(IDRC Project Number107984-001/2)

Project Title: Scaling-up Pulse Innovations for Food and Nutrition Security (SPIFoNS) in

Southern Ethiopia

Research Institutions: Hawassa University and University of Saskatchewan Report Type 12-months Technical Report Report Period: March 2015- March 2016

Project Team

University of Saskatchewan Hawassa University Dr. Carol Henry Dr. Sheleme Beyene Dr. Bruce Coulman Mrs. Addisalem Mesfin Dr. Bob Tyler Dr. Berhanu Abate Dr. Gord Zello Dr. Walelign Worku Dr. Susan Whiting Dr. Tewodros Tefera Dr. Sina Adl Dr. Kebede Abegaz Prof. Bill Brown Dr. Steve Shirtliffe Dr. Patience Elabor-Idemudia Partners: Dr. Tilahun Amede (ICRISAT) Mr. Tekle Bahiru (BoANR) Mrs. Yeshi Chichi (Gender consultant) Mr. Girmay Ayana (EPHI) Mr Yared Sertse (Business model consultant) Mr. Muluken Getahun (SARI) Project Manager Ms. Shawna Bieber Mr. Awol Zeberga (Coordinator)

Mr. Tussa Dedefo (Research Assistant) Mr. Mengistu Fereja (Research

Assistant)

Scientific Impact Advisory Committee (SIAC)

Dr. Seme Debela, Former DG, Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research Dr. Cherinet Abuye, Save the Children, Ethiopia Dr. Susan Horton, Professor and CIGI Chair in Global Health Economics, University of Waterloo, Canada Dr. Maurice Moloney, CEO, Global Institute for Food Security, University of Saskatchewan, Canada Dr. Shimelis Admassu Emire, Deputy Director of Food, Beverage and Pharmaceutical Institute at Ministry of Industries, Ethiopia

2016

By:

University of

Saskatchewan

Hawassa University

Executive Summary

The 'Scaling-up Pulse Innovations for Food and Nutrition Security (SPIFoNS) in Southern Ethiopia'

project envisages wider-scale impact on the food and nutrition security status of smallholder

farmers through scaling up of pulse innovations, reaching 70,000 farm households. A wide range

of potential partners was mobilized and are now equipped with the available technologies and

practices for reaching more communities, districts and zones. A detailed inventory and

characterization of these various actors working on pulses across the value-chain is attached

(Appendix 1). Expanding production of selected common bean and chickpea varieties using an

improved package of practices covered eight districts (woredas) in the 2015 growing season. A

total of 11,155 farmers (6704 males, 4451 females) have been affianced in common bean,

chickpea seed and grain production (675 for seed and 10,480 farmers for grain, covering 278.5

ha). In support of a successful scale-up process, the project has supported the pulse seed sector

by establishing 675 specialized seed producer farmers arranged in 135 clusters comprising 5

farmers each in 2015 growing season. The cluster consisted of 66 and 69 seed producer groups

organized for common bean and chickpea, respectively. Additionally, 10,480 men and women

farmers were provided with mini-packs of 2 kg of seed of improved varieties along with bio-

fertilizer for wider diffusion of pulse innovations. This practice will be expanded to fifteen

project districts in 2016. A total of 15.5 tonnes (6.5 t Nasir and 9 t Hawassa Dume varieties),

common bean certified seeds were collected by Southern Ethiopia Seed Enterprise (SSE) and an

additional 4.45 t was also recovered. Chickpea seed recovery and its pricing assessment are

underway at partner organizations.

Complementary to the scaling out process, Participatory Variety Selections (PVS) were carried

out in newly targeted project districts to identify site-specific high yielding varieties of common

bean and chickpea and channeled into the seed multiplication and scaling up programs.

Hawassa Dume, SER 119 and SER 125 (all red colored) have been selected by farmers in most

target districts, whereas Wajo (white and export type bean) was selected in one district. These

varieties are made ready for the next season seed multiplication program. The selected varieties

are being prepared for the 2016 seed multiplication program.

Training on improved common bean and chickpea production packages including bio-fertilizer

application, was provided to 707 participants (32 experts (Train the Trainers (ToT) and 675

farmers) and a manual on common bean production in two languages (English and Amharic) was

published and prepared for distribution. Training conveyed messages on extension

communication, participatory research/extension approaches, gender mainstreaming, record

keeping and process documentation. Research thematic areas for graduate students were

identified; 18 Masters and 2 PhD scholarships were awarded.

Baseline data was collected from 773 mother-child pairs from two districts in the Sidama zone:

Boricha and Hawassa Zuria. Following baseline 12 Health Extension Workers (HEWs) from the

intervention Kebeles were trained on pulse processing and pulse incorporated recipes especially

for young children and lactating mothers. Trained HEWs in turn trained 228 Health Development

army leaders on the same messages. HEWs also started house-to-house counselling for study

participant mothers. Monthly group education day have been scheduled and started, the first

sessions were held for intervention Kebeles in Boricha. The first session of the group education

was given for intervention Kebeles in Hawassa Zuria at the end of March, 2016.

Concerning the innovative pulse food product distribution model, two major activities have

been initiated: 1) development of a business model that explores market opportunities,

especially one that benefits women players in the pulse value chain, and 2) a research and

extension project in collaboration with GUTS Agro focused on product development using

chickpea-cereal blends and “Lipid Oxidative Stability and Folate, Lysine, Acrylamide and

Resistant starch Contents of Extruded Chickpea-Maize, Chickpea-Barley and Chickpea-Sorghum

Blends”.

The development of business models for agribusiness and nutrition is underway. The

agribusiness model (public private partnership) can offer sustainable input delivery and output

marketing. Work is also continuing on the school feeding and village store models to secure

nutrition and may be reduced into one model or even be merged with the agribusiness model to

form agribusiness-nutrition business model. In order to facilitate this, a detailed analysis of

community level facts is underway. In particular, small holder farmers are being interviewed

about the factors that affect their adoption of the new varieties, focus groups of farmers are

being formed to discuss costs of production, storage, and marketing factors, agribusiness firms,

government agencies and NGOs have been and will continue to be interviewed to develop the

most appropriate business model. The interviews include customer segmentation, value

propositions, customer relationships, delivery channels, revenue and cost analyses, key

activities, resources and partners.

