It is true farmers face various challenges. Shortage of precipitation and lack of other related agricultural infrastructures are the major ones. They sometimes receive little amount of rainfall than needed. Unexpected heavy rainfall during harvest season may come to destroy crops. Similarly, the farmers, in a given area, also produce limited types of crops. Thus, they are forced to purchase other types crop.
The farming activity in Ethiopia is dominantly rain fed. The farmers need enough amount of precipitation for fallowing as well as growing of the crops. Unfortunately, the amount of the rain during a season may fall low.
The agricultural research institutes in the country have been helping the farmers technically and materially to curb such problems. The institute has enabled some of the farmers use irrigation whereas some were given training on water conservation.
Ahmed Teyb, a successful farmer in Agarfa Woreda of Bale Zone, worked hard to overcome the hindrances of farming. He has been a successful farmer in the Woreda. He already recorded success in the sector. Following the training and aid from Sinana Agricultural Research Center he has improved his farming practice tremendously.
Ahmed is engaged in numerous farming. He produces crops for market and home consumption separately. He works beekeeping. He sows flowers that the bees need for honey making. He works on animal husbandry. He grows the different types of grass the animals feed on. He also has water well that serves the whole year. He had not suffered from lack of water and food for the animals even in the dry season, he said.
He told The Ethiopian Herald that the help from the extension workers has helped him achieve this. The training from the Woreda’s agricultural extension has been significant to him. The training has significantly influenced his farming style, as to him.
The farmer said that he has a vision of starting irrigation farming in the future. Rain fed agriculture is not effective farming. Seasonal fluctuation of rainfall has been the primary problem to the farming. Irrigation could curb this problem, he explained.
He told The Ethiopian Herald that the help from the extension has helped him achieve this. The training has given him significant knowledge of farming. The training has simplified the farming process and enabled him to use the available resources wisely.
The training from the institute has changed his farming in terms of productivity. It has increased profitability of the agricultural activities. It has helped him achieve multiple successes in short period of time. Previously, he had been facing tremendous challenges on the practice. The seed he had been using was not as productive as the select seed. It could also be easily affected by seed disease, he mentioned.
The select seed is disease resistant and productive than the previous seed type. The extension has also been providing technical support on weeding. The extension has provided the farmer with pesticide too, put the farmer.
In an exclusive interview with The Ethiopian Herald, Aman Abdulkadir, Agricultural Extension Researcher at Agarfa Woreda, said that the extension is working to equip farmers with the necessary infrastructure.
Aman said, “An extensive work is done to enable all farmers to practice cluster farming. A good number of farmers will start cluster farming in the next harvest season. The extension has chosen farmlands to be farmed in the future. The lands are chosen based on land structure of the area, previous productive capacity of the farm, and crop rotation practice”.
He forwarded that the extension is ready to work with farmers who are ready to form themselves in group and play active part in the group. Some farmers are suspicious of the cluster farming. However, it is the most effective farming style with multiple of positive effects. The farmers within the group can share burden in carrying out the farming process, he pointed out.
He added that the extension has a plan to inaugurate irrigation farming to the local farmers in the future to solve the problem related to lack of rainfall. Besides, it will provide select seed to the local farmers. The farmers in the cluster have been provided with select seed for free. All the farmers will get the seed in a due time, Aman said.
The Ethiopian Herald December21, 2019
BY GETAHUN LEGESSE
