Moved by the need to create an active community of research around agricultural innovations, SPIA recently awarded small grants to 14 early-career researchers working in Ethiopia. Taking stock of efforts for institutionalizing the collection of adoption data at the country level, grantees have started working on some of the puzzling questions raised by the Ethiopian synthesis report. Each grantee has been assigned a mentor that will guide the analysis and interpretation of findings that rely on the Ethiopia Socioeconomic Survey (ESS). While a majority of selected researchers are Ethiopians, grantees are currently studying in academic institutions spread around the world. This diversity of experiences certainly provides fertile ground for promoting scientific exchanges and building evidence, which is truly exciting.
On January 26, 2021, SPIA held a virtual induction workshop to provide general research guidance to all 14 grant recipients as well as more information on the ESS data that will be the backbone for the different research projects.