the situation in Western Oromia. The Oromia Agricultural Research Institute (OARI) helped in coming up with lists of stakeholders. Benti- A zonal level representative from Bureau of Agriculture in Nekemte is important. Alan- They are very important and we can include them after the SA. Introduction to Situational Analysis The Situational Analysis study is going to be a three-month activity. It is funded by the Humidtropics program through ILRI and AVRDC (the World Vegetable Center). Objectives of the Situational Analysis are: To characterize broadly all important system aspects that are relevant to the CRP and, through that, generate information to inform all other Program activities to better attain the Intermediate Development Outcomes (IDOs), as well as to inform ongoing field site selection. To develop common understanding among different partners And harness the different knowledge and skills of partners To harness the various partner skills and experiences to develop a common and shared understanding of the issues that need to be addressed and potential solutions, particularly between international and national partners, allowing local and global expertise to play complementary roles. To initiate and facilitate engagement with stakeholders and partners as part of the R4D platform development that is needed for the long-term success and scalability of the Program. Outputs Expected from the Situational Analysis: OARI and the consultants will work collaboratively. An initial draft report produced by OARI will feed into the consultant’s efforts to draft the four ‘descriptive’ sections of the final report. There will be two phases of the Situational Analysis: the first phase will focus mainly rely on available secondary data. In the second phase, the consultants will obtain further secondary data, and will gather primary data, with the support of OARI, through Focus Group Discussions and Key informant Interviews. The supervisory committee will hire the consultants and supervise their work, and identify study gaps through a series of review meetings. The goal of this effort is to have a Situational Analysis final report drafted by the end of 2014. OARI + Consultants Supervisory Committee + Consultants •Development overview •Production systems •Markets and institutions •Natural resources management (NRM) and the environment •Linkages between sectors •Summary of opportunities, constraints, risks and vulnerabilities •Recommendations Feedback on Introduction to Situational Analysis Taha- The schedule is aggressive and we in government offices usually have unpredictable schedules. We are ok with duration of Situational Analysis but timelines for some in-between activities need to be flexible. Alan- We need to finish it by the specified time, December, because this is related to new Humidtropics funding in the coming year. We can be flexible with intermediate goals and meetings as long as it doesn’t affect completion of the SA. Benti- Historic trends of production should also be reflected in the final SA report. Productivity is declining in some commodities and increasing in others. Alan- This is one of the main reasons why Humidtropics tries to integrate all the system components- to see how one system element affects and is related with the others. Bayissa- What area does the Situational Analysis cover; only Jeldu and Diga or the whole Western Oromia action site? Alan- It is intended to cover the whole of Western Oromia. Minilik- If we go for many information sources we may have inconsistencies; it would be good to have a monitoring and evaluation tool to ensure the quality and depth of the data. Seid- It would be good to collect data from any possible source. Grass root CBOs (Community Based Organizations) and cooperatives can be used for production and market data. It would be good to also use woreda and zonal level data sources. Randall- What about data from the national level, for example weather-related data? Minilik- We (EIAR) have ample weather data that can be used for the SA. Data coinciding with the project field sites should be identified. World Café for partner contributions and data sources for SA A World Café exercise was used to identify secondary data sources around the four major topics of the Situational Analysis. The World Café was performed with two groups in two rounds. Topics covered were: Development overview Production systems Market and institutions Natural resource management and Environment Development overview Name of partners Woreda agriculture office; Woreda finance and economic development office; CIMMYT, IFPRI, ICARDA Environmental protection authority; EIAR; Woreda office of agriculture Holleta and Bako Research Centers; Zonal agricultural office; District electric power office; Woreda water and energy office; Woreda water and sanitation office; Rural road authority office Central statistical Agency (CSA) Land administration Office; Woreda Agricultural Office Information Socioeconomic reports Climate reporst, GIS data and geographical reports Socio-economic, production, soil report; Electric and water users/customers report; water quality and access report; road coverage and distribution Demography, population and ethnicity report Land use report Production systems Name of partners Oromia Bureau of Agriculture (Regional, Zonal and Woreda) Public and private seed companies Woreda cooperative office; Oromia Trade and Market development bureau Bako Research Center (OARI) CIMMYT; IFPRI IWMI; ILRI Central statistical Agency (CSA) Finance and economic development office Woreda gender office Information Has data and reports on number of farmers, area of Woreda, input use, pest and disease, management practices, production and productivity in crop and livestock Seed varieties and quantity of seed sold Quantity of fertilize sold; seed sold Information on production systems, crop varieties; livestock and crop productivity Baseline survey (SIMLESA); adoption pathway study; Impact assessment report Rainwater management adoption survey report; Livestock related data Zonal annual production data/report labor use and rural wages data/report; socio-economic data Gender disaggregated data around production systems ICCO (inter church organization for development cooperation) Demographic and socio-economic reports Market and institutions Name of partners Woreda cooperative office; Woreda Trade and Market Development office Woreda