Amlisha Gebregziabher, 29, hails from a small rural village near Wukro town, in the Tigray region, 46 km north of Mekelle. After completing her pre-college education and enrolled in crop production and marketing from Wukro Agricultural TVET College, Amlisha served her community as a development agent.

In 2020, balancing her responsibilities as a wife and a mother of two, she was admitted to Mekelle University (MU) as a mid-career student to pursue a BSc in Agricultural Extension. Currently, Amlisha is using her SEPs to promote row planting of the high-yielding and disease-resistant Picaflor wheat variety in Mesanu Kebele, Tsera Womberta District, where most farmers are practicing broadcasting.

In her project area, broadcasting yields an average of 1.6 MT per hectare. Amlisha’s efforts through row planting aim to increase yields by 27%, reaching 2.8 MT per hectare. With support of the Sasakawa Africa Association (SAA), she organized a field day on October 30, 2024, where farmers, MU interns, students, lecturers, Dean and Vice Dean of College of Dry Land Agriculture and Natural Resource, district agricultural staff, and other stakeholders visited her SEPs plot.

One farmer, Hadgu Desta, initially resisted adopting row planting but, with Amlisha’s persistent guidance, eventually embraced the practice. He now anticipates a 50% yield increase from the previous season, reaching an estimated 3.2 MT per hectare. Inspired by his success, other farmers are showing interest in adopting row planting.

During the field day, Dr. Negash Aregay, the College Dean, encouraged farmers to fully adopt improved seed variety along with recommended fertilizers and agronomic practices like row planting. He also commended SAA and MU for supporting interns like Amlisha. Dr. Tesfaye Worku, SAA’s Capacity Building Technical Coordinator, highlighted SAA’s milestones and the capacity building initiatives in Ethiopia, emphasizing their impact on agricultural transformation.

Amlisha, who will graduate in February 2025, envisions enhancing wheat productivity in her intervention area through multiple cropping systems supported by modern irrigation and row planting.

Note: The SEP program at Mekelle University was reinitiated by SAA following the October 2023 peace agreement signed between the Ethiopian government and the TPLF, reflecting the organization’s commitment to rebuilding and strengthening agricultural systems in the region.