The business models to be developed will give due attention to inclusiveness-gender

participation and involvement of small holder farmers. The business models will provide proper

insight as to where to focus, how women and small holder farmers benefit better but at the

same time the market opportunities are harnessed.

We also have been employing various communication channels to reach the wider community

in the region, including through radio. Farm Radio International is implementing participatory,

interactive radio strategies to reach 135,000 farmers/households (including at least 20% female-

headed) on the availability of pulse-based food products, the benefits of consuming pulses in

the household; adoption of methods for increasing/improving the productivity, and household

use, of pulses among 135,000 farmers and their households. While the project has been

focusing on scaling-out various pulse technologies and practices, we also have been conducting

research to assess the effectiveness of various dissemination pathways in moving technologies

and knowledge within the target communities, between neighboring communities, and between

neighboring districts and zones.

Research Problem

Pulse crops occupy about 14% of the cropland in Ethiopia and are the second most important

component in the national diet after cereals. Haricot bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) and chickpea

(Cicer arietinum L.) are the second and third most important pulse crops in volume of

production next to faba bean (Vicia faba L). Pulse crops play a critical role in Ethiopian

agriculture; however, the actual smallholder farm yields do not reach their potential. The

National and Regional Pulse Breeding programs have been developing about 47 improved

varieties of haricot bean, which yield 3.0 - 3.6 t/ha (MoA, 2014). Despite the magnitude and the

release of many improved varieties, the national average yield of haricot bean is still low at 1.59

t/ha (CSA, 2014/15). The possible reasons for the low yields are, in addition to weather

fluctuation and prevalence of disease and insect pests, growing local and/or low yielding

varieties by farmers, application of low inputs or growing without any input and poor

management of the fields. The yield gap mainly results from management practices such as low

input usage and the inaccessibility of improved varieties, and indicates the lack of an effective

linkage between agricultural research and extension systems. Consequently, farming systems

can be viewed as its low input output scenario.

Ethiopian farmers grow different crop species as sole crops, intercrops or double crops.

Production of pulses particularly chickpea as a double crop, following the main season crop,

allows farmers to utilize slack labour and crop free land, and to mitigate risks caused by climate

change. Chickpea and haricot bean are capable of forming beneficial associations with strains of

Rhizobium bacteria. These pulse species can fix an adequate amount of N to produce high

protein seed and contribute to the N requirement of subsequent crops.

Protein-calorie malnutrition and micronutrient deficiency are prevalent in rural Ethiopia,

although the region is characterized by the production of diverse crop species. While

investments in child health in Ethiopia have yielded a significant decline in infant and under five

mortality rates nationally, the Southern Nations Nationalities and Peoples Regional State

(SNNPR) ranked fifth in terms of stunting, while anemia affects 36.9% of under five children in

the region. Micronutrient deficiencies, mainly zinc and iron in under-five children, are common

in the region and feeding practices remain sub-optimal. According to the Ethiopian Demographic

and Health Survey (CSA, 2011), only 2.5% of 6-23 month-old children consumed the

recommended four food groups and just 6% of children under two consumed iron-rich foods in

the region. In both 2008 and 2012, the Copenhagen Consensus rated interventions to reduce

under-nutrition as a first priority among ten of the world’s most important challenges

(Copenhagen Consensus, 2012). It is clear that addressing under-nutrition is critical to achieving

Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), especially as they address extreme poverty, child

mortality, and maternal health (Goals 1, 4, and 5, respectively).

Food and nutrition insecurity is therefore a major problem for the Ethiopian population and

there is a need to increase the production of high quality pulse crops through the use of better

varieties and improved production practices. Together with processing and preparation of food

products containing pulses, these practices can significantly reduce the under-nutrition of

Ethiopian children. Through its prior research and development outputs, this project aims at

contributing to efforts aspired to curtail the food insecurity problem in SNNPRS with recent

advances in the production, promotion, and use of pulse crops from the University of

Saskatchewan and Hawassa University partnership and funded under the CIFSRF project. It will

employ key production, processing and nutrition findings for wider scale production and

utilization of chickpea and haricot bean.

Progress towards milestones (3 pages max.)

Milestones Achiev

ement

(in %)

Evidence/Indicator Comment

6 Months

1 Personnel identified

and/or recruited;

implementation and

evaluation teams

formed

100% Project manager at UofS and Coordinator at

HU were recruited. Project implementation

team includes research organization, NGOs,

government and private partners

Evaluation team will be

formed in 2016

2 Post docs, PhD and

MSc students

recruited and

proposals developed

100% 2 PhD (UofS), 15 MSc –HU (3 Nutrition, 1 Food

Science/Postharvest, 7 Agriculture, 2

Agribusiness and Value chain, 2 Gender and

Family studies); recruited from partner

institutions;

1 Research Associate, UofS gender and socio-

relations supported by UofS Global Institute

for Food Security, begins May 1, 2016.

In addition, 1 post doc recruit

(short term) from the

Microveg UofS team for joint

participatory studies on

network analysis and pulse

adoption studies

3 Selection of sites and

farmers finalized with

at least 20%

participation by

women at each site;

assessment of

demand for seed,

fertilizers and other

inputs

100%

Year 1

11,155 farmers (6704 males, 4451 females) in

8 districts were selected

Further selection was carried

out by FRI for the first year;

selection in the remaining

districts will continue

Inception workshop

held, report

distributed

100%

Held July 2015, report distributed

Submitted to IDRC with 6-

month Technical Report

5 Project

Implementation

strategies- impact

pathway; project m/e

results framework;

communications

policy and

engagement strategy;

scaling-up and gender

strategies

80% Communication strategy (Appendix 2) ready

for circulation;

impact pathway strategy (Appendix 3) shared

among key team members; gender framework

shared at the gender training and workshop,

December 2015, HU ( Appendix 4-report)

