Agroecology-specific varietal matching to achieve self-sufficiency in wheat production in Ethiopia

Agroecology-specific variety selection helps to account site and plot level biophysical conditions, farmers' wisdom and local environmental aspects, which in turn enhances crop productivity. This study demonstrated the importance of an agroecology-specific improved wheat variety in achieving national wheat self-sufficiency. The study involved randomly selected 235 farming households in Central Highlands of Ethiopia who grew four improved varieties (Hidase, Danda'a, Kakaba, Kubsa) along with local cultivars. Descriptive, trend, inequality and regression analyses were used to analyze the data and a scenario analysis was employed to forecast the nation's wheat self-sufficiency. The results showed that nearly 72% of farmers adopted either of the improved wheat varieties, and the majority of households (34.04%) adopted Hidase variety. The adoption of agroecology-specific improved wheat variety (Hidase) enabled farmers to obtain an average yield of 4.29 t/ha and this yield surpassed Danda'a, Kakaba, Kubsa and the local cultivar with a yield advantage of 19.4%, 130.6%, 138.3%, and 167.5%, respectively. It also excelled the national wheat yield (2.77 t/ha) by 54.4%. Because of increased productivity, the marketed portion from Hidase variety approached to 57.9%, and this is significant and by far large as compared to the national marketed average of 21.9%. Yield inequality among adopters also narrowed as compared to the local variety growers. Thus, agroecology-specific improved variety is a worthy strategy to consider to address productivity, marketed volume and yield inequality concerns concomitantly. If Ethiopia promotes agroecology-specific improved wheat varietal recommendation, the country could produce a maximum of 8.13 million tons per year and a minimum of 7.05 million tons of wheat, with an average scenario of 7.47 million tons, which in all cases are above the annual consumption demand of the country (6.4 million tons in 2018/19), and thus enabling the country to be self-sufficient in wheat production.