Making progress with BBF: Capacity building and participatory research within ETH-Soil
05.12.2024
In October, Dr. Betelhem Mekonnen travelled together with Prof. Dr. Bruno Glaser of Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg to Ethiopia to finalise the lab training of ETH-Soil project partners IQQO and Jimma University and to monitor the ongoing research with the ETH-Soil calls.
After the successful conclusion of the lab trainings in Batu and Jimma, Dr. Betelhem continued her trip in Ethiopia with visits of partnering researchers who conduct BBF field trials within ETH-Soil Calls 1 and 2. In Sito Woreda close to Jimma, Dr. Essubalew Getachew trials BBF with bioslurry as nutrient source. There, they also met with a farmer who received biochar under the Scale Up programm and visited Dr. Abebe Nigussie's 2nd year experiment fields from ETH-Soil Call 1. The next stop was Hawassa, Sidama where Dr. Shimelis Gizachew (within Call 1) and Dr. Ashenafi Nigussie (within Call 2) conduct their research for ETH-Soil. Dr. Ashenafi works with participatory methods including farmers in his field trials. Dr. Betelhem got the opportunity to see the test plots and talk to the farmers who are very positive about the BBF's performance so far. The trip continued to Dilla where Dr. Yackob Alemayehu works on research for both Call 1 and Call 2. Part of the visit were the Farmers Training Center at Bule Woreda and discussions with the research team as well as participating farmers. The last stop was at Wolaita Sodo University, where Dr. Betelhem met with Dr. Fanuel Laekemariam, visited the biochar production and newly built biogas facilities.
Overall, the tour showed that the (participatory) research conducted within ETH-Soil is successful regarding soil improvement, crop yields and outreach to smallholder farmers. The preliminary results of all four researchers of Call 2 will be presented at the Soil Symposium in March.
Dr. Essubalew Getachew (Jimma University) researches BBF with the help of farmers like Abarash Tekle.
Dr. Shimelis Gizachew (Hawassa University, Call 1) and Dr. Ashenafi Nigussie (EIAR, Wondo Genet Agricultural Research Center, Call 2) research the effect of BBF on soil, crop yields and food security.
Dr. Yackob Alemayehu (Dilla University) researches different nutrient sources for biochar-based fertilizers using mainly coffee residues and liquid manure in Gedeo, Sidama.
Dr. Fanuel Laekemariam and his team from Wolaita Sodo University test biochar production, BBF formulation and effects on test fields using participatory research methods.