Feed assessment tool training organized by Africa RISING with Livestock and Fish program in Ethiopia
(Image credit: ILRI/Liya Dejene)
Ethiopian colleagues from Agricultural Regional Research Centers of Tigray (TARI Alamata, TARI Mekelle), Southern Nations (SARI Areka, SARI, Worabe), Sinana and Debre Birhan. Mekelle University as well as the site coordinators of Africa RISING Program recently undertook a four-days training on two feed assessment tools, FEAST and Techfit.
FEAST and Techfit are two separate but interdependent tools developed by ILRI to help efforts to understand the local feed situations and identify context specific solutions in smallholder systems. Both tools have been successfully implemented in several countries in Africa and South Asia and experiences show that the outputs of these tools assist better research and development planning and more effective feed interventions. Ad hoc and narrow decision making processes on livestock feed issues are thus avoided.
The next step for the participants is to use the FEAST and Techfit tools to conduct assessments on the patterns of livestock and feed resource availability and management. Appropriate feed technology options that may strengthen livestock productivity of livestock farmers are also identified. This will be carried out at Kebele level in 8 project sites of the Africa RISING Program and 10 project sites of the Livestock and Fish Small Ruminant Value Chain development program in Ethiopia.
More information on FEAST
Related stories
Story by Jane Wamatu (ICARDA-Ethiopia)
