1.
Supporting Ethiopia’s Response to COVID-19
CGIAR COVID 19 Hub - Ethiopia Country Team
Siboniso Moyo, ILRI
12 January 2021
Core Team
Namukolo Covic (A4NH/IFPRI)
Lulseged Desta (Bioversity-CIAT)
Zewdie Bishaw (ICARDA)
Alemayehu Seyoum (IFPRI)
Tilahun Amede (ICRISAT)
Yidnekachew Wondimu (ICRISAT)
Getachew Feye (ILRI)
Michael Victor (ILRI)
Gail Amare (ILRI)
Amare Haileslassie (IWMI)
Bekele Abeyo (CIMMYT)
Ethiopia Country Team
and eight CGIAR Research Programs focal points

2.
Ethiopia Country Team
Country Engagement Process
Creating the
enabling environment Developing the strategy and program
❑ Together with
our partners,
activating and
sustaining diverse
and robust
mechanisms for
research and
co-delivery of
innovation,
capacity
development and
policy change.
❑ Monitoring,
measurement and
reporting.
Recognizing
contributions by
various partners
Institutionalization Resourcing Alignment Co-Design Collaboration Contribution
Implementing
the program
Monitoring and
measuring the program
✓ Triangulation
✓Demand-side Assessment
✓Supply-side Assessment
✓Feasibility Assessment
❑ Validation of triangulation
with select stakeholders
❑ Validation of objectives,
outputs/outcomes, and key
research questions
✓ Action Plan
▪ Demand
▪ Objectives
▪ Key questions
▪ Outputs/outcomes
▪ Draft activities
▪ Centers and partners
❑ Co-design of key
activities
✓Mandate,
purpose and
governance &
leadership for
engagement
established
✓ Mechanisms for
coordination
established
Capacity / skill-
sets and funding
identified to
support effective
and sustained
engagement

3.
Key Elements of Demand/Supply Assessment
3
Challenges that
research could
help address
Emerging
Research
Questions
o Poor diet quality
o Low production of staple
foods
o Little diversity of fruits and
vegetables
o Major bottleneck: Seed supply
o Misinformation against
vegetables and animal-source
foods (meat and milk) at the
start of the pandemic
o Nature of agriculture input supply
disruptions
o Mapping seed supply systems
(1 vegetable + 2 staples)
o Misinformation challenges
o Digitalized app elements supporting
seed supply, food safety,
consumption and WASH decisions
by communities/households
Ethiopia Country Team
Government
of Ethiopia
Priorities
• Ethiopia Ministry of Agriculture
COVID-19 Response Plan
• Agricultural services
• Distribution of inputs
• Increased production of grain
& vegetables
• Domestic & export supply
chain
• Food support
• Digital Ethiopia 2025 Strategy
• Agricultural sector targets

4.
Lessons Learned
4
Ethiopia Country Team
• Build on existing CGIAR country collaboration mechanism for ease of
coordination
• Ongoing partnerships between the CGIAR and partners are essential
• Demand and supply-side assessment was a valuable exercise to do
• Needed sufficient time to pilot and follow the engagement process
framework
• Plan for good management of expectations during the alignment and
co-design process
• Adequate resourcing is key to support the activities
• Coordination is a key element