| Summary: | Reports a concerted interinstitutional attempt to generalize the use of the available draught animal power for the construction of more effective soil surface drainage. The hypothesis is that the relatively high productive potential of the Ethiopian highland vertisols, particularly in high-rainfall areas such as northern Shewa province, is severely underutilized in current land-use systems. Reports also the Joint Vertisol Management Project, emphasizing the on-farm research and on-farm technology verification activities. The project includes three international research institutions: International Livestock Centre for Africa, the International Crops Research Centre for the Semi-Arid Tropics and the International Board on Soil Research and Management, and five national institutions: the Institute of Agricultural Research, the Ministry of Agriculture, Addis Ababa University, Alemaya University of Agriculture and the Relief and Rehabilitation Commission. The main functions of the Joint Vertisol Management Project are to link the cooperating institutions, to promote interdisciplinary research, to bridge existing gaps between research, extension and farmers, and to support project activities through external funding, training and communication.
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