On November 6-8, 2019, Banyan Global, in collaboration with International Medical Corps (IMC) and Fintrac, organized a three-day training on gender equality, positive youth development, and nutrition for Feed the Future Ethiopia Value Chain Activity partners in Adama, Ethiopia. The three-day training was led by Genet Admassu, Banyan Global Gender and Youth Specialist, and IMC’s regional nutrition coordinator.

The training targeted agribusiness and agricultural development professionals and practitioners from the Oromia region in Ethiopia. Thirty-six representatives of different partner organizations attended the training, where they were introduced to a number of tools and techniques to better link gender and youth to their work. For example, participants learned about practical tips and ready-to-use tools that can be implemented at all stages of the agricultural value chain. Thirty percent of the participants were women.

Participants were asked to share their personal experiences and thoughts throughout the event in order to make it interactive. The main discussion topics were gender dynamics within farming households, approaches to promote gender awareness among farmer organizations and service providers, and business arguments for gender-sensitive approaches such as increased productivity, which can increase income and improve livelihoods and nutrition. By the end of the training, participants were able to use the concepts of gender equality, equity, and women’s economic empowerment to identify gender-based constraints that hinder the performance of women in different agricultural value chains, as well as to develop gender-responsive interventions to benefit women, youth, and agribusinesses.