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Exploring Existing Wheat Technologies and Speeding-up Transfer to Farmers: The Experience of EAAPP-Wheat Commodity

Fekadu Fufa Dinssa1,12, Bedada Begna1, Mekonnen Mekuria2, Workiye Tilahun1, Mesay Yami1, Firdissa Eticha1, Karta Kaskie1, Solomon Gelalcha1, Bedada Girma1, Awol Zeberiga3, Amare Biftu4, Bayisa Gedefa5,Wendim Aweke6, Daniel Tilahun7, Embayie Kidanu8, Andualem Tadesse9, Abebe Atilaw10, Tolessa Alemu1 and Friew Kelemu11

1Wheat Regional Center of Excellence (WRCoE), Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research (EIAR), P.O. Box 2003, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; 2EAAPP Coordination Office, Ministry of Agriculture; 3Areka Research Center; 4SinanaResearch Center; 5Bako Research Center; 6Debre Birehan Research Center; 7Adet Research Center; 8Mekele Research Center; 9Gonder Research Center; 10Debre Zeit Research Center; 11Melkasa Research Center; 12ContactAddress: E-mail: fekadufd@gmail.com

IntroductionSustainable improvements in productivity and production depend on efficient system of channeling improved technologies to farmers. Therecently established Eastern Africa Agricultural Productivity Project (EAAPP) of four countries, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda(Fig.1), supports dissemination of technologies and knowledge through its training and dissemination project component. The WheatRegional Center of Excellence (WRCoE), under EAAPP, has given a great emphasis on utilization of existing technologiesin addition togeneration of improved technology. The center has been conducting and coordinating dissemination activities to improve farmers’ access toimproved wheat technologies in the four EAAPP countries. Due to lack of established technology exchange agreements among thecountries, however, each country is limited to access technologies available within its own border. This paper, therefore, describesdissemination strategies and approaches followed by the WRCoE in reaching farmers in Ethiopia. EAAPP-wheat districtsare given in Fig 2.

Approaches in deploying existing technologiesInventory of wheat technologies was conducted in collaboration withvarious disciplines followed by participatory adaptationtest, and pre-extension demonstration and up-scaling of best technologiesidentified in the adaptaion test. Multidisciplinary team of socio-

Fig 1. Regional center of excellences for the four EAAPP commodities

3. Technology MultiplicationMultiplication of the technologies identified through inventory of best bet technologies waspart of the dissemination strategy. Both off season irrigation and rain-fed conditions wereused for rapid seed increase. A total of 300 and 412 tons of seed were increased in2010/2011 and 2011/2012, respectively (Fig.4 & Table 2). Additionally, 102 ox-drawnmoldboard plows were multiplied and distributed to farmersfor demonstration purpose.

Fig 2. EAAPP-wheat districts in Ethiopia

1. Inventory of best bet technologiesThe strategy of technology deployment started with inventory of best-bet wheat technologies in breeding, crop protection, crop mamagment and small farmimplement. The inventory identified 32 bread and 33 durum wheat varieties that were released in the country between 1980to 2012 and still in production.Moreover, eight integrated disease and crop management practices, one integrated weed management and two small farm implement technologies were identified.

2. Gender disaggregated participatory adaptation testAdaptation studies have been conducted as part of the dissemination strategy for up-scaling a technology outside its originalrecommendation domain but to a similar environment. In thisline, participatory variety adaptation trials of 47 commercialvarieties were conducted in more than 50 locations including non-traditional but potential wheat areas (Fig 3). The currentadaptation study identified a number of widely adapted varieties that were originally released for specific environments.

economists, extensionists, breeders, pathologists, agronomists and weed scientists was organized to accomplish thevarious steps of the technology deploymentactivities. Linkage was created among farmers, extension and research system in technology utilization.

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Fig 4. Seed multiplication under rainfed condition

Table 1. Grain yield (t/ha) of three bread wheatvarieties under pre-extension demonstration acrosstwo EAAPP-wheat districts in Arsi zone, 2011/12

Variety Mean RangeDanda’a 5.3 3.2-8.6

Kakaba 3.9 2.0-6.4

Digalu 4.3 2.4-5.6

4. Dissemination and dissemination approachesDissemination activities have been conducted inindividual farmers’ fields, Farmers Training Centers(FTCs), and Farmers, Research and Extension Groups(FREGs). In 2011/2012, 108 wheat FREGs wereestablished. Pre-extension demonstration and up-scalingactivities covered three and six regional states,respectively. Over 277 individual farmers and 11 FTCs

5. Capacity BuildingTrainings, field days and focused group discussions wereconducted at all pre-extension demonstration and up-scalinglocations as part of capacity building, and technology andinformation diffusion mechanism (Fig.5). Farmers, developmentagents and subject matter specialists were trained in seedproduction of newly released varieties, agronomic and diseasemanagement practices, and in crop diversification forsustainable and enhanced production and productivity of wheat.In 2011/12, a total of 2930 farmers participated in field daysorganized at various locations in the country (Fig.6).

Fig.5. Farmers on trainingFig.6. Farmers’ field day at one pre-extension demonstration site in Digalu Tijo district, Arsi zone

ConclusionsImproved technologies must reach users for investment in technology generation to be justifiable. The dissemination strategy used by EAAPP-wheat demonstrated the importance ofexploring existing technologies and their transferto clients. Participatory adaptation test followed by dissemination is a useful approach to reach areas with less access to improved technologies. Strong linkage among research,extension and farmers in participatory technologygeneration and evaluation is indispensible for improved technologies to rapidly reach target users and environments.

Research Center

Amount of seed multiplied (t)

No. of Variety Breeder Pre-basic Basic TotalWRCoE (Bread Wheat) 8 12.10 98.40 201.30 311.80Debre Ziet (Durum Wheat) 18 0.39 5.03 5.42Werer (Bread Wheat) 8 4.50 77.40 81.90

Sinana (Bread Wheat) 5 0.19 0.19

Sinana (Durum Wheat) 9 0.28 0.28

Adet (Bread Wheat) 8 0.52 3.96 8.50 12.98Total 17.98 102.36 292.23 412.60

Fig 3. Gender disaggregated participatory bread wheat variety selection (GDPVS)

(1 FTC=1000 household heads on average) participated in participatory demonstration of improved varieties. Over 225farmers benefited from up-scaling activities. The performance of three varieties in pre-extension demonstrations intwoproject districts are given in Table 1. Pre-extension demonstration of small farm implements was started in twodistricts, and 102 farmers benefited.

Table 2. Different classes of seeds multiplied at differentresearch centers, 2011/12