Agricultural Office; Cooperative office and unions Oromia Commodity Exchange; Oromia Bureau of Agriculture; Oromia Trade and Market Development Bureau Woreda Women Affairs Office; Cooperative office; rural credit office Woreda Finance and Economic Development Office Woreda Agricultural Office; Woreda Finance and Economic Development Office Information Report on market and market chains and regulations Report on supply of inputs and services Report on dominant commodities and market regulations Report on farmer groups and gender roles Report on existing projects Report on existing constraints and opportunities Natural resource management and Environment Name of partners Zonal and Woreda agricultural offices; Woreda/Zonal Water supply and sanitation office Irrigation authority at zonal and woreda office Soil research lab (OARI and EIAR) Biodiversity Institute (Addis Ababa) Central statistical Agency (CSA); Woreda bureau of agriculture; Woreda land administration office Ministry of agriculture and Environmental protection Authority Information Soil related reports; Water quality and quantity data and reports Irrigated and rainfed land data and reports Soil related data and reports Biodiversity and natural resource status data and reports Annual land use and land use for NRM data and reports NRM Policy documents; Deforestation and trends in forest cover Some additional notes from Britta: CIP has a PCA (Participative Community Analysis) on the AfricaRising sites Lemo and Sinana. Check with Solomon Gebreselassie. There is a base-line study of Irish Aid nutrition project in SNNPR. Wellington Jogo. Not sure if there is data on Lemo. There are data for the BPBL (Better Potato for a Better Life) for Lemo and Sisana. Check with Solomon Gebreselassie. Reflection on the World Café exercise Benti- This exercise should be just the start; I do feel we have left out important stakeholders. The consultants should pursue the details. Taha- I agree; we need to consult existing stakeholders for more information. Benti- We can find raw data from Woreda and Zonal offices, but the international and national research centers can provide processed information and analysis. Alan- USAID has also some sort of recent data compilation, an Atlas of Ethiopian Livelihoods work that could be used for this purpose. Taha- CIMMYT-led SIMLESA program and Adoption Pathway projects can also be used as important sources. Minilik- I can give contact person called Dr. Chilot Yerga, for the SIMLESA and Adoption Pathway projects. The Adoption Pathway project led to SIMLESA, and both projects used the same baseline. Britta- Holetta Research Station may also hold relevant data. One possible approach to take for the report: Focus on the 8 woredas with Western Oromia that came out of site selection process, to paint a ‘picture’ for the region. Teshome- Questioned whether 8 woredas were representative; Alan felt so, because of rigorous site selection process. Alan: This approach would not ‘replace’ regional-based report, but would add to it. Some general comments on data sources and data quality: Governmental organizations should be given higher priority when collecting data. Data from higher levels has typically been processed and written up. Data /information from woreda/zonal levels is typically raw and unprocessed. Can get zonal-level data easily, and is probably the best data Woreda level: data quality will be highly variable Seid M: His experience is that typically, data handling is very poor; there are few quality assurance measures in place. Therefore, have contingency measures in mind. Some further potential sources of data: USAID Map (Alan): http://www.feg-consulting.com/what/services/early_warning/livelihoodintegration-unit-liu/an-atlas-of-ethiopia-livelihoods CSA (Central Statistical Authority)- has data from national down to zonal level NMA? Many impact assessments have been placed online Retired researchers with deep knowledge: o Dr. Tesfaye Kumasa o Dr. Alamayehu Mengistu USAID produced a comprehensive, SA-style report, (“ILDA”?) maybe 20 years ago. They were based out of Bako for the assessment. The Ministry of Agriculture should be involved, from the national level down to the woreda level. A key stakeholder and potential data source is at the Zonal level, the ‘Bureau of Agriculture’. OARI will establish contact for (1) data, and (2) for SC membership. In addition to agriculture, other government offices exist at national, zonal, and woreda levels, e.g. health and water quality institutes. Information from these sources should also be accessed. Consultant Candidate Compilation Name Dr Bezabih Emana Ethiopian economic association Getachew Gebru Ethiopian statistical association Dr. Girma Taye Category Socio-economics Contact info ILRI/Randall Recommender Taha Mume Socio-economics To propose other contacts IWMI Alan Duncan ILRI Alan Duncan Socio-economics Biometrician Minilik Tesega Addis Ababa University 0911 769926 Minilik Tesega There will be an advert sent out to our networks and consultants are expected to send a one page resume. Supervisory committee members can recommend people who have good experience in data analysis and report writing. We are looking for the best science output out of their work so the consultants need to meet those expectations. There will be two consultants for the Biophysical and Socioeconomic components. Supervisory committee members can distribute the advert through their networks. Alan- It is critical to get the right consultants. If we do not at first, it is best to hold back. Supervisory Committee membership: Dr. Asfaw Negassa how has worked with different CG centers and is now working on the national livestock master plan development was recommended to be a member of the supervisory committee. Britta- Suggested Geberemdhin Woldegiorgis, a potato specialist from Holleta research center, to be considered as member of supervisory committee. He has worked on quality declared planting material for potato in Jeldu. Taha- Recommended having someone from the Bureau of Agriculture join the supervisory Committee. Kidus Negussie was recommended for committee membership. Finally, participants showed their interest for continuing being a members of the supervisory committee and next meeting was tentatively schedule in October. Sub-committee members for consultant selection: Alan Duncan Teklu Erkossa Randall Ritzema Other CG representatives? Taha Mume AVRDC