Cluster-based pre-scaling of improved wheat technologies in western Oromia: A case study in western Oromia, Ethiopia

Abstract

Wheat is widely grown in Ethiopia although production levels have not met the demand and price instability. One of the production gaps is that modern varieties cover a small portion of the total area occupied by wheat. Through the use of superior wheat technologies and pre-scaling up, the project aimed to boost wheat production and productivity for small-scale farmers. Two wheat varieties, Liban and Senate, were pre-scaled up in three zones of western Oromia. 147 farmers were addressed in ten PA and six districts. The total area addressed for wheat pre-scaling up was approximately 81 hectares. Yield and disease data were collected, as well as farmers' perceptions and interests. Thus, with an average mean of 4.5 tonsha-1 and 4.9 tonsha-1, respectively, both types, Liban and Senate, performed better in terms of yield. However, compared to Senate variety, Liban variety demonstrated a lower response to numerous diseases. In order to sustainably increase wheat yield, scaling out of Liban varieties for the larger community across sites needs to be strengthened.