Some weeks back, Grow Further proudly announced our second round of grant-giving and our two newest funded projects, thanks to the generous support of our members and donors.
One of these new projects involves funding scientific research at Madda Walabu University in Ethiopia to identify sound wheat crop irrigation strategies and the best varieties of wheat for off-season growing, a move that could massively increase Ethiopia’s annual wheat harvest. This $68,000 grant will fund a two-stage effort: an assessment of strategies for expanding irrigation to more wheat farms, and identification of the best drought-resistant, climate-resilient wheat varieties to grow in the off-season, allowing for year-round cultivation.
Jemal Abdulkerim Ute, Assistant Professor of Agronomy at Madda Walabu University, is the lead researcher for this project and our main point of contact. We recently checked in with him for an end-of-year progress summary report, of where things stand today.
So, how are things going in Ethiopia? In short: so far so good.
Judging by the information Abdulkerim shared with us, we’re extremely satisfied with the direction and progress his team has made to date.
Hitting the ground running
Though only a few weeks have passed since we finalized our agreement with Madda Walabu University, Abdulkerim and his team say they’ve accomplished a lot in a relatively short amount of time.
Among their accomplishments, they’ve set up two of their “Farmers Research Groups” in two separate locations. “This initiative aims to enhance collaborative research and tactile learning,” Abdulkerim said in his report.
They’re also busy getting the word out about the project, engaging with local agricultural offices and community leaders. This work “is crucial for fostering collaboration and ensuring stakeholder engagement in the project,” he said. They’ve also identified the precise locations where they will conduct their fieldwork.
They’re also busy acquiring all the equipment to conduct this research. Abdulkerim says this is a work in progress, but it’s almost completed. “We have bought essential research equipment and materials for conducting field experiments effectively,” he reported. “This step is vital for ensuring that research activities can proceed without delays.”
That covers research on optimal irrigation strategies. The next step is identifying the best varieties of wheat to work with. They’ve made substantial progress on this front too, Abdulkerim reported.
He said his team has already identified promising candidate wheat varieties, drought, and heat-tolerant plants developed at the Kulumsa and Werer Agricultural Research Centers.
Up to now, Ethiopia’s smallholder wheat farmers have overwhelmingly relied on the rain, limiting the growing cycle to the rainy season. Ethiopia’s government set out to change this by expanding irrigation and encouraging farmers to grow off-season wheat. The government’s initiative has had mixed results.
As Abdulkerim and his colleagues argue, irrigation is only one side of this coin; better, more climate-resilient wheat is the other. “These varieties are critical for adapting to changing climatic conditions and improving crop resilience compatible with irrigation strategies,” he said.
The university’s research team has also collected data on climate, soil conditions, and crop conditions, further laying the groundwork ahead for fieldwork.
“This grant from Grow Further will be a game-changer for our research team,”
Much remaining work ahead
In his progress report, Abdulkerim also shared what he and his colleagues would like to accomplish next with the remainder of the year and into 2025 and beyond.
For starters, they’re diving into irrigation strategy simulations using the information they’ve collected so far.
Next, they’ll have to prepare the ground for their field trials. This involves work at their experiment sites clearing land, tilling, and generally preparing fields for planting.
Then comes the planting itself, “marking a significant step in the research process aimed at improving wheat production and productivity,” Abdulkerim wrote.
Icing on the cake
Once the crops are in the ground, irrigation systems will be installed, with the researchers using those technologies and systems they’ve identified as holding the greatest potential for achieving the best results. They’ll need equipment that can be easily used and affordably maintained, and irrigation systems that have access to enough water to ensure watering can continue throughout Ethiopia’s traditional wheat off-season.
If they succeed, then there will be no such thing as a wheat off-season. They’ll have identified the best methods for cultivating wheat year-round in Ethiopia. They will have succeeded where Ethiopia’s government has so far struggled.
“This grant from Grow Further will be a game-changer for our research team,” Abdulkerim told us shortly after we awarded the grant to the university.
We’re proud to be partnering with him and his team and look forward to following their progress in the years ahead.
— Grow Further
Photo credit: A wheat field in Ethiopia. Joseph Opoku for Grow Further.
