Meskerem Mulatu, CDSF Gender and Nutrition Specialist, welcomed participants and urged them to activiely share their experiances and participate fully to obtain maximum benefit from the training. Major topics covered during the four-day training included: basics of nutrition and home gardening; establishing productive home garden; fruit propagation, production and post-harvest handling; vegetable propagation and production and post-harvest handling. In addition, practical training on Parma garden bed preparation and fruit propagation was conducted at field level.

Participants in the course are expected to provide training in their respective woredas to enable woreda and development agents (DAs) to provide adequate technical services for the farmers in their respective areas.

On the last day of the training, Etalemahu Demissie, Oromia Region Capacity Development Officer urged participants to collaborate to support and capacitate woreda Subject Matter Specialists, DAs  and  farmers. She emphasized the need to practice homestead gardening and fruit and vegetable consumption to bring about tangible changes in dietary diversity at the household level, and ultimately to overcome the challenges of food security.