On May 15, 2019, CGIAR hosted a share fair at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) campus in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, showcasing innovations, technologies and products and explaining how CGIAR Centers are working with government, public and private partners to support agricultural transformation in the country. Happening on the sidelines of the CGIAR Council meeting that took place at ILRI in Addis Ababa that week, the share fair brought together high-level representatives from the Ethiopian agriculture, water and energy sectors, research, academia, non-governmental organizations, businesses, innovators, donors and CGIAR.
“The event provided an excellent forum for the different CGIAR centers to share information about how they are contributing to the Government of Ethiopia’s efforts to eliminate poverty and malnutrition and generate inclusive economic growth,” said Barbara Wells, CIP’s Director General.
The share fair featured displays on 36 innovations organized along the five CCIAR global challenges: Living within planetary boundaries, sustaining food availability, promoting equality of opportunity, securing public health, and creating jobs and growth. They ranged from climate-resilient farming systems and innovative seed and crop products, to gender- and age-inclusive production and marketing systems, and innovative, affordable mechanization, nutritious food products.
Melissa Wood, general manager of the global program at the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR), commended CGIAR and the Ethiopian government on an excellent collaboration on research for development.
“This is a great opportunity to see, feel, observe, and talk to researchers. It gives us confidence that what we are investing in has an impact for the smallholder farmer in Ethiopia,” she said.
Hosting 11 CGIAR centers, the ILRI campus in Addis Ababa is an innovative hub for international and national research for development. Complementing public, private and civil society partner interventions, targeted CGIAR investments in Ethiopia help accelerate local adoption of appropriate research-based technologies and the transfer of knowledge along the country’s value chains.
Read more about the CGIAR System Council share fair
See pictures from the share fair
Learn more about CGIAR’s work in supporting agricultural transformation: #OneCGIAR
This post was written by Loza Mesfin, a communications consultant working with ILRI in Ethiopia, and edited by David Dudenhoefer, communications consultant with CIP in Peru.