Onfarm Validation of Agricultural Technologies for Supporting Tef Extension Package Formulation in Ethiopia

Tef is an important crop in Ethiopian production system because of its dual function both as a staple crop that improves food security and as an income-generating crop. However, the grain yield is low, at 1.75kgha -1 . The objectives of this research were; to compare biological superiority of the treatments with full technology package; to conduct partial budget cost-benefit analysis of the treatments and to improve the full package of recommendations by incorporating benefits derived from the production with identification of possible ways to reduce the cost of production by constructing partial budget model. Economic constraints and opportunities for improving tef production systems in Ethiopia must be understood as the basis for research and developing interventions. The field experiment comprising three interventions packages on the tef production system namely: extension package, Agricultural transformation Agency of Ethiopia package and the research package (which had been split in to two sub packages which were row and broadcast planting) application was laid out in a randomized complete block design with the replication(farmers/ locations as replication). The field experimental plot size was 500m 2 . This study presented both the agronomic yield comparison of the four packages and the partial budget analysis (PBA) framework for the economic analysis of different tef package treatments for their benefit returns. The result indicates that research package on broadcast planting and raw planting systems were found to be superior in grain yield 1580kgha -1 and 1550 kgha -1 , respectively. Similarly research row sowing and broadcasting recommendations were gave higher above ground  biomass 10167kgha -1 and 10000kgha -1 , respectively as compared to the  ATA and Extension package practice. Thus, the result indicates that seed rate of 10-15 kgha -1 both broad cast and row sowing gives better grain yield and shoot biomass providing the highest return with marginal rate of return , whereas ATA package was found to be the least economically viable treatment having minimum MRR. The partial budget analysis revealed  that  net returns of treatments extension package, research row planting package and research broadcasting package exceeded the net return of the control- ATA package by Ethiopian birr (EB) (0.32), 1.09 and 1.65, respectively (US$ 1 = EB 27.49). The decrease in cost for treatment of extension package relative to the control-ATA package was EB 1.03; the added net benefit from this treatment was EB 0.75 per unit, giving a marginal rate of return of 137%. The decrease in cost of treatment research with row planting package relative to treatment of the control-ATA package was EB 71%, while the increase in net return was EB 32.6 per unit of production, giving a marginal rate of return on the increased expenditure of 218%. The relative decreasing cost of treatment research tef broadcast planting was EB 60.7% per unit of production as compared to the control-ATA package, while the increase in net return relative to treatment the control was EB 3.38 for a marginal rate of return of 1795%. Given the high cost of capital, treatments of the control-ATA and the extension package cannot be recommended as they indicate negative benefit cost ration with (0.51) and (0.31) respectively while 1.09 and 1.65 for research row planting and broadcast planting, respectively yet; the broadcast planting of tef production indicated superior in returns of EB 0.65 for EB 1 invested in the production at small scale level. Considering the lack of appropriate tef row planting at the moment, broadcast planting with 10-15 seed rate should be used as tef production package in the country. Keywords : Tef; Partial budget, Marginal cost, Benefit cost ratio, Yield, Variable cost DOI: 10.7176/JBAH/10-17-01 Publication date: September 30 th 2020