Project News

FRG-II Exparts and the JICA monitoring and advisory mission visited at the rice cultivation fields in Pawe, BenishangluGumuz, to observe the present situation of rice production in the region. The area was developed by the Itarian government under the name of TanaBeles Project in the late 1980s. Project/ rice production area has been decreased from 10,000ha in 1990s to 600ha in 2010 after the Itarian support was terminated in 1991. Major mechanized farminng measures including rice-milling facilities in Pawe established by Itarian government are now inactive, and the chronic epidemic of Trypanosome disease in this area causes the difficulties in use of conventional cattle plow.

The members of study tour visited at the settler's village in the project site and conducted interviews with them about their rice farming methods, present condition and major constraint. Then study mission payed a courtesy call on the Pawe Agricultural Research Center (PaweARC), which was established as a part of supporting measures for the settlers and was the National Rice Research Coordinator until 2006 in the collaboration with JICA and WARDA. The study mission received brief introduction about the center, then discussed about further collaboration between PaweARC and FRG II in rice research activities.

With rice farmers in a settlers village

Hand-made slash-backing tools for rice-straw drying