Baseline survey findings from a randomized control trial that examines the effects of a sustainable land management training delivered to couples or women only in the context of rural Ethiopia where all participants are beneficiaries of a targeted social safety net program. The baseline survey was conducted in June 2023 and results were presented to implementation partners in October 2023.

Employing Citizens’ Juries (CJs) for Identifying Pathways to More Sustainable Food Systems is one of the proposed research endeavors of work package 3 (WP3) within the One-CGIAR initiative “Mitigate+: Low-Emission Food Systems” (2022-2024).

Open-pollinated varieties (OPVs), such as beans, sorghum, and groundnuts, are important for increased income, job creation, food security, and nutrition of both urban and rural households in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). However, the main constraint is underdeveloped seed systems, which contribute substantially to dwindling productivity among small-scale farmers due to limited access to reliable and quality planting materials.

The training targeted youth and women sheep fattening groups, aiming to enhance their knowledge and skills in optimizing feed management practices. ICARDA partnered with the National Agricultural Research Centers of Areka, Bonga, and Debre Berhan to deliver the training sessions. The objective of the trainings was to equip participants with the necessary expertise to formulate balanced sheep diets and efficiently process feed, thereby improving sheep productivity and promoting sustainable livestock feeding practices.

This is the first module of an eight-module training series designed to equip national and subnational stakeholders with the skills and knowledge to tailor the Kenya Climate Smart Agriculture Investment Plan to different contexts with the goal of leveraging financial opportunities from diverse sources, such as the private sector actors, public institutions, international donors, and other important stakeholders who share the common goal of catalyzing transformative change in the agriculture sector.