Evaluation of Improved Faba Bean Technology in The Wider-Scale: Lesson from Stakeholders‘ Participation in Wag-Lasta, Ethiopia

Abstract

This scale-wide participatory evaluation was designed to assess farmers‘ technology preference and stakeholders‘ linkage on top of estimating the advantage and efficiency of improved faba bean technology over the local practice. On-farm experiment and assessment were conducted using 100 farmers who allocate 0.25-0.5ha of land in Wag-lasta dryland. Planting and other agronomic standards were applied as per the technological recommendation. Required quantitative and qualitative data collected at farm and farmer level using quadrants and checklist, respectively. Cost-benefit analysis, descriptive and inferential statistics were employed to analyse the quantitative data. Qualitative data such as farmers‘ technology preference and stakeholders‘ linkage were assessed in simple ranking matrix and SWOT analysis. The improved faba bean technology provided mean grain yields of 1340 and 590 kg ha-1 in Lasta and Sekota districts, respectively. It has thus a 31.4% and 38.9% yield advantage and penalty over the local practice, in that order (p<10%). The improved technology had a profit of 5.3ETB in Lasta, and below the local practice in Sekota district for each 1ETB investment. Among parameters, improved technology‘s vegetative performance, seed size and yield were convinced farmers in Lasta district. Therefore, results from the improved technology in both districts would provide lesson for future breeding and adaptation programs to apprehend the desired traits and yield-limiting dynamics accordingly. The SWOT analysis also revealed that some strategies are pertinent to strength actors‘ linkage in extension system via using strengths and opportunities to overcome weaknesses and threats.