Maize technology popularization in selected Agricultural Growth Program-II districts of Harari region and Dire Dawa administration

Now days food and nutrition insecurity is a key challenge of small holder farmers faces in Ethiopia in general and study area in particular. Based on this notion the research was conducted with objectives of objectives of promoting and popularize improved maize technologies, create awareness, improving farmers’ knowledge and skills through giving training, improve farmers’ livelihood and enhance stakeholders’ participation. A total of fi fteen (15) trial farmers were selected from two potential Maize growing kebeles of Dire Dawa administration and one from Harari region. Three Farmers Research Groups having 45 farmers were established at each kebele. Two improved maize varieties (Melkassa-2 and Melkassa-6) were planted on a plot of 40mx40m per variety and trial farmers were used as replication. Training on which a total of 39 participants and fi eld day on which 107 participants took part were also organized at Dire Dawa and Harari region. Melkassa maize varieties were evaluated based on their early maturity, yield and disease tolerance. Agronomic data and yield data were collected and analyzed using descriptive statistics. Based on this yield data of 21.6qt/ha Melkassa-6 and 23.6 qt/ha Melkassa-2 were obtained from overall farmers’ land in average. Melkassa-2 had 9.3% yield advantage over Melkassa-6. Thus Melkassa-2 ranked fi rst by yield, Melkassa-6 second and, therefore, both varieties(Melkasa-2 and Melkasa-6) are recommended for further scaling up to reach large small holder farmers through government organizations, Non-government Organizations, research institutes and other stakeholders works on maize technology promotion. Research Article Maize technology popularization in selected Agricultural Growth ProgramII districts of Harari region and Dire Dawa administration Ibsa Aliyi Usmane*, Abdulaziz Teha, Nasir Siraj and Oromiya Magersa Oromia Agricultural Research Institute, Fedis Agricultural Research Centre, P.O. Box 904, Harar, Ethiopia Received: 08 August, 2020 Accepted: 26 October, 2020 Published: 28 October, 2020 *Corresponding author: Ibsa Aliyi Usmane, Oromia Agricultural Research Institute, Fedis Agricultural Research Centre, P.O. Box 904, Harar, Ethiopia, E-mail:


Introduction
Food security in Ethiopia, and elsewhere in Africa, is a major socio-political issue. Its economic wellbeing is also dependent on the success of its agriculture. Ethiopia has long suffered from food shortages and economic underdevelopment even though it is endowed with a wide range of crop and agro-ecological diversity. Maize, teff (Eragrostistef), sorghum, wheat, and barley among cereals and enset (Enseteventricosum) among roots and tubers provide the main calorie requirements in the Ethiopian diet. Crop productivity and production remained low and variable in the 90s for the most part but there have been clear signs of change over the past decade. Maize has expanded rapidly and transformed production systems in Africa as a popular and widely cultivated food crop since its introduction to the continent around 1500 A.D [1].
Maize production and its status in determining food security in the country received a major focus in the mid-1980s, particularly spurred by the 1984 devastating drought and the famine that followed. The wide adaptability of the crop and the potential to produce more calories and food per area of land cultivated than all major cereals grown in Ethiopia were important factors in considering maize as part of the national food security strategy, including its inclusion under the government-led intensive agricultural extension program (Berhane et al. 2011). With increased production driving market prices down, maize became more affordable (e.g., relative to other staples such as teff and wheat) to rural and urban consumers. It is now increasingly used both separately as well as in mixed fl our with other more expensive cereals in traditional Ethiopian diets. Maize is the most important staple in terms of calorie intake in rural Ethiopia. The 2004/5 national survey of consumption expenditure indicated that maize accounted for 16.7 % of the national calorie intake followed by sorghum (14.1 %) and wheat (12.6 %) among the major cereals [2].
Compared to the 1960s the share of maize consumption among cereals more than doubled to nearly 30% in the 2000s onwards, whereas the share of teff, a cereal that occupies the largest area of all crops in Ethiopia, declined from more than 30% to about 18% during the same period. The popularity of maize in Ethiopia is partly because of its high value as a food crop as well as the growing demand for the Stover as animal fodder and source of fuel for rural families. Approximately 88 % of maize produced in Ethiopia is consumed as food, both as green and dry grain. Maize for industrial use has also supported growing demand. Very little maize is currently used as feed but this too is changing in order to support a rapidly growing urbanization and poultry industry. Unlike its neighbor, Kenya, which imports a signifi cant share for its consumption needs, Ethiopia has increasingly attained self-suffi ciency in maize production since early this decade and even exports some quantities to neighboring countries (e.g., Sudan and Djibouti) in years of surplus production. If production can be signifi cantly expanded, the potential for maize export to all the neighboring countries including Kenya is very high although the national demand is expected to continue to grow in the coming years [3].
The emerging maize green revolution for Africa envisioned [4][5][6] in the 1990s has remained elusive so far but is showing strong signs of becoming a reality now in Ethiopia and perhaps in other countries of sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). There is evidence that the increased productivity and production of maize is also having a signifi cant positive impact on poverty reduction (Dercon et al. 2009). Melkasa series maize varieties give high yield when compared with local maize varieties. Melkasa maize varieties mature earlier than local maize and somewhat drought tolerant than local. Farmers in the study area use the local variety which needs enough amount of rainfall and obtain low production if rainfall is not enough. These varieties could tolerate drought and insects than local, this helped farmers to selected varieites based on their interest and criteria and researcher for further technology generation. Therefore, this project was conducted to alleviate these problems and ensure the benefi ts small holder farmers from these Melkasa Maize technologies.

