Agriculture acounts for 50% of the GDP. With its semi-arid climate, most of the production takes place in the highlands. Sorghum accounted for 40% of the cereal production and farmers used traditional methods to produce sorghum, pearl millet, finger millet, barley and teff. Eritrea was food short and imported several hundred thousand tons of grain most years.

Extension agents, who play a prominent role in disseminating the new technology, were given theoretical and practical training. They got hands on experience with the EMTPs and took part in fields days and workshops. SG 2000 helped to ensure that the extension supervisors went into the field by providing them some vehicles and motorcycles.

Nearly 300 farmers in 46 villages participated in 190 EMTPs (involving maize, barley, wheat, sorghum and teff) in 1996. Almost 10% were women. The participants received credit for 80% of the cost of the recommended package and are expected to pay back the balance at harvest. Loan recovery in 1996 was 72%. Low repayments were concentrated among wheat and sorghum growers whose yields were depressed by low rainfall.

«The strong financial backing being given by the government for the field demonstration programme, » says Marco Quinones, SG 2000 Eritrea Director (from 1998), «gives me real hope that the diffusion of improved crop technology to Eritrean farmers will continue, long after SG 2000 ceases to operate in the country. »
In fact the government of Eritrea had given substantial support to an ambitious plan to disseminate improved technology to farmers, using the SG 2000 technology-transfer approach.

In 1998, 100,000 farmers were included in this Government-financed agricultural intensification programme. SG 2000 and the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) also sponsored some farmers to grow demonstration plots. In 1999 the government wanted to expand the programme significantly, possibly doubling these numbers.

Marco Quinones commented in 1998: «The government is committed to agricultural development and there is considerable enthusiasm among the farming community to adopt new technology. But Eritrea still only produces 60 to 70 per cent of its cereal needs—so there is a long way to go before self-sufficiency. »

In 1998, Eritrea faced a war and the programme had to stop in late 1999. In 2000, the country asked for the return of SG 2000, but it was impossible at that time, given all the political tensions and problems linked to war and the high number of countries in which SG 2000 was already involved in.