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Field days held

By Esubalew Dires

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Organization for Rehabilitation and Development in Amhara (ORDA) has been doing adaptation trial and a starter seed multiplication in the region. For two consecutive years, ORDA held adaptation trials of the two camelina varieties (American and Syrian types) in different agro-ecologies and it’s a pioneer organization to register them nationally as oil crops for the first time in May 2014 by the national variety releasing committee.

ORDA has launched a scaling out activity on farmers plots at Libo Kemkem, Farta, Lay Gayint and Wadla districts. More than 6 hectares of farmers’ land is being covered by camelina. Field days were organized in order to share experiences among farmers and concerned bodies from 21 to 24 September 2014.

According to Ato Asmamaw Kassahun, ORDA’s agronomy officer, camelina is rich in nutritional value containing omega-3 &6, amino acid and it is free from cholesterol. He claimed that camelina is a honey flora, fixes nitrogen in the soil and improves its fertility, tolerant to rainfed areas and it’s good source of food item for animals too.   

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Farmer Getnet Fenot a resident at Libo kemkem district Shehoch Tehara harvestedcamelina technology for the first time. During the field visit, the farmer witnessed the ice which repeatedly rained destroys faba bean in the village but this new technology resisted. Farmers who participated in the visit were encouraged to crop by the coming production year if market chain is created.  

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Head of Office of Agriculture at Libo kemkem district, Ato Bitew Alebachew gratefully appreciated ORDA’S effort to transform farmers’ livelihood. He added farmers and development agents need the technology with full package in order to scale out & produce district wide. Ato Bitew suggested farmers to use this technology & promised to solve market problems with partners.

Heads & officers of agriculture at district level, development agents at kebele, ORDA officers and farmers got engaged with the field visit.