Materials and methods
The activity was conducted in nationally selected Agricultural growth program-II implementation districts of Harari region and Dire Dawa administration. Harari regional state is located on distance of 526 kms from capital city Finfi ne in direction of country's eastern part; it is all in all bordered by Oromia region and hosts one capital town of Oromia Regional state's zone that is East Hararghe. The climatic condition of the region includes highland, midland and lowland; the soil types that exist in the region is different in different ecologies of the region that is clay, loam, sandy and black types.

Data collection and analysis method
Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected.
The collected quantitative data were subjected to analysis using SPSS software version 20 (frequency, mean, standard deviation and range) while qualitative data collected using group discussion, key informant interviews, fi eld observation and focus group discussion were analyzed using narrative explanation and argument. Finally data from different sources were triangulated to get reliable information.

Training of target group (Farmers, DAs and Experts)
The training was organized at both regions. It was given

Yield performance across districts
The following graph describes the yield performances of the demonstrated varieties across the study site. The grain yield performance of the improved varieties (Melkassa-6 and Melkassa-2) were 17.26 and 18.91qt/ha at Adada, 24.71 and 24.31qt/ha at Kile, 21 and24.73qt/ha at Dujuma and 23.47 and 26.59qt/ha at Wahil respectively. The average grain yield performance of Melkassa-2 higher (26.59 quintal per hectare) at wahil but Melkassa-6 variety was higher at 24.71qt/ha at kile.

Field day organized and Farmers' perception toward the varieties
Farmers' in the study area also selected the best performing improved lowland maize varieties by using their own criteria.

Conclusion and recommendation
In the study area, the rainfall shortage were the most problems that infl uencing maize production. To address this problem, Fedis Agricultural Research Center (FARC) has undertaken adaptation trials on improved early maturing Maize varieties and identifi ed the well adapted varieties to the areas. These varieties performed well by grain yield and early maturity to the spread of severe low rainfall distribution pattern which has a negative effect on yield and yield components.
These Maize varieties adaptation trial were conducted to solve the identifi ed problems and succeed observed in yield and yield components as compare to the local varieties. Using these technologies that have great advantages for the producers to minimize risks associated with it and maximizes their benefi ts.
But currently, improving the productivity of our farmers remains a challenge that has to be faced with a multiple problems. Therefore, center has disseminated and popularized the demonstrated and selected varieties to the target farmers for the last two years.
The varieties were well appreciated by farmers in the areas.
Moreover, farmers said that using these varieties is alleviating the existed problems on production and productivity in the areas. Maize not only for grain yield but also they used the stalk for animal feed, fi re wood/fuel. Overall the varieties are well accepted and suggested to widely promote and make farmers benefi cials through the Offi ce of Agriculture and Natural Resource of the Zone. This can achieved through appliying appropriate extension approach like giving training to DAs and farmers, experience sharing, fi eld day organizing and collaborative work with stalkeholders, private producers, and NGOs that with close supervision of reseach center.