“Good listening skill, full participation and shared vision in group decision making result in sustainable solutions to the group/partnership common problems ”

Hello, who are you?

I am Tolesa Alemu. I am an agricultural economist with more than 15 years’ experience in agricultural research in agricultural economics with the Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research (EIAR) at the Kulumsa Agricultural Research Centre. I mainly focus on research activities related to agricultural technology adoption and impact assessment, natural resource and production economics, characterizing farming systems, identification of farmers’ needs and agricultural production and productivity problems, agricultural marketing and value chains, and agricultural policy analyses. I also carry out economic analysis and evaluation of new agricultural technologies on farmers’ fields related to their economic performance and benefits before recommending new agricultural technologies for dissemination to end users.

What are your roles and responsibilities as National Innovation Facilitator?

I have been a national innovation facilitator (NIF) for the malt barley seed production and marketing niche partnership in Arsi zone of Oromia regional state, Ethiopia. I ensure that each stakeholder in the partnership has full participation in all aspects of identifying problems and working toward resolving them.

What has CDAIS changed for you?

I become involved in the CDAIS project in Ethiopia in 2017, and I have received training as part of the National innovation facilitator’s training programme. My involvement in CDAIS has enabled me to develop a better understanding of the usefulness of good listening skills, the full participation of all group members in group decision making, mutual understanding, and inclusive solutions and shared responsibility in setting and achieving common goals. As a NIF, the skills gained from the CDAIS project through training and various workshops has helped me in improving the linkage and effectiveness of the malt barley seed production and marketing partnership.