A total of 31 participants (27 men and 4 women) from 14 implementing agencies as well as affiliated and parallel projects participated in the workshop. Ato Solomon Abie, Capacity Development Specialist with AGP 2 and Ato Gashawtena Belay, Amhara Region CDSF capacity development Specialist facilitated the workshop.
The workshop included a field visit to some infrastructures constructed by AGP 1 & 2 and successful Common Interest Groups (CIGs) in Dera and Farta woredas, South Gondar Zone. Participants also visited marketing, irrigation, bridge and road infrastructures; coffee and fruit nursery cooperatives and a women’s CIG on improved stove production.
The largest outlet market center with 23 block agricultural product wholesale and retail buildings, which were constructed at Bahir Dar city, a tube well irrigation technology adopted and being scaled up in Fogera area and a coffee and fruit model nursery owned by farmers’ cooperatives were among those visited and most admired.
A joint monitoring group consisting of four Implementing Agencies led by Bureau of Finance and Economic Cooperation presented a field visit report on the strengths and gaps of AGP 2. AGP 2 and affiliated parallel projects including CDSF also presented their semiannual reports.
Focus group discussions were held to identify gaps and possible solutions based on the previous presentations. The focus groups reflected on the identified gaps regarding steering committee & technical committee performance, capacity development outcome, infrastructure design and quality, market linkage, CIG support, etc. and suggested possible solutions to address the gaps
The Focus Group presentations were followed by a panel discussion led by Ato Habtamu Segahu and Ato Sileshi Temesgen. All participants acknowledged strengths of AGP 2 presented by the monitoring group from the perspectives of infrastructure development, FTC strengthening, modeling innovative agricultural technologies and the practices of organizing and supporting CIGs/cooperatives as well as organizational and individual capacity development.
