• 4. Extension Research And Evaluations

1. On-Farm Demonstrations and Scaling:

This is the major sub program in the directorate. It uses Of-Farm Pre-Extension Demonstration method (PED) and Cluster Based Large Scale Demonstrations and Popularizations for scaling.

The major activities under this sub programs are:

·      On-farm testing to assess the location specificity of agricultural technologies, under various farming systems

·      Organize demonstrations and Field days to establish production potential of technologies on the farmers’ fields.

·      Capacity development of farmers and extension personnel to update their knowledge and skills on modern agricultural technologies

·      Provide Agricultural Technology advisories using ICT and other media means on varied subjects of Technology and farmers interest

The agricultural research process comprise of technology generation, adaption, testing, demonstration, dissemination and adoption.  The Pre-Extension and Cluster Based Large Scale Demonstrations and Popularizations Program fall in the interface between technology generation and transfer comprising two sub-programs of pre-extension demonstration that involve demonstrating potential benefits new technology on-farmer fields, farmer/agro-pastoralist training centers, in comparison with previously utilized technology or practice. The extension researcher takes the leading role of laying out the demonstration trial while extension agents and farmers closely follow all the operations and performance with closer exchange of feedback. Once the technology performance data generated and farmers’ feedback identified, the outstanding and preferred technology shall be advanced for large scale demonstrations, popularization and scaling up/out involving more number of farmers in wider areas.

Technology Incubation and Agribusiness

The recent reform at EIAR give priority to technology transfer and commercialization and it is being led by deputy director general. Accordingly, AERD put in place the Technology Incubation and Agribusiness Program that collaborate with technology incubators and inductee to promote the multiplication, transfer and commercialization of agricultural technologies. Technology incubators help pooling of support services for start-ups, technology validation, transfer and scale up processes

Gender Research Program (GRP)

The Gender Research Program aims to integrate gender and youth issues in agricultural research and extension plans and implementations towards inclusive and equitable technology access and use for sustainable agriculture growth and development. Accordingly, the GRP conduct gender analysis studies, supports gender mainstreaming in research system as a whole and in research outreach projects, and generate gender disaggregated data. The program promote gender and youth empowerment through need based technology promotion and transfer projects/activities through the coordination of gender focal persons.

The gender research program (GRP) activities are aligned and contributes to three major objectives

• women’s significant role in the Ethiopian agricultural sector and the potential of gender equality and women’s empowerment to enhance livelihoods and nutritional outcomes;
• to improve the effectiveness and equity of EIAR’s work through interventions like gender analysis, intervention design, progress monitoring, and equitable dissemination of information, along with the inclusion of gender-responsive budgeting and monitoring systems;
• To maintain a focus on gender and social inclusion while implementing transformative interventions alongside technical advancements in agriculture.

Agricultural Extension Research sub program

Agricultural technology demonstration, popularization and adoption entail step by step procedures that employ different tools and approaches.  The Agricultural Extension Research Program deals with technology end users preference in technology uptake, technology performances, navigate collaboration and networking of stakeholders for technology, knowledge and information transfer and commercialization. Accordingly, the program intends to generate empirical evidences on level of adoption and diffusion of agricultural technologies; effectiveness of technology promotion approaches, constraints of technology uptake,  empowerment of farming community, assessment and refinement of the extension interventions, outputs/outcome; and thereby contributes to the advancement of theory or practice of agricultural extension and advisory services.