Abstract

Participatory evaluation of two improved hybrid sorghum varieties and one respective local sorghum variety with improved and farmers’ management was carried out on six farmers plot in sorghum growing areas of Sekota and Abergele districts of Wag Himra zone in Eastern Amhara. This evaluation was undertaken through farmers’ participation approach by organizing two farmers’ research and Extension Groups (FREG); one per district. FREG members were selected purposively to have 18 and 12 farmers in Sekota and Abergele, respectively; each group consists of households from different social segments with 30% women involvement. The objectives of the study were to provide farmers with a menu of technology options and to assess farmers’ technology preference criteria; thereby, contribute to increase demand driven technology dissemination in sorghum growing areas of Wag Himra. The performance of improved and local varieties have shown significant amount of variability among treatments in both districts. For instance, mean grain yield and maturity date varied from 3.23 to 1.15 t/ha and 91.2 to 136.3 days in Sekota and 2.84 to 1.13 t/ha and 91.8 to 136.3 days in Abergele. Similarly, partial budget analysis result showed that, total net benefit of treatments varied from 20503.9 to 6407.3 birr in Sekota and 12810.6 to 6200.8 birr in Abergele with 4.90 and 1.94 birr marginal rate of return, respectively. Hence, based on the overall weighted ranking matrix comparisons of farmers’, varieties ESH-1 and ESH-2 took first and second places in Sekota and vice-versa in Abergele. Thus, it is safely recommended for promotion and scale-up of these technologies in respective trial districts; while sustainable seed source should be identified through establishing farmers’ seed multiplying cooperatives and/or providing pre basic seeds to seed multiplying enterprises.

Key words: Participatory evaluation, farmer preferences, hybrid sorghum, parameters, partial budget analysis.