Enhancing livelihoods of poor livestock keepers through increasing

							Ethiopian Fodder Roundtable
       12 March 2009
            Introduction
This Roundtable draws together a
 range of actors interested in fodder
 issues
It follows a previous meeting in June
 08 which focused on “Identifying
 pathways for enhancing livestock
 production through fodder via
 collaborative action”
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          Conclusions from last
                meeting
 Future Activities for the Ethiopian Fodder
  Roundtable
   – Coordination/Networking
   – Filtering and synthesis of knowledge
   – Develop position documents
 Seed supply issues – identifying concerned
  institutions, especially private sector actors and
  cooperatives
   – private sector capacity building
   – addressing market issues to meet forecasted demand
   – future gaps – starter seed currently supplied by ILRI
     (need to bring in national system to fulfil this role)
   – identify niche markets
       Purpose of this meeting
    Bring together interested actors to
    consider the following:
 What are the barriers to ready availability of seed
  to smallholder farmers?
 What alternative models for enhancing seed
  supply are available?
 What can we capture from past successes?
 Which would work best for Ethiopia?
 What recommendations can this group develop to
  enhance a sustainable forage seed supply system
  in Ethiopia?
              Thanks
Jean Hanson
Ranjitha Puskur
Azage Tegegne
Kebebe Ergano
          Introductions
Name
Organisation
One expectation from meeting
     Remit for presentations
   With which model for seed production and
    supply do you have experience?
   What constrains fodder seed supply in
    Ethiopia? What policy and enabling conditions
    (support services, infra structure etc) would be
    necessary for making this a viable proposition
    attractive to potential seed producers
   In your view, what is the extent of demand for
    forage seed (disaggregated into forage
    legumes, food-feed crops, Napier etc) and does
    it warrant more producers entering the field and
    remaining competitive etc.
   What steps are needed to enhance availability
    of quality forage seed for smallholder farmers?
  Tasks for synthesis sessions
What are the barriers to ready
 availability of seed to smallholder
 farmers?
What alternative models for enhancing
 seed supply are available?
What can we capture from past
 successes?
Which would work best for Ethiopia?
What recommendations can this group
 develop to enhance a sustainable
          Final plenary
To develop key recommendations
 from the meeting
To agree to whom those
 recommendations should be targeted
 at (e.g. donors, policy makers,
 Ministries etc)
 Supply/Demand issues
   – Advance ex-ante sustainable demand assessment for forages
     (ILRI/CIAT) (concept note)
   – Target seed production in niches within value chain e.g.
     intensive dairy and fattening, peri-urban
   – Consider multiple/functional roles of forage (SWC, feed, food,
     ecosystem services, risk management)
 Learn lessons
   – Develop position paper? Learn from past experiences (Rose’s
     study). Pilot to provide proof of concept
 Capacity building and knowledge
   – Capacity building: diversifying choices for farmers,
     agribusiness skills, decision support. Targeted.
   – Facilitate access to knowledge sources
 Advocacy
   – Consult policy makers and industry associations about their
     needs
   – Convene larger forum with Govt, NGOs, MoARD (policy
     advocacy)