Modern Technologies Increase Ethiopian Small Farmers’ Wheat Yields by 14 percent

Washington, D.C: Usage of certified seeds, improved farming techniques and a guaranteed market for the wheat crop led to an increase in smallholder Ethiopian farmers’ wheat yields by an average 14 percent, according to a new study by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).

“Overall, the 14 percent increase in yields is relatively substantial, since farmers were encouraged to simply use existing technologies. This research shows a package intervention, such as the Wheat Initiative, that combines improved inputs, techniques and a guaranteed market for smallholder farmers’ crop can help simultaneously overcome the multiple adoption constraints small farmers often face, and enhance crop yields,” said Alan de Brauw, researcher and co-author of the study.