{"id":48768,"date":"2024-12-15T12:00:52","date_gmt":"2024-12-15T12:00:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/iuc.amu.edu.et\/?p=48768"},"modified":"2026-03-17T02:44:25","modified_gmt":"2026-03-17T02:44:25","slug":"reviewing-progress-and-activities-at-amu-iuc-joint-steering-committee","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/iuc.amu.edu.et\/index.php\/reviewing-progress-and-activities-at-amu-iuc-joint-steering-committee\/","title":{"rendered":"Reviewing Progress And Activities At AMU IUC Joint Steering Committee"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"48768\" class=\"elementor elementor-48768\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2edf62c6 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"2edf62c6\" data-element_type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6a6ecad9 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"6a6ecad9\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<style>\/*! elementor - v3.22.0 - 26-06-2024 *\/\n.elementor-widget-text-editor.elementor-drop-cap-view-stacked .elementor-drop-cap{background-color:#69727d;color:#fff}.elementor-widget-text-editor.elementor-drop-cap-view-framed .elementor-drop-cap{color:#69727d;border:3px solid;background-color:transparent}.elementor-widget-text-editor:not(.elementor-drop-cap-view-default) .elementor-drop-cap{margin-top:8px}.elementor-widget-text-editor:not(.elementor-drop-cap-view-default) .elementor-drop-cap-letter{width:1em;height:1em}.elementor-widget-text-editor .elementor-drop-cap{float:left;text-align:center;line-height:1;font-size:50px}.elementor-widget-text-editor .elementor-drop-cap-letter{display:inline-block}<\/style>\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a style=\"color: #0000ff;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.vliruos.be\/iuc-arba-minch-university-ethiopia\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Arba Minch University\u2019s Institutional University Cooperation (AMU-IUC)<\/a> <\/span>project is a decade-long partnership with VLIR-UOS, aimed at strengthening education, research, and community engagement in the South Ethiopian Rift Valley. The project emphasises sustainable development, gender inclusion, and the translation of academic research into practical solutions for local communities. The annual Joint Steering Committee Meeting (JSCM) provides a vital platform for AMU and Flemish partners to review progress, share insights, and plan for the year ahead.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">This collaboration brings together AMU faculty, researchers, and PhD students with experts from KU Leuven and other Flemish institutions. Workshops, field visits, and strategic discussions allow the JSCM to connect academic knowledge with real-world challenges. Through these exchanges, the project\u2019s vision\u2014improving social, economic, and environmental outcomes\u2014takes tangible shape, benefiting both the university and surrounding communities.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Managing a multi-institutional project like AMU-IUC presents challenges. Coordinating administrative procedures, aligning financial obligations, and maintaining communication across teams require careful planning. Without hands-on field engagement, progress can feel abstract, hidden in reports and emails. Visits to sites such as Gesha Forest and Kemele Oro in Geresse Woreda revealed tangible outcomes\u2014check dams, nursery developments, and tree planting\u2014that clarified achievements and motivated staff and partners. These experiences underscored the importance of combining rigorous planning with direct engagement to deliver meaningful community benefits.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The project implements practical interventions across research, education, and community engagement. PhD students and researchers conducted workshops and field demonstrations on sustainable agriculture, nutrition, and environmental restoration. Lake Chamo, Gesha Forest, and Kemele Oro were transformed through gully rehabilitation, apple-based agroforestry, wetland management, and small-scale maize flour fortification. These activities turned abstract research into visible, tangible outcomes for local communities.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d02e0f0 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"d02e0f0\" data-element_type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-13ff99e elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"13ff99e\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<style>\/*! elementor - v3.22.0 - 26-06-2024 *\/\n.elementor-widget-image{text-align:center}.elementor-widget-image a{display:inline-block}.elementor-widget-image a img[src$=\".svg\"]{width:48px}.elementor-widget-image img{vertical-align:middle;display:inline-block}<\/style>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/iuc.amu.edu.et\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Lake-Chamo-buffer-zone-rehabilitation_RSP6-1024x683.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-48825\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/iuc.amu.edu.et\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Lake-Chamo-buffer-zone-rehabilitation_RSP6-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/iuc.amu.edu.et\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Lake-Chamo-buffer-zone-rehabilitation_RSP6-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/iuc.amu.edu.et\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Lake-Chamo-buffer-zone-rehabilitation_RSP6-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/iuc.amu.edu.et\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Lake-Chamo-buffer-zone-rehabilitation_RSP6-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/iuc.amu.edu.et\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Lake-Chamo-buffer-zone-rehabilitation_RSP6-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-12650e2 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"12650e2\" data-element_type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-53b2d40 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"53b2d40\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Stakeholders played active roles at every stage. PhD students like Muluken Bekele and Eshetu Zerihun from RSP3 applied research to benefit farmers, health professionals, and schoolchildren. Local partners, including cooperatives and village leaders, collaborated on tree-planting, soil conservation, and nutrition initiatives, ensuring the interventions were practical, culturally appropriate, and widely accepted. Institutional teams from AMU and Flemish universities coordinated logistics, provided technical guidance, and facilitated knowledge sharing.