Project m/e and scaling-up

strategy in progress, to be

completed this Fall, workshop

- October 11 and 12

6 Ethics proposal UofS

and HU obtained

100% Ethics- UofS approved, ethics for individual

studies ( MSc and PhD) on going

7 MOU with third party

organizations, letter

of agreement from

collaborating

organizations/scaling-

up actors

100% MOUs completed for third party organizations

agreements-gender specialist, business model

specialist

8 First meeting of the

Scientific and Impact

Advisory Committee

(SIAC)

100% First meeting of the SIAC with project PIs and

co-leads held in November 11-12, Rome

Second meeting planned for

HU, May 2016-project leads,

partners

12 month report: 2nd Joint progress report

Objective 1

1 Location-specific best

chickpea variety together

with its agronomic soil

management practices

implemented at 8 districts

(reaching 15,000

households)

67% A total of 9,325 farmers (44.7% female) were

reached with improved chickpea varieties

together with agronomic and soil management

practices in 2015

The low number was due to drought, which affected land preparation and sowing. However, the overall plan (30,000) will be comfortably achieved in the remaining seasons

2

First year scaling-up of best

performing haricot bean

varieties with location

specific practices

20% 8 nationally released common bean varieties

and local check were tested in PVS. 15.5 t (6.5

Nasir and 9 t Hawassa Dume) certified common

bean seed collected by SSE. A total of 1,830

The number is below the planned 10,000 due to El Nino in 2015. But the overall plan

completed at the 8 districts

(reaching 10,000

households)

Farm Households were reached with best

performing haricot bean varieties together with

their site-specific practices.

(20,000) will be achieved in the remaining seasons, as bean is produced twice a year.

3 Sustainable local

community chickpea seed

system establishment and

operationalizing starts in 8

districts of the project. The

target will be 2 Union, 20

Primary Unions and 1,000

producers for chickpea in

the season.

. 80% A total of 675 specialized seed producer

farmers arranged in 135 clusters (66 and 69

seed producer groups organized for common

bean and chickpea, respectively) were

established in 2015. The clusters produced

bean on 82.5 and chickpea on 86.25 ha. SSE

inspected the quality of the seeds and collected

15.5 t of certified haricot bean seed and the

collection of chickpea seeds is underway.

Southern Seed Enterprise, which is presently

involved in seed production of haricot bean,

and the Southern Farmers’ Cooperative

Federation take active part

The fields of all

seed growers were

inspected and

seeds were

certified. However,

the clusters are not

yet registered as

primary. The South

Farmers’

Cooperative

Federation is

approached for

arranging clusters.

Objective 2.

4 Baseline assessment and

visioning workshop of the

current policy gaps and

challenges (e.g.

institutional support,

market access, supply &

value chain issues, input

availability, and credit)

completed, report develop

and circulated

75% Inventory of potential actors done, along with

their key institutional competencies and

interests detail characterization completed.

Policy forum conducted in December 10-12,

2015- report Appendix (5)

The report from the Business Model Consultant

describes early documentation of value chain

issues, input availability etc. from seed

distribution –agro food processing

5 Identifying and validating

at least 4 channels, tools

and methods for effective

scaling-up pulse-based

interventions

100% Several innovative channels for scaling-up the

delivery of seeds, foods and nutrition have

been identified and put in place. A detailed

research project is underway to identify and

validate farmer-to-farmer, community-to-

community and district to district dissemination

pathways of improved pulse technologies and

practices. The Ethiopian Government’s

essential health interventions, through its

Health Extension Program (HEP); Farm Radio

International (FRI); Seed distribution through

education & training; and through the channels

of the schools- peer-peer nutrition delivery.

Objective 3

6 Roll-out Nutrition Program

Intervention (1-year) at the

household levels; pulse

food product development

starts using household

level processing

technologies (e.g. fine-tune

3-products identified in

previous studies; a family

package-complimentary

foods, patties, adult meals)

75% After baseline characterization of pulse-food

products for consumption/sale, the team

explored household constraints, industry

needs, and food safety issues. The Nutrition

program has been rolled out using the channels

identified in #5 (above). and 109 health officers

(30 females, 79 males) on nutrition and pulse

based food processing.

Development and production of two training

manuals on common bean production were

created in Amharic and English languages, and

on ‘Pulse consumption for improved nutrition:

A manual for training community leaders’

(Appendix 6).

Partnerships with Farm Radio International to

implement participatory, interactive radio

strategies about pulses; to 135,000

farmers/household (including at least 20%

female-headed), on the availability of pulse-

based food products and the benefits of

consuming pulses in the household;

Fifty three potential diverse actors in the pulse

value chain identified.

Training manuals developed in the earlier six

months were used to for training and delivery

of the nutrition program, using the HEP and

through radio communications.

We have

experienced some

delays in program

implementation

due to the drought

in a few of the

project sites. This

might affect the

percentage of

mothers expected

to change to the

use of pulses after

the nutrition

education

The PhD nutrition

student will address

this activity this

April & (UofS) and

HU/GUTS May –

September( see

Proposal Appendix

Objective 4

7 Gender and socio-

economics framework, and

market studies completed

70% 4,451 women seed producer farmers reached

in pulse innovations scaling up process

30.5 hectare of land of women farmers covered

with pulse innovations

122 women seed producer farmers engaged in

seed multiplication clusters

8

Gender-specific training

workshop on processing

and markets conducted,

report disseminated

75%

Gender sensitization workshop conducted

December 6-8, 2015, manual develop, attached

(Appendix 4)

9 Process motoring tools

developed and shared that

80% The impact pathways that have been

developed by the team have provided gender

would ensure that the

CIFRSF team are

mainstreaming gender in

their respective activities

and scaling-up approaches

specific outputs and outcomes along with

milestones and deliverables

We have now included gender specific outputs

in other scaling-up tools developed.

Objectives 5

10 At least five

communication channels

targeting various interest

groups in the new target

areas and beyond

(including local radio

channels) established and

operationalized.

