In the month of August, our Ethiopia Local Coordinator Adane Buni organized a series of
trainings and pilot tests with the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Land Administration and Use Directorate.

The training series included a Training of Trainers for the Ethiopian Rural Land Administration and Use Experts. The training was hosted by the Ministry of Agriculture and included both classroom presentations and field demonstrations of the app. In total, 227 agricultural officers, researchers and students were trained in using the LandPKS app.

During the pilot testing across several regions of Ethiopia, land biophysical data were collected using the LandPKS app and conventional Ethiopian Rural Land Use Planning methods to compare the approaches as inputs for local level participatory land use planning. The pilot tests showed that the LandPKS and conventional land use planning approaches produced comparable results. It was also determined that the LandPKS mobile app required less expertise and time for data analysis and report preparation. As a result, the Land Administration and Use Directorate has begun planning for the extension of the app out to its land use planning experts. Regional Experts in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and People’s Region (SNNPR) have already begun training local level rural land use planners to use LandPKS to collect biophysical data for land use planning purposes.