An Overview

The Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research contributes for the development of the Ethiopian agriculture by importing and adapting technologies from different countries, generating and improving local technologies and pre-scaling up improved technologies and information.

EIAR established a capacity building division to support the development of pastoralists, agro-pastoralists in emerging regions to speed up the development of the area. EIAR is supporting Afar, Somali, Gambella and Benishangul Gumuz, and other regions which are prosperous in natural resource but not used properly in terms of livestock and rangeland resource management and conservation, scaling up and capacity building activities.

The centers established in these regions are used as national centers of specialization for various commodities. The National Goat Research Center in Dubti of Afar Region, the National Camel Research Center in Gode area of the Somali Region, National Rangeland Research Center in Oromia, and the National Soybean Research Center In Benishangul Gumuz Region are among the centers of specialization.

Mission

Through coordination of stakeholders and capacity building at federal and regional levels and coordination of work processes at EIAR, the research and capacity building activities aim at ensuring the benefit of communities in pastoral and emerging regions through participatory and integrated scaling up/out of agro-ecologically suitable, market-driven and effective agricultural technologies, knowledge and information. 

Vision

The research capacity building endeavors in these areas envision pastoral, agro-pastoral and emerging regions where the livelihood and benefit of communities is ensured through transformed agricultural system that ensures sustained provision of agro-ecologically suitable, alternative and superior agricultural technologies, knowledge and information. 

Objective

Research and capacity building interventions shall have the following strategic objectives

·       Ensure an adequate and prompt provision of gender-sensitive, efficient agricultural technologies at the required quality levels 

·       Enhance research capacity building and executive capacities

·       Provide technical coordination support and strengthen information exchange systems in its intervention regions as well as for other concerned actors of the national agricultural research system;

·       Ensure an adequate supply of basic technologies through intensified technology multiplication activities

·       Enhance the impact of agricultural outputs through pre-scaling up and scaling up activities;

·       Help pastoral and agro-pastoral communities earn better productivity and income by tackling the major technology gaps where improved and efficient agricultural technologies are in meager supply. 

In the current budget year, EIAR has allocated 14,766,773 Birr for pastoral, agro-pastoral and emerging regions capacity building activities. The budget is being utilized by two research case teams and for nine research projects (5 on livestock and 4 on lowland rangeland research).

On the other hand, EIAR has planned to engage 7,190 farmers and pastoralists (4,795 males and 2,395 females) in pre-scaling up and 14610 farmers and pastoralists (9350 males and 2395 females) in technology transfer in 2009 EC.