Person:
Alemu, H.

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Alemu
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Alemu, H.

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    On-farm evaluation of alternative bread wheat production technologies in northwestern Ethiopia
    (African Crop Science Society, 1995) Asmare Yallew; Tanner, D.G.; Regassa Ensermu; Alemu, H.
    Wheat ( Triticum spp.) is a major crop grown in northwestern Ethiopia. The primary wheat production constraints in this area include low soil fertility, use of unimproved and disease-susceptible varieties, and high weed infestation. Technology packages, combining three nutrient levels (92-20, 41-20 and 0-0 kg N-P ha-1), the improved bread wheat cultivar (ET13), the local line (Israel), and two weed management methods (hand weeding and application of 2,4-D), were evaluated on farmers’ fields. Highly significant grain yield differences were observed among the treatments. The highest grain yield (2,991 kg ha-1) and the greatest benefit were obtained from application of 92-20 kg N-P ha-1 and 2,4-D herbicide on ET13. Adoption of the improved bread wheat cultivar was highly profitable regardless of fertilizer usage. The effect of fertilizer on grain yield and economic return was much greater than the effect of 2,4-D used alone for weed control.
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    Farmers' wheat seed sources and seed management in the Enebssie area, Ethiopia
    (IARC, 1998) Alemu, H.; Verkuijl, H.; Mwangi, W.M.; Asmare Yallew
    This study in Enebssie area, Ethiopia, aimed to identify farmers' wheat seed acquisition and transfer mechanisms; explore problems related to those mechanisms; document the status of previously released wheat varieties; and describe the seed system in Ethiopia. Multistage stratified sampling was used to select 200 farmers for formal interviews. Descriptive statistics and a logic model were used to analyze the resulting data. Important factors influencing farmer's awareness of new wheat varieties included agroecological zone, access to credit, contact with information sources such as extension, and membership in an organization. The adoption of improved wheat varieties was significantly influenced by cultivated area, contact with information sources, membership in an organization, number of oxen owned, and farming experience. The research system must release wheat varieties more rapidly, as the disease resistance of some recent releases have deteriorated. To be successful, research must be supported by greater development of the seed industry. The weighted average age of wheat varieties in the Enebssie area in 1997 was 11 years, reflecting a poorly developed seed industry and infective extension services. Most farmers used recycle seed, and most obtained seed from other farmers rather that through formal channels. The extension system should strengthen its advisory role to farmers, especially on how to produce and preserve replacement seed, and should inform farmers about the characteristics of their varieties and their correct adaptation zones. More effort should be directed towards farmers in the highlands because of their limited access to information. The formal credit system needs to be strengthened and made appropriate for small farmers. Another positive step would be to review the stringent mechanism for releasing varieties. Policies and an institutional and legal framework should be developed to link the formal and informal seed sectors to function in a complementary way.
    Publication