On January 22, 2025, College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences of Arsi University hosted a significant workshop marking the closure of the TOMATO project and the launch of the new MAINSTREAM project. The event took place in the university’s Senate Hall and was attended by university higher officials, College Deans, staff from the College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, projects implementing partners and the stakeholders that took part during the courses of TOMATO Project implementations in particular, and the Life of the Project in general.
Dr. Befekadu Chemere, Dean of the College, opened the workshop by presenting an overview of agricultural projects, emphasizing on going national and international collaborations. Mr. Sisay Yefru and Dr. Samuel Mezemir, project team members, presented on the background, approaches, and major achievements of the TOMATO project. They highlighted the project’s impact assessment key findings, stressing the resources and experiences gained throughout the project duration. The presenters also emphasized on the importance of further stakeholder cooperation in order to ensure sustainability of the project and the project benefits for both internal and external communities. As far as project exit strategies are concerned, it was also outlined in the presentations that the project has been closely working with stakeholders and also engaging them from early project planning and implementations phases.
Mr. Degefu Kebede, a team member of MAINSTREAM (Intra African Mobility Project in Agriculture, and Climate Change), introduced the newly launched Project. He introduced the MAINSTREAM project and outlined the success stories of previous projects and the importances for South – South cooperation and collaboration with other African universities besides North – South collaborations.
The participants expressed their appreciation for the efforts of the project initiators and indicated their readiness to follow their footsteps in securing future projects for their respective colleges.
The workshop concluded with closing remarks and future directions made by Dr. Fikadu Mitiku, President of Arsi University. Dr. Fikadu recognized the dedication of the project team from the college of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences and expressed his interest and institutional dedications and commitments in supporting similar initiatives at the university level.
This workshop not only celebrated the achievements of the TOMATO project, but also set the stages for the promising future of the MAINSTREAM project, in fostering collaboration and innovations in agricultural education and research.
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