| Sumario: | The site-specific fertilizer advisory tool was developed to provide farmers with precise, landscape-driven nutrient management recommendations to produce teff, wheat, sorghum, and maize. Its main objective is to optimize fertilizer use efficiency, enhance crop productivity, and improve economic returns under Ethiopia’s diverse agroecological conditions. Field events and training sessions were organized collaboratively by ICRISAT (36%) and the Ministry of Agriculture through the local extension services (64%). These sessions targeted smallholder farmers and included piloting and scaling of the advisory tool in farmer field conditions. This multi-actor engagement strengthened the quality, reach, and sustainability of the piloting and scaling activities, ensuring that both technical and local perspectives were integrated into the process.
During the piloting and scaling phases of the site-specific fertilizer advisory service, partners organized three primary types of awareness and capacity-building activities: training sessions, field days, and demonstrations. These events were used to gather feedback on the performances of the site-specific fertilizer innovations through focus group discussions (FGD) and a telephone survey. About 1455 (218 female and 1237 male) samples of innovation users were participated in the MELIA feedback survey, constituting 284 in the training, 470 in the field day events and 700 in the field demonstrations over the three years. The percentage distribution of event types organized by the implementing partners reflects a balanced mix of engagement approaches designed to effectively reach farmers. Field demonstrations made up the largest share of events, underscoring their importance in practically showcasing the performance of the site-specific fertilizer advisory tool under real field conditions. Field days and experience-sharing sessions formed the next major category, providing opportunities for stakeholders to discuss implementation progress, share lessons, and provide feedback on the advisory service. In addition, field day events provided practical, on-farm demonstrations where participants observed the performance of site-specific nutrient recommendations under real farming conditions. These demonstrations reinforced learning by visually illustrating the differences in crop response across treatments and landscape positions. During the field days, the experience-sharing provided opportunities for stakeholders to discuss emerging lessons, challenges, and adoption trends.
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