Arba Minch University Skills Initiatives for Africa Job Opportunity for Female Employability through the Adoption of Proven Enset (Enset ventricosum) Technologies (AMU-SIFA-JOB-FEET) project in collaboration with the Arba Minch Polytechnic Satellite Institute and Lucy Enset P.L.C held three day training for young entrepreneurs on enset seedling propagation and entrepreneurship mindset from three enset growing regions: Central Ethiopia, Sidama and South Ethiopia Regions at AMU, Abaya Campus. Click here to see more photos.
Co-investigator of the project and trainer of entrepreneurship mindset training on enset seedling propagation and distribution and business planning, Abiot Tsegaye (PhD), said the main objective of this training is totally creating awareness of entrepreneurship concept to the trainees who are going to engage in enset seedling propagation and distribution. He also underscored introducing the trainees with business modeling, business plan developing and marketing concepts of demand and supply. To be an entrepreneur one should have the ability of opportunity seeking and initiative, taking calculated risk, persistence, commitment to the work contract, demand to efficiency and quality, goal setting, systematic planning and monitoring, information seeking, persuasion and networking, and independence and self-confidence, Dr. Abiot summed up.
Mr. Beyene Kushe, a chief technical officer at AMU’s department of Biology and a field coordinator at enset project, giving overview on enset propagation, challenges and opportunities applauding Ethiopian farmers for their indigenous knowledge based enset propagation techniques shared the scientific approaches to propagate and distribute enset for the participants. As we all know, enset, a crop against hunger, requires wide range of agro-ecology, fertile soil and organic fertilization for its cultivation.
Mr. Yonas Siraj, researcher and chief bio-tech laboratory assistant and trainer of this program, said our farmers have been doing enset propagation in cultural methods and the aim of this training is to give them knowhow on macro-propagation, show them how they can multiply in mass and deliver to the society to sustain food security. Even though enset has a great role in changing livelihoods and socio-cultural aspects, its cultivation faces challenges particularly in seedling propagation and producing disease and pest free plants, delay in production, and others, he noted. To address such challenges, enset propagation is employed as cost effective macro -propagation technique; while selecting mother plant, health, age, variety and environmental factors should be considered and materials and chemicals needed for propagation must be taken into account, Mr. Yonas explained.
Mr. Selamu Abreham from Central Ethiopia Region Agricultural Bureau Horticultural Department and AMU-SIFA JOB FEET project’s focal person said the training creates awareness to be scientific entrepreneurs. Thanks to AMU and this project, our region establishes 14 enterprises in 5 zones that work on enset seedling propagation, enset processing and improved machine production, he remarked.
Mr. Matiyos Mazge from South Ethiopia Region Agricultural Bureau Horticultural Department highlighted we established four associations in four zones: Gamo, Wolayita, Goffa and Gedeo that work on enset seedling propagation and distribution and planned to expand the program to 10 enset growing zones in our region in the near future; we are also working with AMU on enset production and disease prevention as well.
Mr. Tibebu Zenebe from Arba Minch Poly Technique and Satellite Institute and member of the project team on his behalf said the institute’s part in the project is to create intellectuals that produce improved machines of enset processing and create jobs in machine production.
One of the trainees Ms. Amsal Araba from South Ethiopia Region Goffa zone Goffa Geze woreda said this is my first training on entrepreneurship mindset, enset propagation, distribution and marketing. I have got a lot of experience that will help my team in enset seedling propagation and distribution. She added, even though we have traditional knowledge on enset seed propagation it doesn’t let us produce mass seedlings, hence the update that we gain from this training will help us to produce in mass. Similarly, Mr. Selamu Salfago, a trainee from Central Ethiopia Region Kembata Zone Doyogana Woreda, said, enset is the main food source in our region for humans and animals. I have gained a lot of knowledge on enset propagation and entrepreneurship mindset and shared experience with other trainees from different regions, he underlined.
The theoretical training at Abaya Campus and the practical training at Dorze Holoho Research Center from January 13-15, 2025 gathered key stakeholders from the three regions’ Agricultural Bureau and Entrepreneurship and Enterprises’ Bureau and focal persons of the project from each region; 60 trainers participated.
The project principal investigator and coordinator, Wondwosen Jerene (PhD), in his closing remarks, said, enset crop, a crop against hunger, once ignored now becomes the green gold and the next supper food in world food program, will be so helpful to create job opportunities for generation, secur food shortage and if supported by technology to feed the whole world. The trainee participants in this program should work hard on enset seedling propagation and distribution to benefit economically; I thank Dr. Addisu Fekadu and his team for their relentless effort that they contribute on enset project. If you do not take calculated risks into account, you will not succeed and you should be brave and work hard, he advised the trainees.
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