For many years, Teklu Erkossa, a Humidtropics Researcher from IWMI, has been doing research on land and water resources in Ethiopia, a country where agricultural productivity is suffering from water scarcity and land degradation. "In addition, the soils often have quite particular water-related characteristics that are unsuitable for many traditional crops. As a result, we have been exploring alternative cropping options to restore and preserve highly degraded areas in the country. Our platform-driven research project has demonstrated that using Innovation Platform approaches is an … [Read more...]
Humidtropics Launches Research for Development Platform in Ethiopia
Humidtropics has been implementing action research activities in Ethiopia since 2014 through local innovation platforms established in two field sites in Jeldu and Diga districts in the western part of the country. These local innovation platforms were originally established in 2011 by the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) as part of the Nile Basin Development Challenge (NBDC) project, which implemented natural resource management interventions for three years in these field sites. At the end of the project, livestock feed interventions for increased feed availability and … [Read more...]
Gender and Technology at the Crossroads in Ethiopia
When farmer Bultu Etefa was told that she must look after her cattle and the family while maintaining natural resources, she did something interesting: she joined the training delivered at wereda level on fodder production. Now she is among a group of smallholder farmers behind various efforts under Humidtropics to improve livestock feeds. She said, “Fodder is useful to the women who control over the use and sell of milk products in the community. It brings significant changes in both quality and quantity of milk. I sell butter myself and use the money for whatever purpose on my … [Read more...]