Ethiopia

In Ethiopia the MSC process was conducted in two districts of Oromia where the CARD II project was implemented. 

The Selection Committee in the Ethiopian MSC process included members from each of the two districts where story collection occurred. Story selection was done in two rounds, where in the first round, the Selection Committee was split into four sub-committees and chose four stories to move to a final round.

The Selection Committee in Ethiopia emphasized the introduction of new agricultural technology, increasing production, improving nutrition and food security, gender issues, and environmental resource management. The theme of sanitation for the family also resonated with the committee.

The final selected story was about a male farmer who was interested in mechanizing farming practices, and in conserving natural resources by planting tree seedlings. The story was chosen for the farmer’s strong long-term vision and aspiration to use farming technologies to increase production and improve his family's food security and nutrition. The committees also valued the storyteller’s focus on natural resource conservation and his interest in teaching gender equality to the next generation. 

Relative to other countries, stories in Ethiopia were more likely to discuss Food Security, Electricity, Personal Hygiene, Animal Husbandry, and Business Diversification with respect to goals for the future. Additionally, stories in Ethiopia were the most likely to mention inflation as a barrier. Regarding GESI topics, storytellers in Ethiopia were most likely to discuss gender equality and equitable sharing of resources between women and men.