Haramaya University in collaboration with Fair Planet, an Israeli non-profit organization, and Dire Dewa Agricultural Bureau held an open field day on vegetable production technology in Dire Dawa Tony Farm on March 29, 2022 in Dire Dawa.
The open field day involved Mayor of Dire Dawa, Kedir Juhar, Engineer Aisha Mohammed, Minister of Irrigation and Lowland Environment, Ambassador of Israel to Ethiopia, Alenign Admasu, and other Federal and regional government officials.
The team visited Haramaya University Research Center (vegetables and fruit research sites) in Dire Dawa Tony farm, which is supported by the government of Israel.
Professor Kebede Woldetsadik, a researcher at Haramaya University & coordinator of the project, welcomed the honorable guests and participants of the panel discussion.
In his opening speech, Professor Kebede asserted that the goal of the Fair Planet Project is to improve productivity and income of the Ethiopian small holder farmers.
Local seed varieties are susceptible to pests and diseases, he added, and by making high quality vegetable seeds, suitable to local condition, accessible and affordable to local farmers, the problems can be minimized, the Professor indicated.
Professor Kebede stated that the transfer of agricultural technologies are run and led by Israeli volunteers. He added that the technologies have got acceptance from farmers’ training centers, model farmers and other stakeholders.
The Mayor of Dire Dawa, Kedir Juhar, welcomed those who attended the field day and stressed that such platforms are vital in knowledge transfer and exchange of good experiences.
Kedir added that integrated horticulture has started as a model for smallholder farmers in the past years and has been able to achieve significant results in terms of production and productivity as well as the income of the farmers.
Israeli Ambassador to Ethiopia, Alelign Admasu, said Ethiopia is rich in natural resources and more knowledge and technology is needed to utilize this natural resource.
He said the best seed knowledge brought by these volunteers should be expanded by translating technology into action.
The Minister of Irrigation and Lowland, Aisha Mohammed, thanked the university for organizing the field and added that universities should work hard to strengthen the existing infrastructure and replace the imported inputs domestically with the development of small-scale irrigation technology.
She emphasized that farmers should not face scarcity of seeds and technologies important for production.
Explaining on behalf of Fair Planet, Dr. Allon Haberfeld, a vegetable breeder from the Fair Planet team, said that he has been working in Ethiopia for 10 years and indicated that his institution has shown how farmers can use technology on small and small farms to get up to five times their previous crop per hectare.
Dr Allon said Fair Planet is testing more than 300 varieties at this site, which has yielded 100 quintals of onion per hectare for Dire Dawa.
Fair Planet is engaged in a unique and long-term technology transfer process by facilitating access of smallholder farmers to seeds of the highest quality vegetable varieties suitable for their needs, and at the same time, training them to use these seeds.
University Officials, experts, development agents and farmers recognized and praised the work done by Fair Planet, particularly by the Israeli volunteers. They promised to collaborate with Fair Planet and Haramaya University and adopt the technology to their system because of its sustainability.
By:- Shemsedin Mohammed
Photographet:- Tewodros Lishan
PIRD