Rural Capacity Building Project

The Rural Capacity Building Project is a joint CIDA-World Bank-Government of Ethiopia initiative aiming to strengthen agricultural services and systems in order to improve productivity. The project implemented by the World Bank works to improve food security for farmers a critical sector of the population in a country where 90% of the population relies on agriculture for income. Activities under the initiative include training officials at regional and district levels in specified services such as resource management or livestock; equipping Farmer Training Centres; expanding and applying research; and introducing new market systems and services. There are five technical components to the project the first of which is building agricultural capacity through technical vocational education and training. The second component the provision of agricultural extension services particularly targets both market-oriented farmers and women. Enhancing women’s participation and promoting gender equality concerns in all aspects of this component are important concerns. The third component agricultural research specifically involves institutional strengthening of the National Agricultural Research System; component four meanwhile focuses on improving information and communication systems within the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. The final component consists of developing agricultural market institutions including support for the new Ethiopia Commodity Exchange developed in 2008 as well as strengthening and developing sanitary and phytosanitary standards and the institutions necessary to utilize and promote them. All CIDA disbursements for this project have been completed.

Results achieved as of the end of the project (September 2013) include: Agricultural technical and vocational education training component: (1) a national plan for Agricultural Technical and Vocational Education Training (ATVET) was developed and disseminated; (2) four ATVET colleges were provided with furnishings and material for offices classrooms and libraries; (3) two ATVET colleges have successfully implemented strategic plans contributing to improved learning environments; and (4) revised occupational standards and curriculum for 56 subjects were developed based on the national plan. Agriculture extension component: (1) new technologies and practices were adopted among farming households; (2) 16 917 members (3 750 women) are participating in farmer-research-extension groups (FREGs); (3) 22 200 agriculture extension officers (3 048 women) were provided with on-the-job training in order to transfer knowledge and skills to women and men farmers; and (4) 2 409 Farmers Training Centres were provided with furnishings and 1 840 of them are fully functional. Agricultural research component: (1) institutional capacity in agricultural research was enhanced through the funding of 698 proposals under the Farmer Innovation Fund which seeks to promote innovations among farmer groups; (2) 25 technologies were improved or practices were tested adapted and scaled up through FREGs; and (3) 40 national high priority agricultural research and development projects were started of which 32 were completed and 39 regional projects were successfully completed. Information and communications component: 80 out of 136 project districts were provided with internet connectivity to facilitate information sharing with regional and federal agriculture offices. Marketing sanitary and phytosanitary component: (1) information technology solutions for the more effective operation of the Ethiopia Stock Exchange were implemented including providing an interactive voice response and