In this era of digital transformation, companies are keen to pursue and leverage the ever growing array of innovative digital tools to enhance efficiency, improve competitiveness and drive growth in rapidly evolving markets.
This same enthusiasm is evident among individuals who seek out digitally-driven opportunities for their professional and business successes. This reality is illustrated by proactive entrepreneurs like Samuel Mulugeta who runs an agribusiness in Ethiopia, often referred to as a horticultural sleeping-giant.
As a founder and chief of avocado exporting company, iPlant Agribusiness Plc, Samuel has consistently kept a close eye on global trends, primarily focusing on international markets impacted by ever shifting consumer preferences and stricter standards.
Samuel’s dedication and drive for business growth are demonstrated by the various ways he engages himself in the horticulture sector wherein Ethiopia has both comparative and competitive advantages.
With a background of chemical engineering, Samuel would fervently seek out opportunities to enhance his technical expertise in sustainable farming and export quality standards, primarily to gain access to potential international markets like the European Union (EU), which introduces more than 100 new regulations and modifications annually.
As he persisted in doing so, he one day came across a content on EHPEA LinkedIn page about the Training by EHPEA-HortiCampus, an interactive e-Learning platform, offering demand-driven courses for professionals within the sector. This has enabled Samuel to pursue and successfully complete two extremely pertinent courses: Local Good Agricultural Practices (Local GAP) and Avocado Value Chain.
For Samuel the training has multiple impacts as the certifications help him establish credibility when he interacts with potential buyers and partners, while the knowledge he has gained is directly applied for his agribusiness, ensuring that his company’s contracting farmers and field agents are trained in compliance with the internationally recognized good practices.
“The Local GAP course, for example, directly informed how we train our cooperatives on harvest maturity, pesticide management, and record‑keeping – all of which are now part of our GlobalG.A.P. Preparation.
The Avocado Value Chain course helped me understand post‑harvest handling and logistics from a farmer’s perspective, which improved our farm‑to‑packhouse protocols,” says Samuel.
Hailing the way the flexible, 24/7 accessible, self-paced courses are prepared, he recommends the training for other professionals within the industry in Ethiopia where the horticulture potential is yet to be unleashed.
“The platform was generally user‑friendly and well organized. The materials were clear, structured, and highly relevant. Horti‑Campus is a cost‑effective, high‑impact platform that every serious horticulture professional in Ethiopia should use,” says Samuel.
Ketema Bayu is another committed and enthusiastic professional in the horticulture industry which is the second largest hard currency earner for the East African country after coffee within the agriculture sector.
With the capacity of production manager at Saron Rose Agro Farm Plc, Ketema is always keen to cultivate technical knowledge and skills that help him improve farm operation and stay updated with global standards, which in turn enables him to fulfill his professional duties effectively, ensuring that productivity, quality and sustainability are achieved.
Having discovered the EHPEA-HortiCampus online courses through professional networks via LinkedIn and recommendations from the EHPEA team, Ketema has taken training on Horticultural Crop Production.
“These courses have helped me strengthen my knowledge in sustainable horticulture practices,” says Ketema with emphasis on the need to develop good time management and commitment as the self-paced training requires striking balance between engaging in the courses and fulfilling daily responsibilities.
“I usually scheduled my learning sessions during evenings, weekends, or after working hours. Since the courses are flexible and self-paced, it became easier to continue learning without affecting my professional duties.
The platform itself is generally user friendly and easy to navigate. With patience and proper scheduling, I was able to complete one course successfully.”
Habtamu Malka, an Environmental and Compliance Officer at Hansa Group, is yet another industry professional with HortiCampus course experience. Habtamu has worked in the areas including environmental management, corporate social responsibility (CSR), safe use of chemicals, compliance monitoring, workplace safety, sustainability practices, and audit preparation.
He has taken several pertinent courses through EHPEA-HortiCampus eLearning to grow professional career and enhance understanding on international standards among others.
Habtamu says the courses are highly practical and relevant to his career “because the content directly reflected real farm operations, compliance requirements, environmental management practices, and workplace safety situations within the horticulture industry.”
“The courses improved my professional skills, increased my confidence in handling environmental and compliance responsibilities, strengthened my understanding of international standards, and enhanced my contribution toward sustainable horticulture practices and audit preparedness.
I balanced the workload by managing my time effectively, studying during evenings and weekends, and applying practical experiences from my daily farm activities to the course assignments and learning sessions,” says Habtamu.
The EHPEA-HortiCampus eLearning is the core of these stories as the online platform provides accessible, flexible and high-quality digital training aimed at transforming Ethiopia’s horticulture sector that creates enormous employments, primarily for youth and women in settings where opportunities need to be expanded.
Though they come from different responsibilities with diverse areas of training, Samuel, Habtamu and many other professionals, who have had course experience with the online training, speak similarly about the HortiCampus eLearning platform that it has meaningful impacts on their career and businesses.
The others also use almost the same tone and terms as Ketema to express the courses in the eLearning. “The overall course materials are well-structured, informative, and professionally prepared. The lessons are clear, easy to understand, and supported with practical examples that made the learning process engaging and effective.”
“The knowledge gained from the courses can be applied immediately in the workplace to improve productivity, crop health, and management practices,” says Ketema who after taking the training “became more confident in managing farm operations, supporting teams, and implementing better production and crop management strategies within the farm.”
