This document summarizes a convening on climate change adaptation and African agriculture held in Ethiopia in 2011. It discusses the background of Ethiopia's agricultural research institutions and efforts to build their capacity to address climate issues. Key activities of a Rockefeller Foundation grant to mainstream climate change adaptation into agriculture include forming partnerships between research and educational institutions, providing training, developing communication tools, and assessing vulnerabilities and impacts. Challenges include the need for improved networking, capacity, and technologies to support climate-resilient agriculture. Lessons indicate a need to integrate climate considerations into all agriculture work and policies.

1. CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION AND
AFRICAN AGRICULTURE GRANTEE CONVENING
24-25 February 2011
Making Ethiopian Agriculture Climate Resilient:
Towards Networking and Coordination to
Mainstream Climate Change Adapataion into Food
Security and Sustaiable Developemnt
Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research (EIAR)
Girma Mamo, Principal Investigator
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2. Brief Background of EIAR
EIAR: evolved through several
stages since its first initiation
in late 1940s.
Part of NARS=
EIAR+ Regional
Agricultural Research
Institutes (RARIs) + Higher
Learning Institutions
(HLIs)
EIAR Overall coordination countrywide
55 research centers across various agro-ecological
zones. 1

3. Brief Background of EIAR
Technical Man Power
Directorate
Prime responsibility to PhD MSc/MA BSc/BA/BEd Total
Crop 48 108 76 232
address climate issues in Livestock 7 56 37 100
Growth and Forestry 9 27 21 57
Transformation Plan
Soil and
11 35 48 94
Water
(GTP) Agricultural
0 5 7 12
Mechanization
Total 75 231 189 495
Current core value:
Better position in terms of
technically capable
manpower in climate
science
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4. Other projects on CCA
Project Title Ongoing /new Funder
1. Integrated Technologies to mitigate Ongoing ASARECA
drought and increase smallholder
sorghum productivity
2. Linking seasonal climate outlook and Ongoing World Bank
weather info into food security under rain-
fed cropping
3. Assessing vulnerability and exploring best 12 new Government
options
4. Making the best of climate variability in Ongoing ASARECA
agriculture
5. Many more others forming leverage On going IDRC…
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5. Objectives of the Rockefeller Foundation Grant
1. To form a consortium that ensures networking among climate
and agriculture institutions for mainstreaming climate change
adaptations Capacity building
2. To develop a standard methodological tool for monitoring
progresses from mainstreaming of CCA and sustain the impact
beyond the project life Scalability/Sustainability
3. To assess vulnerability (social, economic and environmental)
and map impacts Science
4. To create relevant climate risk adaptation policies and practices
suited to effective networking Policy
5. To develop institutional capacity for technology dissemination,
uptake and impact pathways to enhance climate change
adaptations Technology/communication/impact
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6. Partner Institutions
No. Institution
Remark
1 Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research (EIAR)
NARS
2 Tigray Research Institute
3 Southern Agricultural Research Institute
4 Oromiya Agricultural Research Institute
5 Amhara Regional Agricultural Research Institute
6 Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Development support institutions
7 Climate Change Forum-Ethiopia (CCF-E)
8 National Meteorology Agency (NMA)
9 Extension Directorate, MoA
10 Adama University, Assela College of Agriculture
Knowledge institutions
11 Jima ,
12 Hawassa University, College of Agriculture
13 Arba Minch University
14 Andnet Secondary School (Assela)
15 Chilalo Terara Secondary School (Assela)
16 Hawas Preparatory School (Adama)
17 St. Joseph Preparatory School
18 Farmers Training Centres (FTCs)
Target Groups 5

