The University of Galway’s LEG4DEV team recently met with the Embassy of Ireland in Ethiopia. Ambassador of Ireland to Ethiopia, Olivia Leslie, met with Lead Principal Investigator for the EcoFoodSystems and LEG4DEV projects, Prof. Charles Spillane, and members of the LEG4DEV project research team from University of Galway, including LEG4DEV Affiliate Investigators Dr. Noel Ndlovu, Dr. Una Murray and Dr Felipe Quiroz.
The team provided a briefing on the ongoing LEG4DEV work in Ethiopia for the Ambassador and her Embassy team. Linkages and synergies with ongoing Embassy of Ireland and Irish Aid-funded activities in Ethiopia were also discussed, and avenues to consolidate activities for greater impact were explored.
While in Addis Ababa, the LEG4DEV team organised and ran a multi-stakeholder workshop on Climate Resilient Scaling of Legume Production and Consumption. The workshop was run by University of Galway in partnership with the CGIAR’s International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI)) and included key stakeholders from across government, NGOs, the private sector, academia and research organisations.
The workshop featured a range of presentations on cutting-edge research and innovation activities underway within LEG4DEV project and across key national organisations in Ethiopia. The range of topics included climate modelling, crop modelling, and satellite remote sensing for scaling climate-resilient legume cropping systems; demand-side legume consumption for planet, health, and livelihoods; and capacity building and genetic resources for scaling legumes in Ethiopia.
The LEG4DEV team also discussed the progress with the LEG4DEV scholarships supporting nine PhD researchers working on legume scaling research across Ethiopian universities. The University of Galway and ILRI LEG4DEV scholarship support scheme, established in partnership with the Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture (RUFORUM) university network, supports PhD researchers carrying out research and innovation activities related to legume scaling in Ethiopia.
The LEG4DEV project will continue to deepen and broaden its range of research and innovation activities with partners in Ethiopia during 2026 and 2027.