100% The various communication channels that could

be used to disseminate knowledge and

technologies have been identified and availed

to team members and partner institutions;

However, there has been a delay in efficiently

using them, partly because the team has been

waiting until key insights and innovation are

emerging for wider communication.

11 Functional platform for

networking policy

influences and facilitating

scaling-up of pulse

innovation created and

functional at regional levels

100% The regional platform was established on

December 12, 2015 in Hawassa, Ethiopia,

whereby common understanding about the

project was created, key insights shared and a

common working protocol was developed. The

next meeting, planned in May, would jointly

monitor progress, share roles and

responsibilities and identify key barriers of

project progress and agree on key action

points.

Synthesis of research results

Research Objective 1. To test and identify adapted high yielding chickpea and haricot bean

varieties in new project sites.

Research Title: Participatory Variety Selection of Common Bean for the new project sites

Nine nationally released varieties were evaluated based on farmers’ ascribed criteria. The varieties

Nasir, Ibado (mottled), Hawassa-Dume, Tatu (mottled), Remeda, Wajo (white), SER-119, SER-125

and check (Red Wolayta) were used. Farmers’ overall evaluation in respective localities (Table 1)

shows that in Halaba, Hawassa-Dume, SER-119, Nasir, in that order, were selected by 28 farmers,

whereas Wajo ranked as fourth best varieties, respectively, by 30 farmers. Furthermore, 24

farmers have ranked Hawassa-Dume, SER125, Nasit and SER-119 from first to fourth respectively,

at Damot Gale.

The grain yield data showed that variety Wajo was the highest yielder across the three districts

followed by Hawassa Dume, SER-119 and SER-125 in decreasing order. The highest grain yield

performance of the variety Wajo could be attributed to its vines are tightly intermingled with

each other and covered the ground completely so the loss of water in the form of evaporation

may be reduced. However, Wajo was not selected by farmers to be used as a seed because of its

white seed color, which is not preferred by local markets. This variety was ranked fourth only at

Halaba. Haricot bean is mainly produced in the southern region for local markets as a cash crop,

and the red seed color is important in this aspect. Therefore, we learned that yield alone does

not influence the choice of the farmers; rather the combination of yield, seed size, and color

characters. The one-season evaluation results showed that varieties, Hawassa Dume and SER-

119 are best and could be recommended at these sites.

Research Title: Effect of blended and biofertilizer on yield and postharvest quality of chickpea

A study was conducted to see the effect of blended and bio-fertilizer on yield and yield

components of chickpea in Wolaita Zone. The experiment consisted 8 treatments: 1. Control (no

fertilizer, 2 kg N + 45 kg P2O5 ha-1¸ 3. 6 kg N: 22.5kg P2O5: 2.5 kg S: 0.5 kg Zn kg ha-1, 4. 12 kg N:

45 kg P2O5: 5 kg S: 1 kg Zn kg ha-1, 5. 18 kg N: 67.5 kg P2O5: 7.5 kg S: 1.5 kg Zn ha-1, 6. 6 kg N + 45

kg P2O5 ha-1, 7. 12 kg N + 45 kg P2O5 ha-1, 8. 24 kg N + 45 kg P2O5 ha-1 . The experiment was

conducted from September 2015 to January 2016.

The objectives were to: 1) test the use of blended fertilizer in increasing yield and N fixation

capacity of chickpea; and 2) evaluate the correct rate of blended fertilizer with rhizobium

inoculant to improve yield of chickpea.

Data on nodule number, nodule volume, dry weight were recorded when more than 50% of the

plants in a plot flower. Plant height was recorded at full maturity when pods turned from green

to pale colour. Data on 100 seed weight and above ground biomass were recorded during the

harvesting time. The yield data was not reliable due to ball worm infestation in some plots

especially neighbouring plots with other chickpea plots of the local farmers. The analysis of data

showed that there were no significant differences between inoculated and non-inoculated

treatments. There was also no significant difference among the different blended fertilizers and

the interaction between inoculation and blended fertilizers. Absence of significant result may be

due to drought which occurred during the experiment.

Objective 2: To influence a policy shift in favour of pulse innovations that would address key

institutional, market, and policy barriers affecting scaling-up of legume innovations

Cataloguing scaling up actors and their competencies and scales of operations includes, detailed

inventory and characterization of these various actors working on pulses across the value chain

is attached (Appendix 1). Various major private and public Institutes have been playing an

important role in pulse production, improvement, processing and marketing in Ethiopia that

would contribute for improving farm households’ income and food security. About 53 major

actors that have been playing an important role in production, marketing, processing and

exporting have been identified and their interest and major role have been identified as

attached. Among these the major players are national and regional research institutes,

government bureaus, NGOs and the private sector. Research institutions were engaged mainly

in developing improved varieties of major pulse crops, namely faba bean, chickpea, lentils, field

pea, haricot bean and soybean. Given the weak link between research and extension, and the

relatively weak capacity of the extension systems, research institutions are usually taking the

lead in seed multiplication and dissemination of best practices, though their reach is limited.

Moreover, Universities are playing complementary roles to research, mainly Haromaya

University and Hawassa University, and play an important role, in pulse technology generation

and dissemination.

Due to the fact that there is no private sector involvement in seed systems of pulses in Ethiopia

due to limited profit margins, the public institutions are the major players in pulse seed

production, multiplication and dissemination. The national seed policy is also biased towards

cereals, though pulses are now becoming major sources of foreign exchange. However, there

are few emerging players that became part of our consortium; Menagesha Biotech Industry

P.L.C. (MBI), Bale Green Spice and Grain Development PLC., are becoming major players. There

are also well established, as well as emerging food processing private firms, which are involved

in adding value, including ACOS, GUTS Agroindustry, Hilina Foods and FAFA. Most of these

actors have created partnership with other major players at various scales. Along with various

NGOs working in the pulse sector, including CGIAR centres (ICRISAT, ICARDA, CIAT), USAID-Africa

Rising, N2Africa, CARE with its partners (ICRISAT, ICARDA), Catholic Relief Services (CRS) with its

partners, Save the Children UK (SC/UK), the Netherlands Development Organization (SNV), PSNP

Plus and Relief Society of Tigray (REST). This CIFSRF has been facilitating linkages and informing

policy makers about the need for investment and collective action in generating and scaling

pulse innovations.

