The Improving Productivity and Market Success (IPMS) of Ethiopian Farmers project is coming to an end.

IPMS aimed to transform agricultural productivity and rural development in Ethiopia through market-oriented agricultural development. Project staff worked with the Ethiopian Government to try new and innovative approaches and technologies. The team worked to achieve this objective through four main routes: participatory commodity development in a value chain setting; knowledge management for and by the actors; improved capacity to innovate, learn and link; and development of policies, strategies and approaches for scaling out successful interventions.

When the project was designed, ‘action-oriented research’ based on ‘value chain’ development interventions was relatively new to the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), which led the project, and the CGIAR system – hence, the project appeared to be a rather strange duckling in the research pond. Results of the project were shared during several events, including a major conference and value chain exhibition at the ILRI campus in 2011, which coincided with the end of activities in the project’s pilot learning districts in Ethiopia. A subsequent no-cost extension period for the project, which focused on scaling out and promoting the project’s successful interventions, gave us time to reflect on the project’s approaches, modus operandi and lessons learned. These may benefit other projects now starting up, such as the ‘Livestock and Irrigation Value chains for Ethiopian Smallholders’ (LIVES) and other R4D livestock value chain projects.

The lessons will be shared in ILRI’s next ‘livestock live talk’, to be held on 27 March 2013. Because this seminar will be held in the middle of a LIVES research planning workshop, it promises to attract over 70 participants and others beyond.

In this ‘livestock live talk’, the IPMS team invites everyone to reflect on:

• The IPMS commodity development approach in an agricultural research for development (AR4D) framework
• How IPMS implemented the AR4D approach in a research setting
• Achievements and lessons

The talk will be held at ILRI’s campus in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, from 1500–1600 hours.

Join the live presentation of this seminar online: http://www.ilri.org/livestream.

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‘Livestock live talks’ is a seminar series at ILRI that aims to address livestock-related issues, mobilize external as well as in-house expertise and audiences and engage the livestock community around interdisciplinary conversations that ask hard questions and seek to refine current research concepts and practices.

All ILRI staff, partners and donors, and interested outsiders are invited. Those non-staff who want to come, please contact Abeba Asmelash at a.asmelash[at]cgiar.org.