Ethiopia - Supporting Sustainable Agricultural Productivity

Improved conditions for the production of pre-basic seeds strengthen the seed sector and increase agricultural productivity in Ethiopia.

Agriculture in Ethiopia

The agricultural sector employs around 70% of the working population and is an important pillar of the economy. However, the low productivity of Ethiopian agriculture cannot guarantee food security for the rapidly growing population and food sovereignty in the country. Ethiopian agriculture must therefore become more productive in the long term. The use of adapted and high-yielding seeds is one of the key factors in sustainably increasing agricultural productivity in Ethiopia.

Ethiopia

With 115 million inhabitants (as of 2020), Ethiopia is the second most populous country in Africa.

Due to its location on the Rift Valley, large parts of the country lie at 1,000 and 2,500 metres above sea level and offer a rainy, temperate climate that is suitable for growing wheat, barley and teff.

The Project

Increasing agricultural yields in smallholder and other farm structures requires the availability of efficient varieties and quality seed. To this end, the project is working with Ethiopian research and administrative institutions.

The aim is to strengthen the seed value chain with a particular focus on (1) devel- oping new, efficient and environmentally friendly plant varieties (for barley, field beans), (2) effective variety testing, approval and protection, (3) efficient production of high-quality and climate-adapted pre-basic seed and (4) improving the legal and institutional framework conditions for the seed sector. The project also aims to strengthen the participation and involvement of women in the seed sector.

„Durch By improving the prganisational structure of breeding programmes and production conditions of early generation seeds, the SSAP is making a key contribution to strengthening food sovereignty, climate resilience and sustainability in Ethiopia’s agricultural sector.“

- Dr. Asnakech Tekalign, Senior breeder

Project Goals

  • Improved conditions for the production of high-quality early generation and basic seed.
  • Strengthening the seed sector and breeding programmes in Ethiopia (taking into account a gender perspective)
  • Contribution to sustainable productivity increases in the country’s agricultural sector.

Results and Successes

  • The new Ethiopian Agricultural Authority (EAA) is being supported in structural and organisational development, e.g. for independent variety testing.
  • Based on the variety testing protocols, SSAP supports a pilot barley variety test in close collaboration with the EAA, EIAR, and ENSP.
  • EIAR has quadrupled the number of annual crosses and shortened the breeding cycle for a new variety by 30%.
  • Local seed companies have been able to increase their production of pre-basic seed by more than 20%.

 Project Partners and Cooperations

Partner in breeding consulting & applied research:

  • KWS Saat SE KGaA
  • Norddeutsche Pflanzenzucht Hans-Georg Lembke KG (NPZ)
  • Gemeinschaft zur Förderung von Pflanzeninnovation V. (GFPi)

Partner in the area of variety approval and protection:

  • Bundessortenamt (BSA)
  • Ethio-Netherlands Seed Partnership (ENSP)

 Project Partner on Operational Level

  • Ethiopian Ministry of Agriculture (MoA)
  • Ethiopian Institute for Agricultural Research (EIAR)

 Implementing Organisation

  • GIZ - Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit

 Link to Project Website: SSAP-Äthiopien

Released as text

Address

Supporting Sustainable Aricultural Productivity in Ethiopia (SSAP)
EIAR Headquarters
NARS Building 1st Floor
Gurd Shola
2R76+JV Addis Abeba
Aethiopien

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