Research Extension and Publication Directorate in collaboration with ISSD East Oromia Region Project offered training to 35 trainees of whom 10 were woreda experts, 5 cooperative development agents (DAs) and 20 seed producers’ cooperative executive committee gathered from five different woredas that are engaged in seed production in the East Hararghe Zone from 5-6 September 2017 at Harar Ras-Hotel.
During the opening sessions Mr. Fayisa Hundesa, on behalf of the Directorate, said that the participants are expected to take the general concept of cooperative from the training that would enable them to practically implement in the seed business. He added that the purpose of the training is to identify challenges faced by seed producers’ cooperatives executive committee members while implementing the four components and rules of cooperative in their tasks.
The training commenced with active involvement of participants with an experience sharing session among with one another and the participants were given group assignments on business plan development and financial record keeping and reporting of their respective cooperative work and presented in front of the audience with the guidance of respective trainers. The training was delivered by two experts invited from East Harahge Zone Cooperative Office and the trainees from Haramaya, Babile, Kombolcha, Jarso and Chelenko participated.
The training consisted of four important cooperative components such as principles of cooperative management, seed business plan, cooperative financial management and seed marketing system that create strong linkage among actors and increase the knowledge and skill of the participants while running seed business at their local areas to satisfy the input (seed, fertilizers, chemicals, etc.) demand of their respective members. Mr. Abinet Tesfaya, Assistant Manager of Eastern Hararghe Zone Cooperative Office, in his closing remark said the training was encouraging to the seed producers cooperatives’ to be active in performing their activities basing on the rule and regulation of cooperative agency and to enhance the knowledge and capacity of the trainees in seed production.
On a similar note, BENEFIT-ISSD Project, Oromia East Unit organized and conducted a four-day training on Cooperative Organizational and Financial Management, Marketing, and Business Plan Development for Seed producers’ Cooperatives (SPCs), Development Agents (DAs) and woreda partners at Chiro and Harar cities respectively from 1-2 and 3-4 September 2017.
A total of 60 trainees of whom 8 females with direct support from SPCs (Haji Faji, Lalisa Ifadin, Abdi Gudina, Oda Madda and Rakata Fura), and DAs and Woreda Cooperative Agencies (Babile, Kersa, Habro, Oda Bultum and Mieso) participated in the training.
In the four-day training different topics including but not limited to cooperative organization management, concept of good governance in cooperative, power and role of boards of directors in cooperative governance, cooperative leadership and its challenge, basic values and ethics in cooperatives, membership and gender participation (women, men and youth participation), and women participation in cooperative leadership; Principles and mechanisms of quality seed marketing, seed value chain actors in seed production and marketing, standard store and seed management, principles of quality seeds production and marketing, business plan development, practices, and implementation and action plan development at individual and SPCs levels were covered.
During the general discussion session, trainees raised issues they considered to be of importance and the way forward was indicated. The trainees confirmed that the training enabled them to realize that they were understanding and undertaking professionalism mistakenly due to lack of awareness and knowledge.
