Global developments are causing a chain of spin-off effects that influence the food chain at an international and local scale. The ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia has resulted in price increases for natural gas which is needed to produce ammonia and then nitrogen, key elements of fertilizers, as well as increased fertilizer transportation costs.The … Continue reading Soaring fertilizer costs threatening food and nutrition security in Ethiopia
Customized and inclusive extension package to enhance crop productivity and soil health
The OTIPAVA-project which is one of the projects hosted by SWR Ethiopia, had its annual workshop in Adama on March 27, 2023. Dr. Tewodrose Tefera, OTIPAVA project manager, welcomed everyone to the workshop. Dr. Tewodrose stated in his welcome speech that the workshop is intended to spark a national compost movement, endorsement of the 'one-timad' package … Continue reading Customized and inclusive extension package to enhance crop productivity and soil health
Emerging issues in soya bean marketing: the case of North-western Ethiopia
Linked with the expansion of domestic edible oil industry and associated increased demand, soya bean production in Ethiopia has increased dramatically over the last three years. The Amhara region, in particular, has shown a very significant increase in soya bean production, with the area expanding from 46,892 ha in 2019/2020 to 248,573 ha in 2021/2022. … Continue reading Emerging issues in soya bean marketing: the case of North-western Ethiopia
Emerging issues in soya bean marketing: the case of North-western Ethiopia
Linked with the expansion of domestic edible oil industry and associated increased demand, soya bean production in Ethiopia has increased dramatically over the last three years. The Amhara region, in particular, has shown a very significant increase in soya bean production, with the area expanding from 46,892 ha in 2019/2020 to 248,573 ha in 2021/2022. … Continue reading Emerging issues in soya bean marketing: the case of North-western Ethiopia
Stakeholders workshop on fertilizer supply chain in Ethiopia conducted
Inorganic fertilizer is a crucial component for increasing agricultural output in Ethiopia's food system. However, because it is not produced domestically, there is a significant reliance on import, which makes the country very vulnerable to global price shocks. If these global drivers are not appropriately handled, they could have a detrimental effect on Ethiopia's food … Continue reading Stakeholders workshop on fertilizer supply chain in Ethiopia conducted
Brief highlights from RAISE-FS baseline survey
The RAISE-FS project conducted a baseline survey in its intervention areas in the three regions. The major objective of the survey was to collect information on the outcome areas of the project so as to provide an information base against which to monitor and assess the project progress. Methodology Multistage sampling approach was followed to … Continue reading Brief highlights from RAISE-FS baseline survey
Improving the Innovation Recommendation Mapping: for evidence-based decision support
Efficient agricultural planning and informed decision making are key elements for sustainability and resilience of agricultural production. To support this process Innovation Recommendation Mapping (IRM) was developed by Wageningen University & Research and experts from Ethiopia (mainly from the Ministry of Agriculture and Mekelle University) under the BENEFIT projects. IRM allows users to generate maps … Continue reading Improving the Innovation Recommendation Mapping: for evidence-based decision support
The ‘Monday Knowledge Plate’ Seminar of SWR Ethiopia
The SWR Ethiopia office is hosting a regular seminar session named "Monday Knowledge Plate" starting from end of 2022 to share knowledge and experiences, gather feedbacks, and build evidence. The aim is also to use it as a useful knowledge sharing and integration platform that creates synergy between different outcome areas within and across projects … Continue reading The ‘Monday Knowledge Plate’ Seminar of SWR Ethiopia
Validation workshops for 2023 work plan conducted
RAISE-FS regional teams planned 2023 activities with a close support of national advisors for the five outcome areas and food systems of the project. The teams adapted and improved the plans based on inputs received from the national advisors. The revised work plans were presented in a series of validation workshops to key food system … Continue reading Validation workshops for 2023 work plan conducted
Promoting gender-sensitive approach to improve household nutrition
Gender and nutrition can be considered as two sides of the same coin and are also priory intervention areas of the RAISE-FS project. RAISE-FS project employs a gender-sensitive approach to promote nutrition, which acknowledges the important role that women have in nutrition outcomes, as well as the need to better support them to improve their … Continue reading Promoting gender-sensitive approach to improve household nutrition