Through a series of network analysis procedures, a joint research team led by collaborators

(faculty/post doc) from the CIFSRF Micro Veg Project will assess the importance of various

network effects in diffusing knowledge and adoption of new chickpea and bean varieties, along

with suitable agronomic management practices for pulse crops. Here network effects refer to

patterns of social network ties. Social network data will be gathered through fieldwork

(summer/fall 2016) conducted in two southern villages in Ethiopia.

Objective 3: To expand use of pulse in household-level food preparation and commercial

production of pulse-cereal complementary food

The pathways that lead from food production to household food security to improved nutrition

are complicated, with multiple determinants. A new framework that addresses agriculture-

nutrition link for improved household food and nutrition security is depicted in Figure 1. Figure 1

shows an integrated approach that links agriculture with nutrition strategies to address the

projects major goal to improve household food and nutrition security for better health

especially among young children and their families in the SNNPR.

Figure 1- Addressing food and nutrition security with nutrition interventions

As shown in Figure 1, there are three targets, with distribution/delivery models to address the

needs of each. In target 1, the goal is to reach 3,500 women using the national government’s

health extension programs which include the Health Development Army (HDA) workers). The

HDAs are model mothers who implement all components of the health extension program. HDA

workers lead 30 households which are organized in one HDA to five households (called 1 to 5

networks) and carry out home visits, which consist of counselling to address the project’s

objective 3. A total of 100 trained HEWs will train and supervise the HDA workers and 1-5

mothers. Early baseline findings suggest that more than two-thirds (68.2%) of the 1600 sampled,

reported using pulses in complimentary food (CF) preparation. While this is a higher proportion

than we observed in other studies, 68% of these mothers did not soak the pulses, with the main

reason (in 88%) being a lack of awareness. Few (15%) germinated, with the main reason also

being lack of awareness. The type of pulse used for CF preparation varied, with faba bean being

most popular (60%), followed by chickpea (52%), pea (51%), haricot bean (37%) and lentil (11%).

It was interesting to observe that the use of pulse type did not correspond to the type of pulse

grown in the area. Mainly haricot bean was grown (68%), with little pea (15%) or lentil (2%). In

terms of dietary diversity, half of the 1600 children, who ranged in age between 6 and 24

month, had adequate diversity, which is higher than we have found in other areas in SNNPR.

Within the above target group, 773 mother child pairs were recruited for another study, entitled

“Evaluation of the effectiveness of nutrition education intervention among rural mothers on

pulse and cereal mix complementary food and nutritional status of children age 6-24 months in

Sidama Zone, Southern Ethiopia” (PhD research). Baseline data was collected from the 773

mother-child pair from two districts of Sidama Zone, Boricha and Hawassa Zuria. The study is

ongoing; details will be reported in the 18 month Technical Report, September 2016.

Target II - Using radio broadcast media to reach 135,000 households carried out by Farm Radio

International and the project’s partners, Hawassa University and the University of

Saskatchewan. Activities that have taken place within this reporting period include consultative

meetings with project partners to ensure seed availability, assess potential, and impact of

climate change/drought in the project intervention areas. In-station training has been provided

for three days to five (2 female) radio journalists on the methods of producing radio

participatory programs with Fanna FM radio station in Wolayita Zone. Broadcasters at the

Wolikite’s FM station have been trained previously for the drought mitigation radio programs,

and will only need close follow ups. Wolikite FM reaches Guraghe and Silte Zones.

In station training for radio broadcasters in Wolayita with Fanna FM have taken place (five: 3

male and 2 female). Work has also commenced existing Community Listening Groups (CLGs) in

the three zones to increase female farmer’s access to information. 20 CLGs are established in

Wolayita and facilitators of 16 (8 male & 8 female) CLGs are trained. The goal is with

participatory, interactive radio strategies about pulses; to reach 135,000 farmers/households

(including at least 20% female-headed), on the availability of pulse-based food products and the

benefits of consuming pulses in the household; and then adoption methods for

increasing/improving the productivity of and household use of pulses among 135,000 farmers

and their households.

Formative research conducted (Appendix 7) revealed the need for information in eight main

areas: balance among nutritional, agronomic and economic benefits of pulses-haricot beans and

chickpea; improved food preparation procedures that would maximize the nutritional benefits

of pulse crops and pulse-food products. The report showed the need to explain the relevance of

pulse-based foods especially to mothers and young children aged 2-5 years old. In addition,

findings suggest a new for information on key agricultural practices and well as agro food

processing. These findings suggest that providing nutrition information may cause households to

consume more pulses food. The utilization of various media is likely to increase in consumption

may have the added advantage of increasing demand and thus production. The study also

showed that a significant number of farmers have functional radio and mobile phones, which is

important as the project seeks to utilize various media outlet to deliver key nutrition and

production messages to its target 135,000 farm households.

Challenges: The drought situation in the country was one factor which delayed the decision to

start activities in the zones. Hawassa University now has confirmed that the situation does not

affect the project areas and FRI has continued the work. Some delay was experienced due to the

security issue in Oromiya, and FRI has been forced to postpone the radio design workshop in

Wolayita. This was decided in discussion with Hawassa University. The design workshop in

Wolayita will be conducted once the situation calms down in Oromiya.

Target III - Consumers primarily women consumers in urban communities are targeted, but

extend also to women entrepreneurs in rural settings. Three activities are underway: 1)

development of a business model that among other things is exploring market opportunities

that benefit women-key players in the pulse value chain. Information on participation, access to

information, and gender gaps in pulse production practices. Activity II - work with private

partner Guts Agro is focused on the project “Lipid Oxidative Stability and Folate, Lysine,

Acrylamide and Resistant starch Contents of Extruded Chickpea-Maize, Chickpea-Barley and

Chickpea-Sorghum Blends”.

