Concept Note

Title: Multidisciplinary Approaches for Tef Improvement in Ethiopia

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Tef, Eragrostis tef (Zucc.) Trotter, is the principal cereal of Ethiopia. With annual harvests of
about 3.50 million tons from cultivation on about 2.73 million ha of land, it accounts for about
19% of the gross grain production and about 29% of the total acreage of all cereals cultivated in
the country.

Over the millennia, Ethiopian farmers sustained and continued the cultivation of tef due
presumably to a multitude of its relative merits in both husbandry and utilization. These included
versatile adaptation (from sea level up to 3000 meters above sea level), resilience to both
drought and waterlogged conditions, catch and cash crop values, preference in the national diet,
good nutritive value of both the grains for humans and of the straw as fodder for cattle, and
minimal post-harvest losses due storage pests While tef comprises the staple diet for over 50
million of the Ethiopian people, and the consumers have got high preference to "injera",
pancake-like bread, made out of pure tef flour due to its unique qualities of good water holding
capacity, longer shelf life, unique flavor (slightly sour but pleasant), pliability, and smooth and
glossy texture.

Scientific research on tef in Ethiopia began in the late 1950's. However, owing to its localized
importance as a crop in the world, tef has remained an orphan crop in terms of research and
development compared to other cereals. It grossly lacked the attention of international research
establishments and donors. The only remarkable external financial support it got was that of the
McKnight Foundations' Collaborative Crop Research Program since the mid 1990s. Until very
recently, neither has the national attention given to tef research and development been adequate
enough as to be commensurate to the supreme significance of the crop in the country's
agriculture.

In spite of the commendable achievements made over the years through the national agricultural
research system with meager external support, the major constraints in Ethiopia’s tef husbandry
still remained largely untapped. These constraints persisted to be relatively low productivity
(national average about 1.28 t ha-1), susceptibility to lodging, culture demanding and
labor intensive nature of its husbandry, lack of adequate quality and quantity of planting
seeds of improved varieties coupled with absence of strong national seed system, and weak
extension systems and research-extension linkages for dissemination of improved tef
technologies.

Consequently, the general objective of the project proposed her through this concept note has
been contributing towards improved livelihood of tef growing Ethiopian farmers and thereby to
the overall national food security. This is to be achieved through mainly improving the
productivity and production of tef in the country via integrated multi-disciplinary approaches.

The specific objectives are as follows.

1) To properly identify and diagnose the various biophysical (climate, edaphic and
 vegetation/genotype) and socio-economic constraints limiting the production and
productivity of tef in the different agro-ecological zones of Ethiopia.
2) To increase both the grain and straw productivity of tef in Ethiopia through integrated multi-
disciplinary approaches
3) To enhance the tef genetic resources for conservation and utilization in the breeding program
through germplasm collection/acquisition followed by characterization and evaluation and
through intensifying the hybridization program (both intra- and inter-specific)
4) To develop appropriate tef in vitro culture techniques of mainly doubled haploid production
systems for hastening the conventional breeding program and also embryo-rescue systems to
combat the problem of viability of embryos associated with wide (inter-specific)
hybridization ventures
5) To enhance tef genetic linkage maps and QTL analysis and identification for eventual
utilization in marker assisted tef breeding
6) To make haaplotype analysis of the Rht and Sd-1 orthologous genes in tef landraces for future use in
breeeding for improved tef lodging resistance/tolerance
7) To test the adaptation of the released tef varieties in different tef growing regions of Ethiopia
in a manner to assess the extent and nature of genotype x environment interaction under
different management options
8) To further develop improved high yielding and less lodging vulnerable tef varieties suitable
for various agro-ecological zones of Ethiopia
9) To develop small-farmer friendly agronomic, soil fertility, farm implements and pest
management options suitable for different tef growing regions of Ethiopia
10) To promote sustainable seed and technology dissemination (extension) systems for provision
of quality seeds and appropriate technologies to the end-user farmers
11) To develop GIS-based spatial distribution and suitability maps for tef in Ethiopia
112) To enhance the national tef research capability in terms of trained personnel, infrastructure,
equipment and other facilities, and supplementary funding of operating expenses

The project comprises the following six closely inter-linked components.

1) Bio-physical and socio-economic research: This comprises the following major activities.
i) Biophysical (climate, edaphic and vegetation/genotype, pest) and socio-economic
characterization of major tef growing areas with a view to identify and properly diagnose the
major constraints limiting the productivity and production of tef in the various agro-
ecological zones of Ethiopia. Basically, this component would involve multi-disciplinary
surveys at identifying and diagnosing the major constraints.
ii) Identification and diagnosis of the major tef production and development constraints in the
whole tef value chain with a view to identifying major areas of research and development
intervention.
iii) Survey of the adoption and impact of already released improved tef technologies in the major
tef growing areas of Ethiopia.

