( From MOA ) CASCAPE is one of the four programs under BENEFIT partnership that was established in 2011. It is supported by Dutch government that is actively working at the four major states (Amhara, Tigray, Oromia, and SNNPR) targeting at bumping up Ethiopia’s agricultural yields and boosting productivity to achieve food security.
This project has been implementing the aforementioned program in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA), state bureaus of agriculture, research centres and six university clusters (Addis Ababa, Bahir Dar, Mekelle, Jimma, Hawssa and lake Haromia). CASCAPE is also working aligned with AGP stakeholders at federal and state levels.
The expected outcome of CASCAPE is enhancing the effectiveness of the research and extension system to generate demand-driven-and-bestfit technologies and deliver these to farmers. Conditions, for uptake of these technologies, are in place.
According to CASCAPE’s sources, the following key outputs will be delivered to achieve the required outcome: (1) Best agricultural practices will be developed and made available for dissemination to achieve agricultural production and productivity; (2) The capacity of the agricultural research and extension institutions are enhanced; (3) Results and demonstrated evidences will be actively shared with policy makers in order to enhance knowledge exchange between woreda, state and federal actors; (4) Beneficial synergistic activities implemented in selected product-place combinations taking into consideration state prioritized agricultural commodity clusters of ATA/AGP. Dr. Eyassu Elias, CASCAPE program director, told to this writer, over 600 thousand farmers are benefited from this project through introducing, adapting and disseminating technologies directly or in directly.
He also stated that CASCAPE has supplied improved crop and animal forage varieties and best way of cultivation methods for the given societies. Dr. Eyassu Elias- CASCAPE program director We are working in collaboration with universities that they have assigned vice presidents and research directors to do with CASCAPE, said Dr. Eyassu. Regarding to the budget of CASCAPE, a sum worth 10.2 mln euro in phase 1 and 8.5 mln euro in phase II, were invested, he said.
Joint effort among agricultural extension, research institutions and universities enables to bring technology innovations, adaptations, and disseminations for addressing smallholder farmers; therefore, we have organized tentative committee, with the government, to fill the gaps between extension and research institutions, he remind. As a result, the bottom up planning should support the top down planning, he underlined. CASCAPE has done to double crop production as the goal of the government through addressing new technologies and scaling up for farmers.
Then, CASCAPE has registered major achievements in selected crops; for instance potato and malt barley. Yields doubled and beneficiary farmers have become advantageous. Compared to the state CSA data, average yield increment was significant for cereals with highest for malt barley in SNNPR, for potato (Belete variety) in Gojam and for beans with the highest for soybean in Jimma, the director mentioned. Akalu Teshome (Ph.D), who is socio economics and extension senior expert, states that CASCAPE has crafted and adopted its own innovation pathway; The innovation process consists of the following steps: (1) Problem analysis and participatory planning (2) Innovation inventory (3) Testing and validation (4) Demonstration (5) Pilot scaling (6) Participatory extension demonstration (PED) (7) Scaling (8) Organic scaling. As to him, to transform the agriculture sector , it is not only technological innovation that is needed needed but also institutional innovation.
About 30 woredas were engaged in phase I and now, totally, 65 woredas are included in CASCAPE in phase II (10 are high intensity woredas for testing and validation while 55 are scaling up woredas). After identifying best practices at such woredas, demonstration will be conducted by few farmers and on piece of land; then, pilot scaling; about 30, 000 ha of land was covered with CASCAPE validated best-fit practices enabling the achievement of significantly higher crop yields compared to the state CSA data, Dr. Akalu said.
Therefore, hundreds of thousand farmers are benefiting from this project; yield of major crops more than doubled compared as compared to state average. In addition, thematic platforms were organized and strengthened; soil fertility and extension platforms and ADPLAC meetings, he said. As to him, CASCAPE has its own guiding principles: closer alignment with AGP at all levels that is in the same selected woredas, Bottom-up planning and demand-driven extension, participatory action involving research institutions, universities, , extension and farmers (joint experimentation), system integration: overall farm performance and sustainability (Economic, social and environmental).
Consequently, in CASCAPE, practices are validated based on their agronomic efficiency (productivity), economic profitability in a sustainable manner, environmental friendliness and social acceptability before they are taken for scaling, he said. CASCAPE is fruitful since it has done activities with the involvement of research institutions, universities, agricultural extension and farmers; CASCAPE has difference, regards to make university-researchextension linkage.
Dr.Akalu Teshome said accordingly the program reached over 200 thousand smallholder farmers; directly through testing/validation pilot scaling trials and pre-extension demonstrations and indirectly through field days and scaling support activities through woredas. Abate Mekuria (Ph.D), rural development faculty instructor and CASCAPE coordinator in Addis Ababa university, pointed out the 3 major duties (teaching, researching, and community service) that each universities will have conducted.
As to him, farmers working with the project have now adopted improved technologies and scaled up for others; off course, farmers– involved directly in testing, demonstration and pilot scaling trials (identifying seed and other technology varieties). Dr.Abate Mekuria said then, we have handled the transference of technology between farmers through scaling up. Farmers in Siya Deber and Wayu woreda of North Shewa zone had utilized only one variety of wheat seed for a long period of time (10 years).Such a trend decreases production and exposes to diseases (sawed repeatedly).
There, we have tested improved crop varieties before 3 years (especially wheat) on cluster based farming, which is rapidly scaled up in other environments at majority of farmers. We have trained our students in the class theoretically and on farm fields practically, said Abate Mekuria
Herald December 30/2028
BY BAHIRU SETEGNE
