Stakeholders meeting on scaling the homegrown school feeding program through chicken eggs in Yirgalem, Sidama Region

Yemane, T. and Argaw, A. 2025. Stakeholders meeting on scaling the homegrown school feeding program through chicken eggs in Yirgalem, Sidama Region. ILRI Workshop Report. Nairobi, Kenya: ILRI.

Various agriculture sector stakeholders explored collaborative efforts, shared insights and developed actionable plans to enhance the Homegrown School Feeding Program’s impact on Sidama Region schools and communities. They discussed strategies for expanding the program in the Sidama Region, emphasizing incorporating chicken eggs as a key component of the feeding initiative.

During the meeting, an overview of the existing Home Grown School Feeding Program in Murancho Qutela Primary School, Sidama Region, Hawela Woreda, was provided, highlighting its achievements and areas for improvement; the benefits of adding chicken eggs to the feeding initiative, challenges, and potential solutions for scaling up, roles of different stakeholders in implementation, and further strategies for monitoring and evaluation were discussed.

The meeting successfully deliberated on expanding the Home Grown School Feeding program in Yirgalem. By incorporating chicken eggs, the program will be able to enhance nutrition for more primary school students while fostering community involvement. The collaborative efforts of all stakeholders will be crucial in overcoming challenges related to resource, production, management and implementing effective strategies for monitoring and evaluation. Further action plans will be developed in subsequent meetings to ensure the program’s successful expansion.