University community linkage: selection and piloting of agro-innovation enterprise clusters to enhance income of households in rural areas of Tigray region, northern Ethiopia

This study was designed to select and pilot agro-innovation clusters in the mandate areas of Mekelle University, namely Enderta, Raya Azebo and Wukro kiltewlaelo. Farmers at the grass root level and stakeholders at different levels identified a criteria for the selection of agro-innovation enterprise clusters. These are: 1) profitability, 2) potential for growth (affected by input or product supply), 3) job creation specially for youth and women, 4) potential for value chain development, 5) sustainability, 6) demand or social acceptance, and 7) policy support. The relative importance of the criteria was also determined qualitatively. The potential and most feasible enterprises were selected using the seven criteria and ranked based on the scores given by the farmers. In the process, each of the enterprises were assigned a score between 1 and 5 where the highest score meant that the enterprise was the best in terms of the criterion (e.g. profitability), and the lowest score mean that the enterprise hardly fulfiled the criterion. The commodity with the highest weighted score was ranked 1, the second highest ranked, 2 and so on. Among the ranked enterprises, agricultural commodities that involve demand, sustainability and profitability were selected. Finally, the enterprises selected for agro-innovation enterprise clusters piloting were Cabbage for Enderta district and Tomato for both Wukro kiltewlaelo and Raya Azebo districts. The participatory selection of enterprise is of paramount importance to enhance the income of the rural households in the region. The University-community linkage could be sustained by using this opportunity as a tool to strengthen mutual benefit of University and local community in the study sites. The study sites should be used as potential pilot sites for outreach programmes or students attachment for outreach and experiemental learning. Hence, this would be a good way of sharing experience and strengethening unversity - community engagment to catalyse rural transformation.