Research & Extension Projects
The Research & Extension Projects area is directly implementing five projects that are focused on rapidly addressing systemic issues related to agricultural Research & Extension.
Agro-meteorology
The project focuses on development of climate change resilient smallholder farming while enhancing agricultural productivity on-farm through the use of real-time and user-tailored weather and climate information for agricultural decision-making. Smallholder farmers in over 50 selected target ACC woredas in four regions (Oromia, Amhara, SNNPR, and Tigray) of the country are targeted. The project also supports building the capacity of the National Meteorological Agency (NMA) and Agricultural Extension System.
Key Targets by end of GTPII:
- 50 automatic weather stations (AWS) installed in 50 target woredas
- 200 Agricultural extension experts trained on development and application of agro-met extension package for local advisory
- 65 meteorological personnel trained on intermediate and high-level location specific forecast
- Agro-met advisory generation, communication and feedback system design and launched
- Agro-met stakeholders platform established and functional
Climate Smart Innovation at Farmer Training Centers
The objective of this project is to contribute to increased agricultural production and productivity through the introduction and demonstration of climate-smart agriculture and gender sensitive practices at targeted FTCs, to contribute to the achievement of green economy development. As part of the project, 50 selected FTCs in five regions (Amhara, Oromiya, SNNPR, Tigray and Benishangul Gumuz) have been selected to become model FTCs by demonstrating practices and technologies to farmers. The project seeks to upgrade FTCs through engaging selected NGOs as service providers.
Key Targets by end of GTPII:
- Overall capacity of 38 targeted FTCs built through completing construction and maintenance of physical infrastructures (demonstration plots, livestock sheds, etc.)
- Capacity of 2,115 woreda experts and farmers (38 Woreda staff, 65 DAs, 112 FTC Management Committee members, and 1,900 farmers) built on CSA practices through training and experience sharing
- 6 climate smart agriculture and gender sensitive technologies demonstrated at FTCs to enhance the knowledge and skill of farmers.
Tef Improvement Project
The project aims to contribute to food and nutrition security in Ethiopia. It seeks to develop improved high yielding tef varieties that perform well in adverse environmental conditions in traditional and non-traditional tef producing areas. The project also seeks to achieve its objectives through building human capacity and infrastructure of EIAR in tef research.
Key Targets by end of GTPII:
- 1 tef variety for terminal drought-prone areas released, 2 adapted varieties for non-traditional growing areas recommended and 2 adapted varieties for irrigated production areas recommended
- 10 tons pre-basic and basic seeds distributed per year
- 6 tef technology demonstrations and 1 pre-scale up completed for improved varieties
- 2 climate smart tef management practices developed and popularized.
Innovation Validation
The project aims to contribute to the transformation of Ethiopian smallholder agriculture through the introduction of innovative technologies that impact production and productivity, focused on the market-driven pull of commodities that are prioritized in the ACCs and the newly created integrated agro industrial parks (IAIPS) through the end of GTP II.
Key Targets by end of GTPII:
- 236 Innovation validation sites operational, testing at least 4 technologies in each of the 6 commodities (maize, bread wheat, durum wheat, malt barley, tef, haricot bean)
- At least 12 technologies endorsed and incorporated into federal and regional extension packages
Accelerated Full Package Scale-Up Pilot
The accelerated full package scale-up (AFPS) is an initiative that promotes the application of the full research-recommended package at an accelerated rate by smallholder farmers, with the objective of obtaining large productivity gains. The major activities of AFPS project includes training experts, DAs and farmers; ensuring availability of appropriate inputs (seeds, fertilizers, agrochemicals); improving credit accesses; robust field supervision; technical backstopping; and linking project farmers to the most economically viable market. In addition, the project will engage partners to facilitate the provision of practical solutions for output finance, mechanization and crop insurance, to further support utilization of full inputs and technologies.
Key Targets by end of GTPII:
- At least 500,000 smallholder farmers participate in the Accelerated Full Package scale up pilot
- At least 12.5% annual yield increases per year achieved by participating farmers
- At least 15% of the production from participating famers directly linked by contract to buyers
- Evaluation and learning of pilot undertaken to inform any type of scale up in GTPIII
Business Training at Farmer Training Centres Pilot
Business training @ FTC is a farmer education approach whereby farmers can intensify existing patterns of production and diversify their farm enterprises to improve their livelihoods. Business training @ FTC builds upon many years of technical exposure smallholder farmers have been getting through the Ethiopian extension system on good agricultural practices, and injects business knowledge to build their business acumen in order for farmers to be competitive and take advantage of the new opportunities that are arising. BT@ FTC adopts the well-known concept of Farmer Business Schools (FBS) into Ethiopia. The specific objective of BT @ FTC is securing increased and diversified incomes for smallholder farmers by enhancing their competitiveness in business development and entrepreneurial ability.
Key Targets by end of GTPII:
- At least 1,500 smallholder farmers, 50 DAs and 24 Master Trainers trained on Business Training @ FTC approach.
- At least 75% of farmers surveyed found the training beneficial and are implementing at least 75% of the content in the modules
- Evaluation and learning of pilot undertaken to inform any type of scale up in GTPIII