7. Key Activities
1. Coordination and networking: Seven key climate-agriculture
institutions with common goals have formed alliance
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8. Key Activities Continued
2. Capacity building for effective mainstreaming
Short term training  Climate change vulnerability and risk mapping
 Climate change impact assessment
Long term training  Climate & development oriented courses
institutionalization and accreditation
 MSc students (climate change& development)
Procurement  Computing facilities, including for Farmers
Training Centers
Development of  Social Media,
commutation tools  Own Web page
 RANET (Radio Internet)
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9. Key Activities Continued
4. Climate change policy formulation
Policy gap analyses for agriculture sector
 Policy gap analyses on climate data use
 Build on existing policy documents on agriculture and climate data use
5. Adaptation technology & communication mainstreaming
Assess project activities for climate risk management
 Identification of adaptation options
 Prioritize adaptation options
 Select best adaptation options
 Evaluation of adaptation options (through work-shopping )
 Scoping the existing national technology communication structure
Value addition NMA-Research- Extension- Farmers chain
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10. Entry points/Indicators for Mainstreaming CCA
Project Level Higher Learning Farmer Training
Institute Level Center Level
 Assess project activities
for climate risk Curriculum review
  Selection of FTCs
 Identify, Prioritize and  Curriculum  Module development
Select best bet design/update
adaptation options  Capacity building
 Feedback collection training for
 Implement adaptation development agents
options  Program accreditation
 Farmers training
 Enroll students
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11. Communication Tool Among Partners
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12. Highlight on the Progress to date
Training Specific area No of
trainees
Short term • Climate change adaptation related project proposal writing 20
• Focal Personnel in climate change impact assessment and 22
downscaling of GCM outputs
• Experts from NARS and Arba Minch University in using 16
RegCM 4.1 for downscaling (Abdus Salam International
Center for Theoretical Physics)
•Training on Social Media 15
•Sensitization workshop for community at 4 EIAR Research 900
Centers
• Sensitization workshop for environmental clubs/scouts in 200
4 High Schools
Long Term MSc students in climate science 15 + 6
Resource persons (international) offering courses at Arba 7
Minch University expressed commitment
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13. Challenges
 Currently, initiatives are many across a wide ranging institutions,
However, climate change is such a complex challenge that,
neither research nor development efforts can solve its adverse
impacts in isolation
In Ethiopian context, with almost virtually rain-fed system,
agriculture will continue to take the lead in the Growth and
Transformation Plan (GTP) of the nation over the coming 5 years
 But, existing adaptation options can not stand this
ambitious plan:
 Poor networking and coordination
 Poor institutional capacity to analyze climate
vulnerability, risks and impact mapping
 Poor technology,
 Poor financial backup
 Poor infrastructure
 Government funded research projects identified to make
the best entry point in mainstreaming CCA in research
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14. Lessons Learnt
NARS can not have any priority agenda than considering climate as
a variable in its core business
Clearly, adaptation to the constraint in point will require new level
of thinking and technologies (Business as usual can not be the
way forward)
Therefore, re-positioning the existing technologies in response to
ensuing opportunities
Climate science courses structuring and accreditation identified to
make the best entry point in mainstreaming CCA in HLIs &
secondary schools
The need for graduation of institutions for mainstreaming CCA
Building on existing climate related agriculture policy issues
Of partner local universities, only one is member of RUFORUM
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15. Emerging Opportunities for Collaboration
Opportunities are also many, especially since the time is right and ripe
to confront climate change through networking, and that, international
donors are demonstrating great interest.
Opportunity of expanding (scaling out) the project idea and practices
to Rockefeller Foundation grant receiving countries in East Africa
Strong commitment from African Governments on CCA
Establishment of 11,000 Farmer Training Centers (out reach )
Public climate money is hovering (Copenhagen and Cancun texts)
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16. Next steps
Enhancing analytical capacity in CC vulnerability and impact
mapping
Building on existing farmers capacities
Building on existing policies in climate and agriculture
Strengthening communication tools in reaching out the farmers
Scientific evidence (both historical and future scenario)
Overall, working towards the graduation of partner institutions
for mainstreaming CCA
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