ETHIOPIA – The African Development Bank Group and Japan are supporting a regenerative agriculture initiative in Ethiopia that is helping smallholder farmers increase crop yields, restore degraded soils and strengthen climate resilience through sustainable farming practices and digital agriculture technologies.

The project, being implemented in the Jimma Zone of southwestern Ethiopia, is funded through the Policy and Human Resource Development Grant (PHRDG), a Japan-financed bilateral trust fund managed by the African Development Bank Group. Established in 1994, the trust fund has received more than US$50 million from Japan to support technical assistance, capacity building and knowledge sharing across sectors including agriculture, food security, climate change and health.

Known as Evidence-based Regenerative Agriculture to Address Climate Change in Africa, the initiative is being implemented by the Sasakawa Africa Association in collaboration with the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and Japanese technology company Greenin, formerly SoftBank Corp.

The project combines farmer training with climate-smart technologies, improved crop varieties, soil restoration practices and artificial intelligence-powered digital advisory tools designed to improve productivity while reducing agriculture’s environmental impact.

Farmers participating in demonstration plots in Seka Chekorsa Woreda are using improved maize and wheat varieties alongside conservation farming techniques, including liming, vermicomposting, biochar-based fertilisers and reduced tillage practices. These are supported by e-kakashi, an AI-driven digital agriculture platform that collects and analyses field and environmental data to guide crop management decisions.

Early project results have shown significant productivity improvements. Wheat yields increased by 89%, rising from 1,293 kilograms per hectare to 2,443.7 kilograms per hectare, while maize yields climbed by 272%, increasing from 1,222 kilograms per hectare to 4,541.8 kilograms per hectare.

The initiative has already reached more than 91,000 farmers across Ethiopia, including nearly 30,000 women, helping expand access to climate-resilient farming practices and modern agricultural technologies.

During a field visit to the project sites in June, Tomoki Nakai, Executive Director at the African Development Bank Group representing Japan, Argentina, Austria, Brazil and Saudi Arabia, highlighted the value of combining innovation with farmer-led solutions.

He said the partnership demonstrates how technology and practical field-based approaches can help African farmers address climate challenges while improving food security and building more resilient agricultural value chains.

The delegation also included Innocent Musabyimana, Project Task Manager in the Bank’s Agriculture and Agro-Industry Department, and Rosa Lugos, Principal Resource Mobilisation Officer. The team visited demonstration farms, greenhouse gas monitoring sites, vermicomposting facilities, biochar production units and farmer training centres to assess project progress.

The e-kakashi digital platform is playing a central role in the initiative by monitoring crop performance, soil conditions and greenhouse gas emissions. The data generated will help researchers identify farming practices that improve soil carbon sequestration, reduce emissions and optimise the use of water, fertiliser and labour.

According to Musabyimana, collecting scientific evidence directly from farmers’ fields is essential to understanding which regenerative practices can be successfully adopted at scale.

The project also addresses key production challenges affecting Ethiopian farmers, including declining soil fertility, high soil acidity, drought, flooding, pest outbreaks and limited access to quality agricultural inputs.

Its integrated farming package combines improved seed varieties, biochar-based fertilisers, microbial inoculants, conservation tillage, post-harvest technologies and digital extension services to enhance both productivity and environmental sustainability.

Beyond Ethiopia, the programme forms part of a broader African initiative supporting climate-smart agriculture across Benin, Ghana, Nigeria and Uganda, where similar approaches are being tested to accelerate the adoption of climate-resilient and nutrient-rich crop varieties.

The African Development Bank Group says the project demonstrates how international partnerships can combine scientific research, digital innovation and farmer training to support sustainable agricultural transformation while strengthening food security and climate resilience across Africa.

SEO Keyword:

Meta Description: