Project News

On 16th and 17th of August, 2011, FRG II monitoring team members (consists of Ethiopian researchers and Japanese experts) visited Hawassa ARC and Hawassa University and their participatory research sites. This visit was organized and conducted as a part of monitoring on participants of the FRG basic training conducted in Feb 2011. The aim of the visit is to monitor (1) what kind of participatory research activities the training participants are involved, (2) if the contents of the training were appropriate for the actual situation, (3) the team was trying to learn the reality of participatory researches and feed back the good practices to the FRGII project to improve the approach since FRG based research approach is one of the participatory research approaches.

Mr. Efriem Assefa and Dr. Kebere Bezauletaw of Hawassa ARC are actively conducting participatory research on soil bunds using vegetative materials. Farmers were benefitted by preventing soil erosion from their field and harvesting forage for their livestock which can be harvested from their bund to trap the top soil and water.

At Hawassa University, Dr. Hussein and Dr. Berhanu guided the team to their participatory research site of Local Seed Business Project. There, by interviewing the researchers and participant farmers at the site, we learned that the participatory research led by Hawassa University is meeting demand of participant farmers. For example, farmers told the team that the target of the currently on-going research activity (variety trial on haricot beans) was suggested by farmers while previous research activities were conducted.

FRGII project is going to make follow up to the FRG basic training participants. The team is planning to visit all of the training participants who are involved in participatory research activities.

Mr. Efriem(Hawassa ARC) explaining the effect of the soil bund formed by forage crops

Discussion with the participant farmers

Maize varietal trial site of LSB project (farmers' field)

Haricot bean varietal trial site of LSB project (farmers' field)