According to the priorities of the Czech Development Cooperation, the training on agribusiness was selected. Mr. Getachew Hattia and Mr. Amare Demissie, both Program Managers from People In Need Ethiopia (PIN), a Czech NGO  based in Ethiopia, got the chance to participate. The training held from June 16 until 28 was organized by MASHAV in cooperation with MCTC – The Golda Meir MASHAV Carmel International Training Center.

 

The training Agribusiness: A Tool for the Empowerment of Rural Women training focuses on how agribusiness can find solutions to economic, social, and environmental problems, Sustainable agriculture and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The training has been delivered in the form of incorporated intensive classroom lectures, group exercise and presentation, field visits/guided tours to different government and private owned agriculture organic farming practices, cooperative businesses (called ‘Kibbutz’), private agriculture business companies, drip irrigation sites, poultry, beekeeping and fishery production sites. While the major topics and focus points were; entrepreneurial training on how to start and manage an agro-enterprise, Marketing and Branding for Agribusiness. They were also given intensive classes on women in business, on the support systems in Israel and best practices in promoting agro-entrepreneurship and on new trends in modern agriculture (technological advancements, nutritional concerns, water/energy management).

Upon their return, the participants have organized a presentation in order to share the knowledge and documents to their colleagues and incorporate business development models for the existing cooperatives and Women Self-help groups in their Natural Resource Management projects. PIN were the participants are working in, is currently implementing several projects targeting development in the agricultural sector of Ethiopia. Mr. Amare who is presently working as the ELAP (Environment, Livelihood & Agriculture) and Mr.  Getachew as the PDPL (Participatory Development of Productive Landscape) Project Manager are key facilitators in the agriculture-based projects implemented at PIN.

 

Taking from their feedbacks, Mr. Amare and Mr. Getachew describe some of the key findings as follows: “We have acquired knowledge and skill on the various aspects of planning, development, and management of small businesses in agro-industries. Having acquired such knowledge, we will be able to use the tools of value chain analysis to elaborate growth strategies, supervise, and manage farm production effectively and profitably. We now have a clear understanding of how to organize, and manage small agribusiness projects, on how to provide, plan and organize agriculture enterprises and small scale businesses in rural areas with an emphasis on the entrepreneurial concept.”