Start off workshop on gender and social inclusion held
Regional teams set out to revisit the 2023 plans through the lens of gender and social inclusions after the two-days workshop. SWR Ethiopia-RAISE-FS project organized a Gender and Social Inclusion (GESI) start-off workshop for about 35 individuals convened from the three regional RAISE-FS teams, regional team members from partner universities and research institutions, and their … Continue reading Start off workshop on gender and social inclusion held
Most significant change story of soybean innovation
This short video shows the impact of soybean innovation in changing the sesame dominated farming system in NW Ethiopia. The video was produced by RAISE-FS staff with the support of Eye Opener Works and EKN Addis. https://videopress.com/v/8IOB1d2t?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true MSC story of soybean innovation in Amhara region
Stinging Nettle (Urtica simensis): a potential food crop for highlands with food insecurity
Due to prolonged periods of food scarcity, drought, and starvation, people in some highlands of the Amhara region use some wild green vegetables, the most common of which is stinging nettle, which is known locally as sama. The plant, which is primarily associated with the diet of the underprivileged, has also long been consumed for … Continue reading Stinging Nettle (Urtica simensis): a potential food crop for highlands with food insecurity
Technology testing and validation efforts to revitalize lentil production visited by stakeholder
Lentil provides important economic advantages to the small-scale farm households in providing food, feed, cash income, and at national level, it also provides advantage to earn foreign currency, import substitution and job creation through value addition and processing. In spite of its importance, lentil productivity had remained very low mainly due to the use of … Continue reading Technology testing and validation efforts to revitalize lentil production visited by stakeholder
Baseline survey and Rapid Food System Appraisal findings validated
Resilient Agriculture for Inclusive and Sustainable Ethiopian Food System (RAISE FS) project is being implemented in partnership with different stakeholders. One of the regions where the project operate is Oromia region. In Oromia region the project collaborates with different stakeholders which includes implementing partners namely Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research (EIAR) and Haramaya university and … Continue reading Baseline survey and Rapid Food System Appraisal findings validated
Women farmers benefited economically from vegetable production
Women farmers in Kililit and Adet Zuria kebeles of the Yilman Densa woreda benefit from the sale of the vegetables they grow in their backyard gardens in addition to using them for domestic consumptions. On the 4th of October 2022, Adet Agricultural Research Center (AARC) in partnership with Resilient Agriculture for Inclusive and Sustainable Ethiopian- … Continue reading Women farmers benefited economically from vegetable production
Farmers and stakeholders pay a visit to field-level innovation testing and validation activities
More than 60 individuals- farmers and stakeholders in the agricultural sector convened from woreda to national levels paid a field visit to RAISE-FS supported activities carried out in 10 farmers’ fields and in the sub-research stations of Gondar Agricultural Research Center on the 1st of October 2022 at Mirab Armachiho woreda. Participants of the field … Continue reading Farmers and stakeholders pay a visit to field-level innovation testing and validation activities
A planning workshop for 2023 and beyond held
From 20 to 22nd of September 2022, RAISE-FS held a planning workshop for 2023 fiscal year and beyond at Adama town. The aim of this workshop, which gathered around 35 experts from research institutes and universities, was to identify and priorities concrete action points for innovation testing and validation related to transforming food systems in … Continue reading A planning workshop for 2023 and beyond held
RAISE-FS Newsletter August 2022 issue published
The RAISE-FS newsletter's goal is to provide relevant information on latest developments and current problems issues in the Ethiopian food system as well as project support activities. The first issue outlines the major activities that took place between January and July 2022. A scoping study conducted by RAISE-FS to map gender and youth focused initiatives in the agriculture … Continue reading RAISE-FS Newsletter August 2022 issue published
Interaction, networking and feedback are very important to ensure food systems transformation
Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research (EIAR) in partnership with Stichting Wageningen Research (SWR) conducted the validation workshop for the RAISE-FS regional plan on July 02, 2022, at Bellevue Hotel in Addis Ababa. Dr. Diriba Geleti, Deputy Director General for Research, EIAR, said in his opening speech that Interaction, networking and feedback are very important for … Continue reading Interaction, networking and feedback are very important to ensure food systems transformation
Identifying Leverage Points to Foster Food System Transformation in Ethiopia
The underlying problem framing or conceptualization guides interventions to promote food system transformation. This framing, on the other hand, pays little attention to other, sometimes underlying causes of food system challenges, such as institutional interplay or power imbalances. In practice, however, determining how to intervene in a specific food system to most effectively promote food … Continue reading Identifying Leverage Points to Foster Food System Transformation in Ethiopia
Institutional Innovation Key to Food System Transformation
Food system transformation requires innovation across and within food systems, as well as strong teamwork, partnerships, and building on previous experiences. Facilitating multi-stakeholder platforms at all levels is critical for food system transformation. RAISE-FS acknowledges and use as an implementation approach institutional innovations that improve and develop new models of collaboration and partnerships to ensure … Continue reading Institutional Innovation Key to Food System Transformation
SWR Ethiopia inks collaboration agreement with regional implementing partners
Stichting Wageningen Research (SWR) Ethiopia inked collaboration agreements with regional Agricultural Research Institutes and Universities for its project Resilient Agriculture for Inclusive and Sustainable Ethiopian Food System (RAISE-FS) on the 29th of April 2022 at Bellevue Hotel in Addis Ababa. The signing ceremony took place between SWR-RAISE-FS and three regional universities- Bahir Dar, Hawassa, and … Continue reading SWR Ethiopia inks collaboration agreement with regional implementing partners
Agricultural sector transformation is teamwork: A book about the experiences of the Sesame Business Network (SBN) programme in Northwest Ethiopia
BENEFIT-SBN programme recently published a book about the programme experiences in the sesame sector in Northwest Ethiopia. The book looks at the many challenges and opportunities for transforming the sector, to the benefit of farmers and stakeholders involved.
Rapid Food System Appraisal in RAISE-FS
Wageningen University & Research (WUR) in collaboration with partner organizations in Ethiopia published a report “Rapid country assessment: The impact of COVID-19 on the food system in Ethiopia” on key impacts of COVID-19 crisis on Ethiopia food system.
The effect of COVID 19 on sesame belt agricultural labourers from Amhara and Tigray
BENEFIT-REALISE brief “The effect of COVID19 on agricultural casual labourers: a case of sesame belt migrants from Amhara and Tigray” highlights the findings of a rapid assessment designed to evaluate the early effects of COVID19 on PSNP households wage income in sesame growing areas of Tigray and Amhara regions.
THE IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON AGRICULTURAL CASUAL LABOURERS IN PSNP AREAS
To better understand the effects of COVID-19 on the livelihoods and food security of casual labourers at household level, especially those in PSNP areas, BENEFIT-REALISE conducted a rapid assessment in selected 17 zones and 24 PSNP woredas in six clusters of BENEFIT-REALISE programme.
The Second BENEFIT ISSD-Ethiopia seed alert highlights the effect of COVID-19 mobility restrictions on the Ethiopian seed sector
The second BENEFIT ISSD-Ethiopia COVID-19 seed alert that was published this week highlighted issues related to release and registration of new varieties, timely supply of early generation seed (EGS), quality assurance in EGS production, reduced availability of varieties in high demand and challenges related to producers access to agro-inputs, labor and finance.
Minimizing the effect of COVID-19 on the Ethiopian poultry sector
On June 9 2020, BENEFIT-ENTAG published a brief that outlines the major effects of COVID-19 on the performance of the Ethiopian poultry sector.
BENEFIT-SBN published its first COVID-19 Sesame Alert
BENEFIT-SBN published its first Sesame Alert that highlights COVID-19 related challenges and urgent actions needed in the Ethiopian sesame sector. The brief outlines the major alters, their impacts, actions required, stakeholders involved, and a responsible body to take the initiatives.
New effort to better understand and mitigate the effect of COVID-19 on the seed sector: A collaborative effort between ISSD Ethiopia and WCDI
In response to COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on food security, BENEFIT-ISSD Ethiopia Program’s recent effort focuses on better understanding how the pandemic affects the seed sector and supports the development of urgent coping strategies that would enhance resilience and support continuity of activities of the seed sector.
RAISE-FS 