UConn PIRE Kickoff Meeting

UConn successfully launched its PIRE Food and Water Security Project at a kickoff meeting in Bahir Dar, Ethiopia from July 11-14, 2016. The meeting included a two-day workshop with presentations and breakout sessions devoted to rain-fed agriculture, irrigation, hydropower, and international teaching and learning; field trips to irrigated and rain-fed communities, a hydropower dam, the Blue Nile Water Institute and the Abbay Basin Authority; and meetings with key officials including the regional minister for education.

The kickoff meeting intended to serve as a platform where researchers, university administrators and stakeholders could develop an understanding of project objectives, discuss expectations, and identify opportunities and risks for the collaboration. The conference achieved its intended goals on all fronts. Most importantly, the main stakeholders renewed their commitment and several new local stakeholders (including the President of Bahir Dar University and community leaders in potential field sites) expressed new commitment to the project.

The conference received considerable media attention from both regional and federal mass media outlets. Interviews were made by both US and Ethiopian researchers as well as stakeholders, and broadcasted live on national TV stations. The UConn PIRE team used the occasion to inform viewers of its commitments towards realizing water/food and human security in Ethiopia and the value they placed in knowledge transfer and cultural exchanges between the peoples of the United States and Ethiopia.

The report presents the main action items team members will pursue in the near future, summaries of the presentations and discussions from the workshop, and descriptions of the field sites. Read more

Categories: News

Published: November 27, 2016