Simret Yasabu and Zelalem Lema)

Participants were asked to introduce themselves using the River of Life approach which enabled them to introduce their background and what they expect at the end of the training: Expectations: • Properly understand livelihood indicators • Use the SLATE tool • More experience from participants • To get familiar with Benchmarking tool(SLATE) • Familiarizing with SLATE tool for sustainable livelihoods asset evaluation • Common understanding on the objectives of Africa RISING and NBDC • Experience sharing from different locations • To Well understand the SLATE tool and date collection and interpretation • To clearly understand the objectives, principles of the sustainable livelihoods approach • To learn a new tool • To learn what benchmarking tool is • A good background on livelihoods characterization • Common understanding about Africa RISING project • Experience sharing • To look at ways to integrate tool with ICRAF approach (for Africa RISING) • To potentially use tool in CRP1.2 • Learn more from the experts(farmers, development agents and participants about farming system in Ethiopia ) • How can we improve SLATE, combine it with other approaches to get closer to what we need? • Learn about whether the assumptions we have in developing SLATE work • Practical experience in the use of the tool • Revision of the applicability of the toll after the field work • Will be able to train other on how to use the benchmarking tool • Come to a common understanding after the field work • To know the techniques of how to collect ,analyse and evaluate livelihoods researches or assets with in a community ,as well as major challenges of obstacles and possible opportunities available for the community • Strong partnership • Feedback on the strong and weak side of the SLATE tool • I also hope to gain useful lesson from Jeldu field experience • To well introduced to the concept of farm-benchmarking needs and techniques