Cascading the Permagarden Method in Ethiopia

This training was part of the knowledge strengthening activities conducted by the Agriculture and Natural Resource Management (ANRM) component of the program. The event was cohosted by The Ethiopia Home Garden Network, which is coordinated by the USAID Ethiopia-funded Agriculture Knowledge Learning Documentation and Policy (AKLDP) project. The ToT prepared participants to lead three-day permagarden trainings for farmers and gardeners by teaching the permagarden method and lessons in adult learning. The permagarden method combines permaculture and bio-intensive agriculture to create a highly productive home garden using a small amount of land. It utilizes sustainable agriculture practices specifically designed for the development context in order to increase production into the dry and lean seasons. The method shows how farmers around the world with only a small amount of land can produce food throughout the year by learning the natural principles behind good gardening and matching those principles to basic practices. Twenty-eight individuals from the Ethiopia Home Garden Network and USAID Food for Peace programs participated in the permagarden ToT. In the three months since, the permagarden training has cascaded to over 85 individuals by eight trainers that attended the permagarden ToT, with an additional four trainings currently scheduled. All of the training logistics, facilitation, and expenses are covered by ToT participants and organizations, demonstrating a real commitment to sharing and learning. The TOPS Program has worked to create and facilitate learning events with the Home Garden Network since its inception in July 2014. This interaction has highlighted the following key lessons about the potential of in-country networks: reach is greater with a network, allowing for adoption to begin throughout multiple regions; there is an opportunity to strengthen capacity outside a typical project model; knowledge is identified and shared across organizations on a regular basis; and information can be collated through a central point for wider learning. The TOPS Program is the USAID/Food for Peace-funded learning and knowledge management initiative, bringing the highest quality information, knowledge, and promising practices in food assistance programming to implementers and donors around the world. Led by Save the Children, The TOPS Program is a consortium program drawing on the expertise of its partners: CORE Group (knowledge management), Food for the Hungry (social and behavioral change), Mercy Corps (agriculture and natural resource management), and TANGO International (monitoring and evaluation). The program aims to ensure more communities and households benefit from the U.S. Government's investments to fight global hunger.