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Innovation supported these efforts. Drones mapped gullies, drip irrigation supported agroforestry, and fortified flour mixers enabled research to be tested in real settings. PhD graduates translated their academic work into workshops, hands-on training, and community outreach, bridging the gap between science and daily practice. The combination of technology, research expertise, and local engagement ensured solutions were effective and sustainable.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">At the September 2024 JSCM, partners reviewed the year\u2019s achievements. In Gesha, an extensive stretch of gully rehabilitation was completed with check dams, while Kemele Oro\u2019s community nursery produced thousands of seedlings now planted for watershed restoration. Several PhD graduates from Phase One also organized multiple<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">\u00a0<span style=\"color: #000000;\">workshops<\/span><\/span> and training sessions that reached hundreds of participants, including farmers, teachers, and health workers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e5e1c10 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"e5e1c10\" data-element_type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-912f0b5 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"912f0b5\" data-element_type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6a88084 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"6a88084\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Reflecting on his experiences in JSCM week, <\/span><span style=\"color: #000000; font-size: 1rem;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.kuleuven.be\/wieiswie\/en\/person\/00089534\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Roeland Janssen<\/span><\/a>, Flemish Project Manager,<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000; font-size: 1rem;\"> noted<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><i><em>&#8220;<\/em>It is better when we can be together to see real, visible progress. Otherwise, all we have are emails and written reports, and that doesn\u2019t make you understand what is really going on<\/i><i>.&#8221;<\/i><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-c86f493 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"c86f493\" data-element_type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-64b8f42 elementor-widget__width-initial elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"64b8f42\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"999\" src=\"https:\/\/iuc.amu.edu.et\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Roeland-Janssen_PSU-1024x999.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-48826\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/iuc.amu.edu.et\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Roeland-Janssen_PSU-1024x999.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/iuc.amu.edu.et\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Roeland-Janssen_PSU-300x293.jpg 300w, https:\/\/iuc.amu.edu.et\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Roeland-Janssen_PSU-768x750.jpg 768w, https:\/\/iuc.amu.edu.et\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Roeland-Janssen_PSU-1536x1499.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/iuc.amu.edu.et\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Roeland-Janssen_PSU-2048x1999.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2d1ad8c e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"2d1ad8c\" data-element_type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-49434db elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"49434db\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The IUC project will consolidate Phase Two achievements and address pressing community and institutional needs. Successful interventions such as check dams and tree nurseries will be scaled up, and community engagement programs will connect research with local realities. AMU will continue strengthening administrative efficiency, knowledge-sharing, and transparent reporting. Tools like the IUC newsletter will expand communication, translating scientific findings into formats accessible to students, policymakers, and local communities. By linking research, practice, and dialogue, the project deepens its transformative role in university development and community resilience.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Arba Minch University\u2019s Institutional University Cooperation (AMU-IUC) project is a decade-long partnership with VLIR-UOS, aimed at strengthening education,&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":48787,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_themeisle_gutenberg_block_has_review":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[19042,19117],"tags":[19116],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/iuc.amu.edu.et\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48768"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/iuc.amu.edu.et\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/iuc.amu.edu.et\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iuc.amu.edu.et\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iuc.amu.edu.et\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=48768"}],"version-history":[{"count":133,"href":"https:\/\/iuc.amu.edu.et\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48768\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":48943,"href":"https:\/\/iuc.amu.edu.et\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48768\/revisions\/48943"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iuc.amu.edu.et\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/48787"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/iuc.amu.edu.et\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=48768"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iuc.amu.edu.et\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=48768"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iuc.amu.edu.et\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=48768"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}