Chickpea has been used as a blend component in the production of extruded snacks and flours

in a number of studies. However, despite the higher fat content of chickpea compared to most

pulses, none of the studies investigated the characteristics of chickpea-containing extruded

snacks or extruded flours during storage. This study was designed to investigate the effect of

extrusion and storage extrudates on the characteristics of chickpea-containing extrudates.

Chickpea will be blended with maize, barley or sorghum at ratios of 0:100, 30:70, 40:60, 50:50

and 100:0 for the preparation of extruded snacks and flours.

The study will take place at the University of Saskatchewan and at Guts Agro in Hawassa,

Ethiopia. Determination of the effect of extrusion and storage of extrudates on lipid oxidative

stability, lysine, folate, acrylamide, rapidly digestible starch, slowly digestible starch and

resistant starch contents, and physicochemical properties and sensory acceptability of snacks

and flours prepared from chickpea-maize, chickpea-barley and chickpea-sorghum blends will be

carried out at the University of Saskatchewan.

In Ethiopia, extruded snacks and flours will be prepared from chickpea-maize, chickpea-barley

and chickpea-sorghum blends at commercial scale using the facilities of GUTS Agro. Preparation

of extruded products from such blends is new to Ethiopia. Quality parameters such as expansion

ratio, textural analysis, proximate analysis, content of anti-nutritional factors and sensory

acceptability will be assessed. Prototype commercial formulations will be identified from the

products prepared at GUTS Agro.

Objective 4: To create capacity and improve women farmers’ access and control over resources

to enhance their participation, productivity, income, and nutritional status;

Within the gender component the main activity undertaken in this reporting period was the

recruitment and solidification of the gender team. To this end, a gender research specialist Ato

Alemente was recruited at Hawassa University to lead local implementation and a research

associate, Dr Esayas was recruited at the UofS with funding support from the Global Institute of

Food Security (GIFS). Dr Esayas is expected to conduct research and development activities

related to gender and social relations. In addition, a gender training workshop was conducted in

December, 2015, where a gender framework for scaling up the gender dimension of the project

was revealed (Figure 2)

Over the summer/fall, 2016, the following activities will be carried out: Gender-specific training

for all stakeholders. A comprehensive gender analysis of the food security, agriculture and

health/nutrition sectors in Ethiopia will be implemented to identify gaps, especially as they

relate to project sites; develop guidelines to ensure women’s equal participation with men in

selecting seeds, seed distribution and making decisions on the size of land to be used for pulse

production and pulse marketing. Develop/adapt analytical tools for mainstreaming gender in

the agriculture-nutrition link to address food and nutrition security in project sites, with a focus

on profitability and sustainability; and establish networking as an exit strategy to ensure

sustainability at the end of the intervention.

Figure 2: Framework showing gender integration strategies into scaling up in the use of pulse in household level food preparation and pulse cereal comp. food, Southern Ethiopia, 2015.

Target 3: Women in all

Households and FHHs =27,000

Me

asura

ble o

utp

ut

Key actors a

nd T

argets

Target 4: Consumers

- About 1500

Target 2: Females/women

headed households

135,000 HHs

Target 1: Farming households

-27,000 HHs from 8 districts

BoH - Train the trainers

- Flyers, posters Key

messages to include:

Recipe demo.

Food preparation

Farm radio -Train Radio Broadcasters Key messages: Production Nutrition Marketing

Value chain

BoA - Seed Distribution

- Management

practices

70,000

BoWYCA

Women

Cooperatives

Pro

gra

m in

pu

t

Other key actors:

private orgs.

NGOs and CBOs - Train consumers

- Advocate for policy

gaps filled.

Improved

consumption

Improved

knowledge, skills

and participation

Improved

income and

livelihood

% change in DDS of HH

%change in food security

hh % change in pulse based diet

% change in child nutrition

Number of Cooperatives

increase in FHH income

Increase in resource acc

change in pulse market

Monitoring

indicators

Ou

tc

om

e

Improved women empowerment in pulse agriculture and Nutrition:

Autonomy, Decision making, Status, Power, access and control

:

Gender

disaggregated

baseline study

data

da t

Project

Research

findings

Capacity

building

of actors

Community

mapping

Resource

mobilization

Objective 5: To develop and expand the capacity of partners in integrating agriculture and nutrition

Establishment and facilitating functional operation of regional innovation platforms. The introduction of

pulses to southern Ethiopians’ dietary system, which is currently dominated by root crop and cereals,

would need investment in capacity building of major actors through formal and informal training,

material support and development of easy to use guidelines and brochures. It also requires the

engagement and joint action of multiple actors and collaboration between different stakeholders. Our

project recognized early on that there are multiple actors working on pulse-related projects and

programs in Ethiopia, including public research institutions, universities, traders, processors and other

private actors. Our project is building on a long time research and training partnership between HU and

UofS with the regional and national actors. Such a platform serves as an arena where value chain actors

and support institutions come together to jointly solve critical problems that hinder the processes

and/or activities of scaling-up pulse innovations. The regional platform was established on December 12,

2015 in Hawassa, Ethiopia (Appendix 5).

Specifically, the workshop was organized to achieve the following objectives:

1. To establish a functional and sustainable innovation platform;

2. To identify and discuss with key stakeholders issues pertinent to the scaling-up of pulse

innovations in the southern region;

3. To bring together important actors and facilitate the environment for dialogue, discussion and

collective actions;

4. To develop and expand the capacity of partners in integrating agriculture and nutrition; and

5. To facilitate learning and experience sharing in the sciences and practices of scaling-up.

The platform includes major value chain actors from various institutions: farmers, input suppliers,

output traders, processors, consumers, researchers, scientists, nutritionists, government officials,

financers, transporters and marketers.

Considering the recommendations from the working-groups, platform members agreed to develop

Terms of Reference (TOR), which could guide the operations, activities, and interventions of the

platform. The next general platform meeting is planned to take place by the end of May to examine

progress, performance and partial outcomes of the project. Participants also agreed to develop thematic

working groups within the platform, which would be responsible for addressing specific issues within

their competency areas. These groupings are production, marketing, nutrition and institutional & policy

support. Various institutions were suggested to play the leadership role.