2) Genetics and breeding research: This, in turn embraces, the following major activities.
i) Germplasm enhancement through collection, characterization and evaluation (phenomics
and molecular) of tef genetic resources, intensified targeted hybridization both intra- and
inter-specific) for increased yield and quality, and improved lodging resistance.
ii) Variety development involving observation nurseries and series of replicated multi-
environment variety/yield trials across locations and years/seasons in the various tef
 growing regions of the country, and eventually on-farm and on-station variety
verification trials for variety release. Through all these stages of variety development
performance testing, the test genotypes will be categorized into groups of early and late
maturing sets, and white and brown-seeded types.
iii) On-farm and on-station evaluation of the 33 already released tef varieties in Ethiopia
along with the local checks in the various tef growing agro-ecologies of Ethiopia in order
to investigate the extent and nature/pattern of genotype x environment interaction under
different management options.
iv) Development of suitable doubled haploid (DH) production in vitro culture techniques to
hasten the conventional tef breeding program
v) Development and use of suitable embryo-rescue in vitro culture method in order to
combat the problem of crossing barriers associated with distant (inter-specific)
hybridization.
vi) Molecular genetic diversity study of the sd-1 and Rht-1orthologs in the existing tef landraces
and identification of semi-dwarf mutants through creating a mutant population through
mutagenesis
vii) Continuation of the genomics wok on tef in the area of marker development and
enrichment and QTL identification and mapping for eventual utilization in marker
assisted selection (MAS).

3) Improved agronomic, soil fertility and pest management options for tef: This would
involve the following activities.
i) Development of improved agronomic management practices including sowing time,
plant density, and planting method, cropping systems (relay, double and mixed/inter
cropping) for tef production in different major growing areas of the country.
ii) Development of soil-test based soil fertility management options for tef including
organic and in-organic fertilizer options, and suitable combinations of these two sources
for different tef growing agro-ecological zones.
iii) Development of pro smallholder farmer pre- and post-harvest tef implements for tef
husbandry.
iv) Development of integrated pest management practices for major pests (diseases, insect
pests, and weeds) identified in the major tef growing regions of Ethiopia through the
surveys made under component 1 above.
v) Development GIS-based spatial distribution, soil, climate and tef suitability maps.

4) Promotion of sustainable tef seed and dissemination systems: This component of the
project would involve the following major activities.
i) Enhancing multiplication and provision of quality foundation (breeder and pre-basic)
seeds of improved tef varieties at research centers.
ii) Supporting multiplication and distribution of seeds in both the formal and non-formal
sectors (parastatal seed enterprises, seed grower framers’ associations, and private
seed growers).
iii) On-farm demonstration and scaling-up of already released and to be released improved
tef technologies including improved varieties along with other improved management
packages.

5) National tef research capacity enhancement: This component of the project would focus
 on enhancing the capacity of national tef research system in terms of trained personnel,
infrastructure and facilities required not only to implement the four components stated above
and eventually to meet the overall project objectives but also in order to ensure the
sustainability of the national tef research and development beyond the life span of the
proposed project.

The major outputs expected include:

1) Biophysical and socio-economic constraints limiting tef production adequately
identified and diagnosed for major tef growing agro-ecologies as an aid for subsequent
research and development intervention.
2) Information on the current status of pests and other constraints in the tef value chain
generated for subsequent identification of intervention areas.
3) Tef genetic resources collected, conserved, and enhanced for sustainable utilization.
4) Improved relatively lodging tolerant (semi-dwarf), high yielding and desired seed
quality tef varieties suitable for various tef growing agro-ecologies (including potential
optimum rainfall and drought-prone areas).
5) Working in vitro culture techniques for DH production and embryo rescue methods
6) Suitable marker techniques identified and developed for use in MAS in tef breeding.
7) Information on molecular genetic diversity study of the sd-1 and Rht-1orthologs in the existing
tef landraces and identification of semi-dwarf mutants through creating a mutant population
through mutagenesis
8) Improved agronomic, soil fertility and pest management options for tef husbandry in the
various tef growing regions of Ethiopia.
9) Improved and pro-smallholder pre-and post-harvest tef implements.
10) Strengthened systems for provisions of quality seeds and dissemination of improved tef
technologies.
11) Information on the adoption and impact of improved tef technologies.
12) Enhanced national tef research capacity in terms of trained personnel and facilities.

The project involves three major partners:

1) Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research (EIAR) through the National Tef
Improvement/Research Project of Debre Zeit Agricultural Research Center
2) Cornell University in USA (mainly two of the Units (Mark Sorrells and Dawit
Solomon/Johannes Lehmann)
3) Jima University, in Ethiopia (should we specify the specific Department involved? college
of Agriculture?)

In addition to the principal partners specified above, the project also involves a number of other
collaborating and stakeholder governmental and non-governmental institutions in Ethiopia,
farmers, and farmers' organizations. The Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research
EIAR) through Debre Zeit Agricultural Research Center (DZARC), will be responsible for the
overall coordination and management of the project.

A total budget of 6, 000, 000 US $ has been requested for the proposed project that is supposed
to span for five years from 2014 to 2019.