Partners in research, extension and policy on national level collaborate in support of producer-led scaling through Pioneer-Positive Deviance in the Ethiopian extension system

Partners from research, extension, and policy at the national level collaborated to support producer-led scaling through the Pioneer-Positive Deviance (P-PD) approach in the Ethiopian extension system. This collaboration responded to changing farming and pastoral conditions and aligned with Ethiopia’s pluralistic livestock extension strategy.The P-PD approach was tested in mixed farming and pastoral areas by the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) and partners and showed improvements in farmer-led learning, feeding practices, and knowledge sharing. National Stakeholder Engagement Workshops held between 2023 and 2025 helped partners engage with evidence from these applications, leading to a shared understanding that climate-resilient solutions already exist within farming and pastoral communities.As a result, partners aligned around producer-led scaling grounded in locally proven practices, contributed to the development of P-PD guidelines and training resources, and supported the inclusion of the P-PD approach draft National Pluralistic Extension Strategy and projects. Farmer- and pastoralist-led practices identified through the P-PD process are now used as learning anchors in extension and capacity development efforts.There is continued interest among partners to further institutionalize the P-PD approach through coordinated implementation, additional evidence generation, and strengthened collaboration across mixed farming and pastoral areas in Ethiopia.