Abstract:
Cognizant of its potential importance, the agricultural research system of Ethiopia enlisted
groundnut in the early mid 1960’s by initiating trials at Werer, Gambella, Tendaho, SetitHumera, Didessa and Gode; as part of the desire pursued back then to search for a dualpurpose crop fitting to the cotton-growing areas; one which can be economically
competitive and agronomically alternative rotation crop. In the 1980’s, when the lowland
oil crops research program (consisted of sesame, groundnut and safflower) was
reorganized (being coordinated from Werer Research Ceneter), the research on groundnut
gained a much better capacity. Geographically, the research stretched from Gode in the
east to Gambella in the west; agro-ecologically, the pursuit was to develop technologies
appropriate for three distinct scenarios, - high-rainfall areas of the Western and
Southwestern Ethiopia, low-rainfall areas of Eastern and Northwestern Ethiopia, and for
irrigated conditions of the Awash Valley and Shebelle. Since 2011, the National
Groundnut Research Coordination was transferred to Haramaya University (HU), which
currently is coordinating the groundnut research programs being undertaken across the
country by the various federal and regional research centers.
In pursuit of delivering outputs matching national and sectoral economic drives; and
aligned to the Government’s development policy frameworks, EIAR has developed new
research strategies for its commodities. Accordingly, the National Groundnut Research
Commodity (NGRC) has followed suit and prepared this long-term research strategy
(2016-2030). The draft strategy was prepared during the consultative meeting held at
Bishoftu in January 2015 by fellow researchers drawn from federal and regional research
centers and core team members from Haramaya University. The strategy was drafted by
building on the experiences and lessons gained from the first strategy developed in 1999
during the tenure of the then EARO and was followed through over the last fifteen years.
This strategy has been developed by a multi-disciplinary team of researchers working on
groundnut to serve as the central document guiding groundnut research over the next 15
years; and providing an inclusive framework for prioritizing and coordinating research
activities towards the achievement of a common vision for the groundnut commodity.
The strategy is organized in six major chapters whereby this background section together
with descriptions of the rationale, vision, mission, goal and objectives constitute the
introductory chapter 1. Chapter 2 provides an overview of the importance of groundnut in
the Ethiopian agriculture; and food and nutrition security; Chapter 3 briefly discusses the
process of situation analysis undertaken by assessing the internal environment as well as
external one involving all the key stakeholders to capture their reflections, concerns and
desires. In chapter 4 are presented the critical issues that have been sifted out from the
situation analysis and articulated as key challenges facing the groundnut research. Chapter
5 discusses the actual strategic interventions to be pursued under the various thematic
areas of the research to tackle the critical issues identified. Chapter 6 provides key
elements of follow up documents that need to be worked out in the next steps as they are
prerequisites for effective implementation of the strategy.