Limited or no access to credit/input finance, agricultural inputs, row planter and other farm machinery are among the major challenges that affect farmers adoption of good agricultural practice (20 Steps) in the sesame sub-sector. Strengthening the collaboration and synergy among the kebele level stakeholders, namely, kebele administration and kebele development agent, farmers and cooperatives; and local financial institutions and/or the kebele credit committee will play a pivotal role in meeting the aforementioned challenges.

The collaboration and synergy among the tripartite is important for several reasons, among others: provision of agricultural credit for those farmers who wants to adopt innovation and improve productivity and quality of their produce; provision of technical information to financial institutions, allowing them to better assess cash flows and risks; collaboration between government extension service and farmer trainers etc.

In the last two years, Benefit-SBN tried to facilitate kebele-level agro-economic planning in 24 kebeles but the activity was not as such successful due to the late start of the activity and farmers late repayment rate of credit. Once again, in 2019 Benefit-SBN started this activity by having discussion with regional level authorities. After getting the buy-in the programme discussed with zone and woreda level representatives of the three parties.  From February to mid-March 2019, the programme facilitated orientation and training sessions for 55 kebeles (28 from Amhara and 27 from Tigray). About 320 kebele committee members and woreda and zone level representatives participated in the training.

At present committee members are doing the kebele level agro-economic planning. Benefit-SBN staff members are providing technical support for the kebele committees.