P9 - Best practices and perspectives for scaling up agricultural innovations based on the CLIFOOD research results: CLIFOOD

P9 - Best practices and perspectives for scaling up agricultural innovations based on the CLIFOOD research results

Status: Ongoing

Duration: 01.08.2023 - 31.07.2025

Keywords: Agricultural sciences, natural resource management, rural development, food security, climate change

Description

Agricultural sciences, natural resource management, rural development, food security, climate change Agriculture is the largest sector of the Ethiopian economy and serves as the foundation of the country's economic and social systems. Over 85% of the Ethiopian population is engaged in agriculture and related activities. Agriculture meets the subsistence needs of Ethiopians and is an important source of foreign exchange. However, Ethiopian agriculture faces major challenges related to environmental degradation and climate change. Despite the large labour force in the sector, agricultural productivity is very low and has led to critical food insecurity for decades. The problem has been exacerbated by climate change. The bilateral German-Ethiopian Climate Change effects on Food Security (CLIFOOD) project was launched in October 2016 to address the challenges of food insecurity and climate change, and to contribute to the country's efforts to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) by 2030. In the first phase of the project (CLIFOOD I), a total of 12 PhD and 2 post-doctoral research projects were carried out, all closely related to the overall project theme. Researchers are expected to deliver valuable results that can be translated into action to address food insecurity and climate change issues, or to influence policy makers on what needs to be done to improve policy related bottlenecks. Research outcomes can be analysed in terms of their contribution to food security, climate change mitigation and adaptation, and the achievement of the UN SDGs.

Best practices will be extracted from the results and scaled up to address critical issues. The aim of this postdoctoral research is therefore to review the PhD publications to 1) identify best practices for scaling up, and 2) establish links between the different sub-projects, and 3) derive (policy) recommendations to contribute to the achievement of the SDGs. Three different types of publications can and are expected from the project review (synthesis) of the research results of CLIFOOD Phase I. These include 1) scientific publications (review/synthesis papers) in peer-reviewed journals, 2) working papers or those that can be put into practice by development advisors, i.e., agricultural extension workers, farmers, etc., and 3) policy briefs for policy makers and other stakeholders to support policy reforms, if needed. The synthesis will be carried out by a postdoctoral researcher. The postdoctoral researcher will focus on the research conducted in CLIFOOD Phase I and the published results of Phase II.

Involved persons

Prof. Dr. Tesfaye Abebe Amdie
Prof. Dr. Frank Rasche
Dr. Hirut Getachew Feleke

Involved institutions

School of Plant and Horticultural Sciences, College of Agriculture, Hawassa University

Agronomy in the Tropics and Subtropics (490 e), Institute of Agricultural Sciences in the Tropics (Hans-Ruthenberg-Institute), University of Hohenheim