The platform group agreed to select a chair, a secretary and full time support staff in communication

and coordination. The chairman and the secretary should preferably serve a two year period. The

platform members will meet twice in a year, which after each event produce and disseminate

knowledge and other key policy documents to national policy makers and implementers.

Baseline assessment and initial visioning of the current policy gaps, challenges: We have developed a

detailed questioner to identify key policy gaps but also identify major scaling-up pathways of chick pea

and haricot bean technologies in the identified Woredas. Moreover, an initial visioning of the current

policy gaps was done during the past two stakeholder workshops; the first being conducted on July 7-9,

2015 and the second on Dec 12th, 2015, whereby the regional and national partners, including policy

makers discussed about the need for a value chain approach to address the major bottlenecks of the

pulse system. The participants recognized that solutions to system bottlenecks could not lie only in

increasing productivity, but rather in gaining efficiencies further down the value chain, such as quality

improvement or ‘value adding ‘and scaling up the innovations generated over the years. For instance,

the Head of the regional Bureau of Agriculture indicated the need to influence the attitude of farmers

towards dietary diversity. Another major interest of the Ministry of Agriculture was the improvement of

pulse productivity, and the promotion and creation of public awareness in this International Year of the

Pulses.

Despite this encouraging support by policy makers, there are apparent policy challenges that ICRISAT,

HU and UofS have started to identified and dwell on. Using expert knowledge related to the SPIFoNS

project sites, the different woredas (districts) were grouped into four categories (scenarios) based on

four parameters: impact of the introduced technologies on farmers’ livelihoods to date; pulse area

coverage;, productive capacity of the communities; and possible sustainability indicators. The

assessment in the woredas will identify success and failure factors, including policy gaps, by taking into

consideration the types of technologies adopted and the type of pulse crop produced. The research

considers cluster-based seed producers as well as grain producers. To study scaling up technologies,

nine kebeles were chosen for seed production (135 farmers), and 45 farmers for grain production, for a

total of 180 producers (attachment 4).

To address Milestone 5, we have already started to the research process. We have developed a

methodology to capture technology flows within the community and between neighboring communities

(scaling-out) and between districts and distant communities through NGOs, the respective Bureau of

Agriculture, research institutes and universities, including HU (scaling-up). Our ICRISAT team developed

questioners to detect the technology flows and their dissemination pathways, with particular attention

given to 'what technology moved where' and 'how' and 'who was the driver behind it'. The research

officer (ICRISAT) and the HU team have jointly grouped the target woredas into three groups based on

technology adoption and institutional support to date and conducted pre-test of the questioners with

the local communities in Hosaena. Currently, they are in the field with 8 enumerators to conduct major,

extensive survey to identify these technology dissemination pathways and methods. They will be there

for the next 10 days, targeting 6 districts.

Summary of AFS Themes

As described in detail in Annex 1, this project addresses AFS themes of: availability by increasing

agricultural productivity; accessibility by improving access to resources, markets and income; utilization

by improving nutrition; and it informs policy.

Project implementation and management

For project implementation and management two working groups were involved, one led by HU and the other by U of S. As a multi-stakeholder partnership intervention, the implementation of the project was guided by a regional steering committee in southern Ethiopia. The steering committee is chaired by Vice President for Research and Technology Transfer at HU, and consists of Deputy Heads of Bureaus of Agriculture and Health; Heads of South Agricultural Research Institute and Ethiopian Public Health Institute, Bureau of Women and Children Affairs, South Seed Enterprise; Managers of South Farmers’ Cooperative Federation and Guts Agro Industry. The project PIs serve as secretary. The Steering Committee looks into overall project coordination, and monitors and periodically evaluates the operation. Additionally, the Project Scientific and Impact Advisory Board oversee the overall progress, reviews and assess outcomes, and provide guidance. The Scientific Impact Advisory Committee (SIAC) is an independent international Scientific and Impact Advisory Committee that has been established to ensure the greatest possible development impact and delivery of development outcomes. This Scientific Advisory Committee is expected to support, advise, question and challenge the work of the project team in relation to achieving Project Objectives and Outcomes over the course of the Project. Member of SIAC met first in ROME with the project leads and P.I.s, and is will join the team in Ethiopia (Hawassa) May 12-14 for a review of Months 1-12 ad plans for further development, months 12-24.

Challenges encountered / Actions taken

o Bringing new partners on board was the major challenge faced during the first six months

period. This problem was partially overcome by arranging meetings with relevant stakeholders.

o Temporary droughts brought on by El Nino were the major challenges in production of crops in

general, and pulses in particular, in the 2015 growing season. Common bean crops failed at the

Halaba site due to temporary drought. The farmers had removed the cereal crops affected by

the drought and replaced the fields by chickpea. Some yields were obtained from chickpea. The

CIFSRF Call 1 project deserves credit, as it introduced chickpea to the Halaba site, where the

crop was not considered viable. During the 2015 cropping season, NGOs such as Farm Africa

have also distributed chickpea seeds to farmers as mitigation strategy for the temporary

drought.

o Commitment (not all institutions are committed to the same extent)

o Institutionalization of the project impact and targeting institutional benefit instead of the overall

project overall.

Annex 1: AFS Themes

This is a more detailed list of questions you should consider when filling out question #5 “Synthesis

towards AFS themes” in the main body of the report. Keep in mind it is not expected that each project

will respond to ALL of the AFS themes – focus on the most significant contributions).

Increasing agricultural productivity (Availability)

How is the project:

leading to new and improved agricultural solutions that increase food productivity? (e.g.

new/improved staple crops; crop-livestock interactions; agricultural water management;

new seeds and plants, reduced post-harvest losses)

SPIFoNS project was undertaken to improve pulse production and productivity:

o Scaling up of proven packages of practices (Improved high yielding varieties, along

with Rhizobium and agronomic practices),

o Also undertake scaling up research to cover a wider range of clients and geographies

and fine tune effective technology uptake pathways.

o The project introduced double cropping of chickpea after harvesting the main

season cereal crop to utilize the free land and slack labor with minimum residue

moisture. This technology was taken as policy issue by the regional government for

enhancing production and productivity.

contributing to better risk-mitigation for food security? (e.g., mechanisms that cope with the

impacts of climate change and other shocks such as food price volatility)

o Chickpea is considered as risk-mitigation crop, particularly when the main season

cereal crops fail. In 2015, temporary drought caused by El Nino have resulted in

massive failure of cereals as well as pulses during the main growing season.

