Enhancing livelihoods of poor livestock keepers through increasing use of fodder: Ethiopia Report on Output 1

Mechanisms for strengthening and/or establishing multi-stakeholder alliances that enable scaling up and out of fodder technologies

Fodder Adoption Project (FAP) (IFAD Technical Assistance Grant 853)

Presentation by Alan Duncan, Kebebe Ergano, Aberra Adie and Abate Tedla at the FAP End of Project Workshop, Luang Prabang, Laos, 15-19 November 2010

Output 1. Mechanisms for strengthening and/or establishing multi-stakeholder alliances that enable scaling up and out of fodder technologies

Activity 1 - Identification of project sites, partners and work plans

FAP sites in Ethiopia

AtsbiAlamata

Ada’a

Mieso

Site characteristicsTigray Oromiya

Atsbi Alamata Ada’a Mieso

Altitude Highland Lowland Highland Lowland

NR Poor Fair Good Very poor

Farming system

C+LS C+LS C+LS Pastoral andAgro-pastoral

Livestock products

Small ruminant fattening + Butter

Dairy+LR fattening

Dairy + LR fattening

Small and large ruminant fattening + dairy

Annual rainfall

642 mm 831 mm 839 mm 790 mm

Water availability

Scarce Irrigation Irrigation Scarce

Market access High Moderately high

Very high High

Variation in agro-ecology, farming system, key livestock commodities and market access

Site characteristics influencing success

Site Subjective success score

Market pull

Diversity of actors

“Chemistry” with key actors

Food insecurity

Proximity

Atsbi * *** * * ** *

Alamata

** ** * ** ** **

Ada’a **** **** *** *** * ****

Mieso *** ** * ** *** ***

Other site selection lessons

Piggy-backing on IPMS sites – useful at start, not so useful at the end – attribution issues

Too many?Lack of strong national research

partners close to sitesConnections with IFAD

investment projects not obvious

Establishment of stakeholder platforms – the core partnership mechanism of FAP Ethiopia

Guiding principles that evolved :– Marriage of technology introduction and

enhanced networking. Focus on networks but don’t shy away from supplying knowledge as appropriate

– Careful judgement on how involved to get at site level – less and less as project progressed – devolution of responsibility in final year

Forages as an entry point – farmer numbers

Forages as an entry point – areas planted (ha)

11

Seedsourced

44 farmers plant on

own fields

X-bred cows sourced

Farmers purchase

seed

60 farmers plant on

own fields

Milk transport issues voiced

May 2008

Dec 2009

Institutional innovationTechnical innovation

Innovation processes in Ada’a Ethiopia

Fodder options

identified

FAP

IPMS Ministry (extension)

NARSFAP

IPMS Ministry (extension)

NARS

Farmers

Dairy co-op formed

FAP

IPMS Ministry (extension)

NARS

Ethiopian Meat & Dairy

Tech Inst.

Eden FieldSeeds

Land o Lakes

Farmers

IPMS Ministry (extension)

NARS

Ethiopian Meat & Dairy

Tech Inst.

Eden FieldSeeds

Land o Lakes

FAPMilk transport negotiations

ongoing

FAP

IPMS Ministry (extension)

NARS

FAP

Eden FieldSeeds

Land o Lakes

Ada’a Dairy Co-op

Crop Growplc

Godino DairyCo-op

Farmers

IPMS Ministry (extension)

NARSEthiopian Meat & Dairy

Tech Inst.

