Seminar/Workshop/Training Course - Workshop on

Scaling Sheep Fattening in the Ethiopian Highlands


In Ethiopia Dec 20, 2019 - Dec 21, 2019



Target Audiences
  • National Agricultural Research System (NARS)
  • Community Based Organizations (CBO)
  • Government
Participants Gender
  • Male
  • Female
51

GENERAL OVERVIEW

ICARDA is scaling improved sheep fattening practices in the Ethiopia by targeting youth as disseminators of improved sheep fattening technologies and practices, and facilitators of participatory learning. The review workshop held in August 2019 with key stakeholders of the project to review the progress of the sheep fattening project, outlined feed resource identification, processing and optimal utilization as a key constraint to youth groups going forward. As follow-up to this concern, youth group leaders from all the 44 groups formed in 2018 with their corresponding enumerators and NARS researchers were invited to Addis to discuss various issues around feed resources availability, seasonality, quality and utilization and its implications on improved sheep fattening performance. Participants visited the ILRI Nutrition Lab on the ILRI Campus to understand processes involved in determining feed quality. All sessions during the two-day workshop were highly participatory, with technical presentations guiding the discussions.



EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Name of the project

Scaling up improved sheep fattening practices and technologies in Ethiopia

Purpose of the project
1. To scale up adoption of improved sheep fattening technology and practices in Ethiopia sustainably through the implementation of benchmark sites (sheep fattening youth cooperatives and model champion farmers).
2. To develop and strengthen business and institutional models on the YCoop approach involving local organizations, government livestock departments and the private sector (input suppliers.
3. To consolidate and strengthen converging partnerships.

Specific objectives of the training course on contemporary approaches to extension
  • To differentiate improved from traditional sheep fattening.
  • To discuss site specific feed resource availability, seasonality and utilization.
  • To unpack terminologies in feed quality and formulation.
Specific outputs

§  Participants can relate nutrient composition to feed quality and ration formulation

§  Participants learnt alternative utilization options of locally available feeds.