ADDIS ABABA – Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research (EIAR) disclosed that the institute is working aggressively to make use of advanced agricultural technologies and provide skilled human power so as to secure bumper agricultural productivity across the country.
Mandfro Negussie (Ph.D) General Director at EIAR told The Ethiopian Herald that the institute is striving to fill the gap up on serious factors which are hindering to increase agricultural productivity of the country. Wherefore, the institute has signed Memorandum of understanding (MoU) recently with various stakeholders.
He also stated that the institute is jointly working with institutions of higher education regarding with agricultural education, research, and extension programs to provide skilled human power. In providing skilled human power, the institute has also given due emphasis for women empowerment. Subsequently, women participation on agricultural researches was increased from 10 percent to 20 percent (102 in numbers) on this fiscal year, he stated.
As to him, generating modern technologies, providing alternative solutions, expanding and effective market linkage are among the key activities of agricultural researchers to scale up productivity. The Director also explained that the institute is working aggressively to increase the number of agricultural experts to 1,315 and research institutions to 20.
Landuber Wondal, Agricultural Development Program Coordinator at Amhara Regional state on his part said that ensuring productivity will not be achieved unless we brought skilled human power to the field. However, lack of adequate skilled human power is serious challenge which impedes the institutions for generating, transforming, adopting and expanding modern technologies, he added.
On the other hand, all institutions are getting ready for conducting researches on crops, animal husbandry, vegetable, and fruits so as to address agricultural problems specifically to reduce child stunting in the region.
He said adding that, skilled farmers have been benefiting in increasing productivity through adopting modern technologies. For example, farmers could able to produce 20 quintal of Teff and 60 to 70 quintal of corn per hectare from which they were previously producing eight quintal of Teff and 20 quintal of corn.
The Ethiopian Herald, December 28/2019
BY MESERET BEHAILU
