In 1993, SG 2000 initiated a collaborative agricultural project with the Government of Ethiopia. It was urgent for the country to accelerate its production of staple food crops, as Ethiopia was one of the poorest countries in the world. Food deficits had been the largest in the world : food aid from 1989 to 1993 had been running between 500,000 and nearly 1 million tons.

The 1st 5-year Agricultural Development Programme
Focusing initially on introducing improved maize and wheat production technology, some 160 extension management training plots (EMTP) were established with small-scale farmers in four regions of the country. “There are really exceptional yields for the first year of the programme”, comments Takele Gebre, Head of Ethiopia’s National Extension Service, later took up the position of SG 2000 Ethiopia’s Project Coordinator (deceased in 2004). “Our four frontline field staff are very excited with the EMTP technology transfer tool, and participating farmers are extremely happy with the benefits they obtained.”

The field programme emphasised on higher-yielding crop technologies for several cereals and potatoes. SG 2000 also supported an extension training and technical assistance programme on postharvest grain storage and preservation technologies, which was implemented by frontline extension staff.

In the first three years, SG 2000 established nearly 5,000 extension management training plots (EMTPs) in 67 districts within four regions. The half-hectare EMTPs allowed farmers and extension agents to learn improved methods and to see at first-hand the costs and returns for using effectively modern inputs.

In 1995, based on outstanding results from the EMTPs, the government decided to apply the SG 2000 technology transfer methodology on a large scale, mobilizing its own financial resources. It launched the National Extension Intensification Programme (NEIP), which ensured the country-widely availability of inputs and credit for over 32,000 EMTPs, mostly maize. In 1996 the NEIP expanded to 320,000 plots. The good weather and the widespread use of improved technology resulted in a record-breaking harvest—12 million tons of grain.
By the end of 1996, Quinones reported that “hundreds of thousands of Ethiopia’s farmers had adopted the EMTP technology and that line planting in maize was now used by more than 2/3 of the country’s farmers”.

There were signs that Ethiopia was self-sufficient in maize production and approaching self-sufficiency in other cereals, in 1997. Post harvest problems have taken on even greater urgency as Ethiopia tried to cope with a 20% increase in the size of the cereal harvest. SG 2000 was promoting mainly hand-operated shellers and threshers designed in Ethiopia.
SG 2000 would like to help Ethiopian maize researchers to accelerate the production of QPM varieties. Researchers have assembled breeding materials from around the world and have planted trials. With supports from SG 2000, researchers visited QPM programmes in Ghana, South Africa and Mexico.

In 1998, Ethiopia added conservation tillage to its strategies to reverse the continuing degradation of its soil-resource base, with an initial focus on maize, adding wheat in 1999 and teff and sorghum in 2000. “Apart from resistance to Striga, a parasitic weed, yield and grain were excellent,” comments Quinones. “As nearly one million hectares are planted under sorghum in Ethiopia—and Striga is the main threat—the importance of this programme cannot be overemphasized.”

The 2nd 5-year Agricultural Development Programme (2001/2005)
In 1999, 6 years after the national extension programme based on the SG 2000 technology-transfer methodology began, nearly 4 million farmers have been participating. One of the encouraging signs is that the use of commercial fertilizers, mainly ammonium phosphate and urea, was increasing. Fertilizer sales in 2000 were estimated at 460,000 tons compared with 290,000 tons in 1999. Another landmark was the production of 10,000 tons of hybrid maize seed by the National Seed Enterprise.

In 2001/02, the rains were steady and close to normal across the country. Government figures show that 12.6 million tons of cereals were produced, 43 per cent more than the previous year, making this harvest the best in Ethiopia’s history.
But while a considerable segment of the Ethiopian population remains food insecure, the severe threat of famine in the drought areas of the country has subsided over the past few months.

In 2001, SG 2000 established about 500 extension management-training plots (EMTPs), of which over half were centered on conservation tillage practices. The conservation tillage demonstration programme focuses on maize, wheat, teff, and sorghum. Conservation tillage saves labour for farmers during land preparation and weed control (which are normally periods of acute labour shortage for farmers), helping to combat soil degradation, and preserving moisture. The technique has consistently resulted in yields that equal or exceed the yields from the best conventional tillage.

In 2002, the district (Woreda) administrations have become the new focal points for the agricultural development, and many civil servants from regional or zonal administrations have been transferred there. Frontline extensionists have been assigned to peasant associations, which will eventually become small townships or population centers providing all types of basic services.
“Government officials at all levels are taking seriously about the need to transform peasant agriculture into a market-oriented commercial agriculture”, says Takele Gebre. “There is a real momentum behind this with agricultural, technical and vocational schools training thousands of young people to become specialized smallholder commercial farmers.”

In response to the drought crisis, SG 2000 worked with the government to develop and demonstrate a number of water harvesting technologies to serve as a model for extension workers and farmers. These included small-scale drip irrigation projects capable of irrigating up to 500m2 per household, as well as credit facilities for participating farmers. Some 30 pilot demonstrations were sponsored by SG 2000 in 2003.

SG 2000 has established a pilot grain inventory credit programme with the Development Bank of Ethiopia. The credit scheme enabled farmers to store their grain after harvest for later sale when market prices are more favorable. Three inventory credit groups have been formed in southern Ethiopia, with a total membership of 85 farmers.

Prime Minister Meles Zenawi publicly declared that his government was aiming to reach at least 2 million farmers in 1998 with improved technology through the national extension programme.
« With such fantastic government commitment, noted Quinones, SG 2000 has drastically cut back its direct activities in support of field demonstrations. » However, Quinones notes, «SG 2000 will significantly increase its activities to assist frontline extension workers to introduce improved on-farm postharvest grain storage systems.
Finally, SG 2000 efforts also planned to promote the development of community-based agroprocessing entreprises.