Empowering Ethiopian livestock keepers: A new approach to learning

The Ethiopian landscape, a tapestry of rolling highlands and vast pastoral plains, has long echoed with the sounds of livestock. For generations, these animals have been the lifeblood of rural communities, providing sustenance, income, and a connection to the land. However, farmers face significant challenges, including climate change, disease, and limited resources. Globally, traditional extension approaches have often struggled to address these complex and often very localized issues, highlighting the need for innovative solutions. The currently reforming livestock extension system in Ethiopia opens a great, innovative pathway for a new more systems-oriented approach to extension.

In November 2024, a series of workshops at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) campus in Addis Ababa explored the potential of Pioneer-Positive Deviance (P-PD) to play a supportive role in Ethiopia's livestock extension system. A key outcome of these workshops was significant progress towards developing a practical guideline for implementing P-PD specifically within the Ethiopian context.

[Link]From insight to action: Enhancing livestock practices through positive deviance (P-PD) national stakeholder workshop, ILRI campus (Photo credit: Agegnehu Alene, ILRI,2024)

The workshops brought together development agents (key figures within the Ethiopian extension system), regional experts, government officials, NGO representatives, researchers, and private sector members. The discussions focused on how P-PD can contribute to supporting livestock farmers in Ethiopia in the long term.

The Power of P-PD: Learning from Success

P-PD is based on a simple yet powerful idea: learning from those who are already succeeding. It focuses on identifying "pioneer households"

P-PD is based on a simple yet powerful idea: learning from those who are already succeeding. It focuses on identifying "pioneer households" - farmers who have found innovative ways to thrive despite facing challenges like those of others in their communities. These farmers possess valuable knowledge and have developed practical solutions through experience and observation and making use of many different sources of learning and sharing knowledge.

Rather than relying solely on top-down solutions, P-PD seeks to amplify these existing successes. It's about recognizing that the answers often lie within the community itself and empowering the extension system to facilitate the sharing of this knowledge.

Adaptation Pioneer Households (APHs): Leading the Way

Adaptation Pioneer Households (APHs) are central to the P-PD approach. These are households that excel in livestock management despite facing challenges. They develop and implement innovative practices to adapt to climate stress and become change agents in their communities through farmer-to-farmer field days and knowledge networks. They can become a valuable pillar of the Ethiopian extension system, providing real-world examples of successful adaptation practices.

Developing and Disseminating Extension Materials & Gathering Feedback

A key outcome of the collaboration with APHs was the co-design of extension materials, created through careful collaboration and consultation with both APHs and extension workers in Debre Birhan. These materials summarized the successful feeding practices identified through the project and included:

[Link]Farmer-led livestock feed and feeding practices in Ethiopia: Sheep

Booklets: Informative booklets provide practical guidance on improved feeding practices, including homemade feed concentrate preparation, crop residue storage, and haymaking.

Posters: Visual aids illustrating key concepts, such as proper feed storage and the benefits of different feeding techniques.

https://hdl.handle.net/10568/155294

The distribution of these materials was strategically planned, reaching thousands of households across multiple woredas through various channels, including veterinary services, community centers, churches, input distribution centers, and door-to-door distribution.

The projects incorporated a feedback mechanism. Assessments were conducted to evaluate farmers' understanding and use of the materials. The feedback received was overwhelmingly positive, with farmers appreciating the practical, locally relevant, and cost-effective information. This direct feedback from farmers is invaluable for refining the materials and ensuring their continued effectiveness within the Ethiopian context.

The Ethiopian Extension System and P-PD

The workshops at ILRI focused on refining P-PD to be able to play a supportive role in the Ethiopian extension system. Participants discussed strategies for identifying and supporting more Adaptation Pioneer Households (APHs), expanding the pool of expertise available to extension agents. They also explored facilitating farmer-to-farmer learning through peer-to-peer networks to complement formal extension efforts, promoting collaborative work between extension agents and farmers to integrate P-PD principles into existing programs, and leveraging technology to enhance the reach and impact of the extension system. These efforts aim to realize the numerous benefits of P-PD, including promoting sustainable and scalable local solutions, empowering farmers and pastoralists to lead their development, increasing climate resilience and productivity, utilizing cost-effective and low-risk innovations, and fostering better working relationships between farmers and extension agents.

[Link]From insight to action: Enhancing livestock practices through positive deviance (P-PD) regional stakeholder engagement workshop, ILRI campus (photo credit: Rahel Abiy, ILRI, 2024)

P-PD is scalable, sustainable, and adaptable by empowering farmers, promoting peer-to-peer learning, and facilitating climate change adaptation. The workshops held at ILRI represented a significant step forward in developing a practical implementation guideline for P-PD in Ethiopia. The positive feedback received from farmers on the co-designed materials further validates the effectiveness of this approach and its potential to create a more resilient future for Ethiopian livestock farmers.

Author: Rahel Abiy, ILRI with contributions by Birgit Habermann, ILRI

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