The Drylands Coordination Group (Ethiopia/Norway) and Noragric in collaboration with Mekelle University/REST, ADRA Ethiopia and NCA Gonder launched a one-day planning workshop. An additional half day was also spent to work out a detailed action plan for the year 2006. The workshop was hosted by Mekelle University on behalf of DCG Ethiopia.

The objectives of the planning workshop were:

• To bring the eco-farm principle and approach to the attention of the stakeholders drawn from the various regional and federal agencies in and
• To plan an eco-farm research project that is relevant to Ethiopian situations.

Participants included seven governmental organization mainly from the agriculture sector, three universities, three regional research institutes and one federal research organization and six NGOs.

Two papers were presented during the plenary session:

The first paper entitled "Challenges in dryland agriculture: The eco-farm approach" was presented by Dr. Jens Aune from Noragric. Dr. Jens introduced the principles of the eco-farm to the participants and mentioned the overall objectives of the eco-farm as a means to increase the farmers income, reduce farmer’s risks, improve nutrition of farmers and preserve the environment. The eco-farm offers a basket of options whose components may include microdosing fertilizer, seed priming, row sowing/seed placement, appropriate sorghum and maize varieties, conservation agriculture, stall feeding of animals during the hot season, etc.

The second paper was presented by Dr. Tesfaye Belay with the following title "Cactus: a dryland crop". This paper discussed the current and potential use of cactus as food for humans and feed for livestock in the drylands. The paper focused on the outputs of the FAO/MU project which is currently being scaled up by various NGOs in the region with the potential for integration in the eco-farm research project.

Participants raised their concerns on the components of the eco-farm and responses were given by the presenters. The need of formulating specific on site components was highly emphasized.

Later, three groups were formed and each group identified various activities that can help female headed households in the drylands, activities that can increase farmers’ income and activities that make the farming system less prone to the environment. Group findings were presented by group leaders and finally a synthesis report was prepared and presented by Dr. Jens Aune. The synthesis report included the following issues that were cross-cutting to the three groups: early maturing varieties of crops, improved management – soil fertility issue, water harvesting, conservation tillage, vegetable and fruit production, fruit and legume production that make the farming system less prone to drought, access to quality fodder (leguminous crops) and improved management of cactus and food processing of new crops like pigeon pea.

Finally the meeting was adjourned by preparing a detailed action plan for the entire project at the three different sites in Ethiopia.

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