The Africa Center of Excellence for Climate Smart Agriculture and Biodiversity Conservation (ACE Climate SABC) had a plan of giving short courses to students and staff with the objective of capacity building program for various stakeholders. The short courses for students and teaching and technical staffs proposed cover a wide range of knowledge and skills which are listed in the following. These are:
• Data Management and Planning
• Precision Ag Concepts
• Geo-Spacial Thinking
• Introduction to Models and Modeling
• Decision Support and systems for climate smart agriculture
• Scientific Communication
• Biotechnology for Climate Smart Agriculture
• Information Systems for Climate Smart Agriculture
• Laboratory management and analytical techniques
• Entrepreneurial skills and Career development
• Teaching Methodologies
• Grant Writing Skills
• ICT in teaching and Research
• Postgraduate research supervision and Guidance
• Project Management
For Partners
• Gender and Climate Smart Agriculture
• Post-harvest management, processing and value addition of crops
• Post-harvest management, processing and value addition of livestock products
• Feed efficiency for reducing GBH emission
• Climate smart soil and water management practices
• Seed systems for combining climate change
• Climate Smart Agriculture mechanization
• Policy and institutional innovations for climate smart agriculture
• Market access and agricultural value chain
The Center has started delivering skill enhancement short courses in selected areas as part of its knowledge sharing plans. To date, five internationally recognized professors from Purdue University in the USA including the Food Prize Laureate Prof. Gebisa Ejeta, offered short courses at the Center in August 2018. All Climate SABC students and same affiliated faculty attended the training. The topics covered in the training were Climate Smart Agriculture, Climate Modeling, Global Food Security, Ecology, Ecosystem and Biotechnology. The students and the affiliated faculty were highly impressed with the quality of the training given by the professors. The Center also organized a successful and highly appreciated training in collaboration with Ethiopian Biotechnology Institute on measuring GHG emission from livestock and mitigation strategies in climate change scenario. The training was conducted by three trainers from Haramaya University, Arsi University and Ethiopian Biotechnology Institute for a total of 28 trainees. These include PhD (4) and MSc (9) students of the center (including 4 regional MSc students); staffs of College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences (4) and staffs College of Veterinary Medicine (3) of Haramaya University; staff of Ethiopian biotechnology Institute (3); staffs of Ethiopian Environment and Forestry Research Institute of Dire Dawa (3); a staff from EIAR, Asosa center (1) and a staff from Oda Bultum University (1), from ACE Climate SABC, four of them are regional female students at the Center. The total number of female trainees was 9, making the participation rate of female 32%. The center has also supported short-term training of faculty, project staff and students provided elsewhere (15 trainees). Moreover, PhD students are supported to participate in the training and make presentations on knowledge sharing events such as conferences, both at national and international levels.
In 2021, ACE Climate SABC at Haramaya University has successfully organized an International Training on Integrated Support System (IDSS) in collaboration with various partners: Feed the Future, Livestock Innovation Lab (LSIL) and Innovation Lab for Small Scale Irrigation (ILSSI) at Texas A&M University. The training was led by Texas A&M University from which the trainers have joined the Center.