March 11-15, 2019, Abbay Basin Authority, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia
The Abbay Basin Authority will be hosting an international training workshop on the Integrated Decision Support System (IDSS) from March 11-15, 2019 in Bahir Dar, Ethiopia. The training is conducted under the Feed the Future Innovation Laboratory for Small Scale Irrigation (ILSSI) which is led by Texas A&M University. The IDSS is part of the research conducted under this program in Ethiopia in collaboration with Texas A&M University and three CGIAR centers: International Water Management Institute (IWMI), International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) and International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
The training will be conducted by a team of practicing scientists from Texas A&M University. Participants in the training will be graduate students and young scientists with backgrounds in economics, agronomy, water resources, hydrology, and engineering. Trainees will be introduced to three models that make up the IDSS, which are integrated to provide a holistic assessment of the impact of alternative interventions in food and agriculture. The models included in this training are:
- Agricultural Policy/Environmental eXtender Model (APEX, Apex.tamu.edu) – a farm/field scale model for hydrologists, agronomists, and soil scientists to evaluate crop production and environmental sustainability
- Farm Income Simulator (FARMSIM, https://www.afpc.tamu.edu/) – a socio-economic model for agricultural economists or people seeking an economic understanding
- Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT, swat.tamu.edu) – a watershed scale model for hydrologists, agricultural engineers, and other related water resource professionals.
The training on each model will be conducted in parallel, except on the morning of the 1st and entire 5th day, where all participants will be together to understand the model integration and learn from case studies. Participants have to choose one of the models for detailed training from the afternoon of the 1st day to end of the 4th day.
We hereby invite faculty, graduate students, scientists, technical advisors and others practitioners from universities, ministries, agencies, research institutions, the private sector and other organizations to apply for the training. Applications should be made in writing through an e-mail to Mr. Bewuketu Abebe at ewuket@gmail.com. The deadline for application is 28th February 2019. Successful applicants will be notified by 5th March 2019. Female researchers and scientists are encouraged to apply. There are limited seats – participants should apply as soon as possible.
For further information, please contact us via ewuket@gmail.com or call +251 92 051 8058.
Training materials, lunch, and other refreshments will be provided free of charge by training conveners. However, participants are expected to cover their own transport and costs of living in Bahir Dar throughout the training period. In addition, candidates should come with their own laptop computers.
Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Small Scale Irrigation – https://ilssi.tamu.edu/