Eden FieldSeeds

Land o Lakes

Ada’a Dairy Co-op

Crop Growplc

Godino DairyCo-op

Meeting log

Attendance fairly consistent

Some actors always there, some on a needs basis

Date Actors  FA

POoAR

D

IPMS

Land

O' lakes

DZAR

C

Eden

Field

Seed

enterprise

EMDTI

Ada Dai

ry Co-op

Farmer

s

Crop

Grow

Ada Coop

Promotion Office

Godin

o dair

y coo

p

ALPPI

S

12/02/2008 * * *                    

16/12/08 * *                      

07/10/2008 * * *   * *   * *        

13/01/2009 * * *                    

14/01/2009 * * *   *   * * *        

23/02/2009 * * *   * * * *   *      

13/03/09 * *           * *       *

04/01/2009 * *         * *     *    

04/03/2009 * *             *        

15-16/04/2009 * *     *   *   *        

22/04/09 * * *       *   *        

23/04/09 * *                     *

05/10/2009 * *                     

07/08/2009 * *             *     * 

29-31/07/2009 * *       *     *     *  

15-16/09/09 * *         *   *        

18/08/2009 * *                      

27/08/2009 * * *                    

15-16/09/2009 * *         *   *        

17/9/09* * *   *   * * * * * *  

10/03/2009 * * *       * * * * * *  

10/07/2009                          

28/10/09 * *           * *   * *  

10/09/2009 * *           * * * * *  

29/10/2009 * *         * * *   * *  

11/10/2009* * * * *               *

12/08/2009 * * *   *   * * * *   *  

02/10/2010 * * *                    

15–21/02/2010* *         *            

23 – 26/03/ 2010* * *         *       *  

04/08/2010 * *         *   *     *  

20-29/04/2010 * *             *     *  

22-27/05/2010 * * *       *   *     *  

29/05/2010 * * *           * * * *  

8-10/06/2010* *                      

Format of “innovation log”Date IS changes

Source documen

t

  New actors

Change to linkages

Change in Behaviour

Change in Context  

12/02/2008

16/12/08

07/10/2008

13/01/2009

14/01/2009

Activity 2 - Evaluation of actors, linkages, practices and habits related to fodder innovations

A formal diagnosis of innovation capacity at the 4 Ethiopian learning sites was conducted.

A draft manuscript has been produced

Innovation diagnosis findings

Dominant role of govt. line departments– Positive: well developed infrastructure

and reach– Negative: under-resourced, high

turnover, technology push culture

Lack of effective institutional arrangements for input supply– Fodder planting material– Cross-bred cows

Innovation diagnosis findings

Extension service providers lack the skills to provide innovation support services and manage innovation processes.

Research organizations do not currently proactively network with development practitioners and market actors.

Action post-diagnosis

Establishment of stakeholder groups at learning sites to:– Enhance multi-actor interactions– Build capacity in stakeholder

interactions– Provide a forum for farmers to

express demand and for stakeholders to respond

Activity 3 - Development of Geographical Information

Systems on pilot sites in relation to fodder interventions

As originally conceived there was very little activity in this area

Why..? Agro-ecological conditions not ultimately regarded as the main issue in relation to forage adoption

Activity 4 - Evaluation of livestock market environment influencing

fodder demand, access and utilisation

Rapid market appraisals on fodder as a commodity were undertaken by Ethiopian regional research partners in Tigray and Oromia Regions this year. – Tigray study: nascent but

developing fodder market; rapidly rising prices; increased farmer-to-farmer exchange of fodder

Indicative fodder prices in study sites

Hailesellassie Amare et al, unpublished

Seasonal fodder market survey

Collecting data on fodder prices and quality on monthly basis at 3 fodder markets in Oromiya Region of Ethiopia (Chancho, Debre Zeit, Mieso)

Data collection started in July 09 and will continue to the end of the project

Seasonal fodder market data

Markets: what would be done differently next time?

We should have done more work on markets for key livestock commodities

Key messages Need to link practical technical options and

pro-active focus on stakeholder networks Practical technical options, in our case

planted fodder, is the engine that drives stakeholder interest and action – without this stakeholder platforms have limited momentum. Need to avoid purely technology push or purely stakeholder networking – it is the combination that leads to change.

Need to allow agenda to move wider than initial entry point: fodder -> marketing, health, breed issues – this is good!