PROGRESS REPORT

38 PROGRESS REPORT PROGRAM LEVEL PROGRESS REPORT 39
6.54
million
Ethiopian tef farmers
3.01
Tef: TIRR Package
million
hectares covered by tef production in 2014
38%
increase in national tef yield from 2010 - 2014
2.2
million
farmers adopting TIRR package
1.1
million
hectares covered by TIRR package
70%
average yield increase of TIRR package over
CSA national average
Tef is an ancient grain, central to the Ethiopian diet and culture.
Tef is also gluten free and high in iron and fiber, which in recent
years has caused its demand to surge on the international market.
However, until recently, tef was considered an “orphan” crop:
one receiving no international attention regarding research on
breeding, agronomic practices or other technologies applicableto
smallholder farmers. As such, reliance solely on traditional
cultivation methods has contributed to tef’s low productivityand
quality. Furthermore, increases in the nominal price of tef have
created hardships for many Ethiopian consumers, forcing them to
transition their diets to other cereals.
Significant efforts have been made during the GTP I periodto
address tef related constraints across the value chain, but
particularly in areas related to productivity. This work began with a
diagnostic study conducted in 2011, followed by the development
and release of a national tef value chain strategy working
document with a clear vision for the entire value chain.
In parallel, an innovative productivity and agronomic practice
enhancing concept known as TIRR (Tef, Improved seed, Reduced
seed rate, Row planting) was introduced in 2011. Historically,
tef has been broadcast planted at a seeding rate of 30-50 kg
per hectare using traditional varieties. This high rate is not only
expensive for Ethiopia’s smallholders, but also produces weak
stems as a result of overcrowding and competition for nutrients,
sunlight and water.
In contrast, the TIRR package recommends reducing the seeding
rate by 90% to use only 3-5 kg of improved varieties of tef seed
per hectare. It also advocates planting the seeds in rows with
20 cm spacing. The yield enhancing aspects of this package have
been proven to be the reduced seed rate and improved varieties.
Planting the seeds in rows has been recommended to enhance
adoption of other important agronomic practices that lead to
improved soil health and overall increases in income. Row planting
of tef can more easily incorporate the intercropping of pulses,
reduces the difficulty of manual weeding, and creates a more
efficient mechanism for the application of yield enhancing organic
and inorganic nutrients.
The TIRR package was initially piloted with just three farmers in
2011 and scaled-up gradually over the following years. A study
conducted in 2012 measured the impact of the intervention,
finding that farmers who employed the full package of
recommendations achieved a 70% average grain
yield increase compared to the national average.
In 2013, the ATA’s own assessment of the TIRR
package, based on a sample of 1,320 households
from 44 woredas and 132 kebeles in the four
targeted regions, found that the package raised
yields by 44% over the control group and 74%
over the Central Statistical Agency’s (CSA) 2013
national average yield forecast.
Following these promising results, the package
was further scaled-up by the agricultural
extension system and incorporated into an
integrated set of tef interventions. A significant
number of federal, regional, zonal and woreda
DAs were trained in the TIRR package. In 2014,
119 agricultural staff from across the country
attended federal level trainings, which were then
cascaded down to close to nearly 6 million tef
growing farmers in the four targeted regions.
In 2014/15, the TIRR package is estimated to
have reached 2.2 million farmers (33% oftef
growers in Ethiopia), covering an area of 1.1
million hectares (36% of land cultivated with
tef). Although an empirical study has not
been undertaken, anecdotal evidence and a
conservative extrapolation of the yield increases
seen from surveyed farmers during the pilot of
the TIRR package implies that the scale-up of
the TIRR intervention has made contributions
to the national increase in tef production and
productivity of 38% and 21%, respectively, seen
between 2010/11 and 2014/15.
In parallel with the rollout of the TIRR package,
a tef/chickpea double cropping initiative has
been supported by DAs, farmer trainings and
radio campaigns. Two hundred Subject Matter
Specialists within the extension system were
trained on tef chickpea double cropping, while
federal and regional level field days were
conducted to verify and share best practices on
the packages.
In addition to these production enhancingefforts,
tef marketing activities have also been
undertaken during the GTP I period to strengthen
the downstream end of the value chain. In
collaboration with the Food, Beverage and
Pharmaceutical Industry Development Institute,
the Oromia Cooperative Promotion Agency, the
FCA, and Addis Ababa Cooperative Agency, a tef
market facilitation training was provided to 71 key
stakeholders. At the same time, an exemption to
the prohibition of the exportation of tef flour was
granted to a deliverable within the Transformation
Agenda.
There are also other deliverables in the
Transformation Agenda that introduce
interventions in various parts of the tef value
chain. These include: a mechanized tef row
planter to ease the labor burden of planting the
extremely small tef seed; introducing mechanical
harvesters/threshers and other post-harvest
interventions to reduce post-harvest losses;
and improving market linkages to expand
smallholder farmers’ access to both domestic and
international markets.