Providing farmers with chickpea seeds was taken as risk-mitigation both by the

government and NGOs.

addressing gender specific constraints to agricultural productivity? (e.g. reducing women’s

drudgery or workload/time spent in agriculture; involving men and women in the

development and evaluation of the solutions)

o The project devises mechanisms to augment women’s access to, and control over,

resources. It raises awareness of women farmers and health experts in particular by

promoting and training in nutrition education, recipes, processing methods and

pulse-cereal blended food.

o Our past efforts have developed intervention packages for scaling-up adoption that

includes pulse-cereal blend complimentary food products. These include flours,

snack products and recipes for family use. These will be incorporated into home

consumption and for local commercial use. Key to this will be the potential for

women microenterprise.

contributing to environmental sustainability, and considering the potential environmental

impacts, both positive and negative, of the applications being developed?

o The project adapts environmental resilient cropping systems by promoting double

cropping of chickpea and this solution became part of the government plan for

enhancing chickpea production and productivity. It involves the production of

pulses, which fix atmospheric nitrogen for their own growth and benefit to the

subsequent crops. Thus, the activities reduce the use of chemical fertilizers and

hence contribute to environmental sustainability.

Improving access to resources, and/or markets and income (Accessibility)

How is the project (for the most vulnerable, particularly women and children):

contributing to improved access to resources? (e.g. land, water, agricultural inputs, finance,

extension or credit, ICTs)

The project provides men and women farmers:

o Seed of improved varieties of common bean and chickpea, Bio fertilizer, agricultural

inputs (inorganic fertilizer, DAP) and chemicals (Insecticide). It also helps the farmers to

better utilize their land and get additional benefit from the same unit of land by

applying double cropping practices.

addressing bottlenecks and constraints to markets (e.g. financial, institutional, gender

constraints, youth engagement).

o This CIFSRF project organized 675 common bean and chickpea producers (male and

female farmers) and facilitated marketing of their produce with Southern Ethiopian

Seed Enterprise with a stated and additional 15% premium price. This shows that

farmers were linked with market for their production

contributing to improved income?

o The project supported supply of certified common bean and chickpea seeds to

farmers organized in clusters. The groups received additional 15% premium price

leading to improved income of beneficiaries.

o Plans are in progress through partnership with GUTS ARGO industries to make the

pulse-cereal blend food products available on a large scale to farm households and

urban consumers. We expect to reach at least 10,000 customers initially.

contributing to successful partnership models? (e.g. public-private sector-partnerships, civil

society, NGOs)

o The project established a Regional Pulse Innovation Platform for effective technology

uptake pathways. The Platform consists of all stakeholders (public, Private, NGO, CG

Center) and is linked with national platforms. It is considered as exemplary for scaling

up Innovations.

Improving nutrition (Utilization)

How is the project contributing to:

adequate and diversified diets, particularly for women and children? (e.g. balanced diets,

improved diet quality, nutrition education, food safety practices, food fortification,

addressing underlying factors related to nutritional outcomes);

o The project is scaling-up the adoption of pulse-based food products though nutrition

education and training using Behaviour Change Communication channels. This

includes providing training on processing methods, recipe demonstration, and

through home visits for follow=up; utilizing the national Health Extension program.

o The main outcome targets are helping more women and children to have adequate

diet diversity, with fewer members of the affected population with macro and

micronutrient deficiencies

o Our earlier studies suggest that diet diversity main target indicator is not widely

measured

o Working with partners such as the Farm Radio International the project aims to use

standardized indicators to understand how these indicators can be measured in ways

that are feasible, robust and informative to address household level consumption.

improved post-harvest food processing and storage techniques for better nutrition, quality

and safety?

o linkages between agriculture to nutrition? (e.g. Pathways from food production,

income and women’s empowerment to nutritional outcomes)

o Seeds are provided through farm production is used for preparation and

consumption and for sale.

o Training is provided to male and female farmers in the same settings in most cases

on production, processing, preparation, and consumption.

o Various business strategies (production, pulse-based food products) are being

tested to ensure market and service provision across the value chain

Informing policy

How is the project informing and/or influencing the development and implementation of food

security policies? More specifically:

How did the project directly engage policymakers and decision-makers at different levels?

(Please specify who are the policymakers. E.g. ministers, members of parliament, senior

government officials, advisors, technocrats? Please also specify the level of government.

National, provincial or regional, local government?).

o The project engages policy makers though the National and regional pulse platform,

the poly forum held December 2015 at Hawassa University, and in other venues and

workshops carried out in Ethiopia

o International engagement was carried out at the Technical Workshop hosted by

FAO, ROME, November 11, 2015

Has there been a clear demand for the research results from the policymakers?

o We have been requested to share results for uptake through the regional bureaus of

agriculture and health.

o Results were shared also at the Micronutrient Forum, June 2015, Addis Ababa

What evidence or research results were presented to policymakers or decision makers? Is

there evidence that policymakers or decision makers are using the results from your

project?

o There are clear uptakes in agricultural practices; we are working with national

organizations in health

What were the critical success factors or bottlenecks for engaging with and informing

policymakers and decision makers?

o The project adapts environmental resilient cropping system by promoting double

cropping of chickpea and this solution became part of the government plan for

enhancing chickpea production and productivity. Policy makers (Heads/Deputy Heads

Regional Bureaus of Agriculture, Women and Children Affairs, Research Institutes,

Managers of Seed Enterprise and Farmers’ Cooperative Federation) are included as

members of the Steering Committee and were involved in planning during the inception

of the project.