Sorghum Improvement in Eastern Africa

Abstract

Before going into the objectives of this workshop, it appears proper to briefly describe the background of the Ethiopian Sorghum Improvement Project (ESIP) which in many ways is responsible for the convening of this workshop. ESIP, in its present form of operation, was initiated in May 197 3 under an agreement between the Addis Ababa University (AAU) and the International Development Research Centre (IDRC). Since 1973, ESIP has gone through three successive phases each of which has been undertaken through contractual agreement between AAU and IDRC. Throughout the three phases, the bulk of the financial support for ESIP has been received from IDRC. All along, AAU provided all the administrative support as well as some staff salary in Phase I of the project. In Phase II and III ESIP also had the operational support of the Institute of Agricultural Research (IAR). So ESIP can be envisioned as a three way vigorous hybrid. At the end of this month, i.e. after 9h years, IDRC will terminate all of its financial support to ESIP, and the Ethiopian government through IAR and AAU will continue the Sorghum Improvement Program. In the nine years of its operation, ESIP has attained the status of a national program and has gained experiences which hopefully will be relevant to other national programs in the Eastern African Region. With this sharing of experience in mind, IDRC has kindly financed and encouraged ESIP to organize this workshop. Although the background of this workshop is tied to the background of ESIP and has been convened as a way of sharing the ESIP experience with the rest of the national sorghum programs of the member countries of the region, more important reason and purpose of this workshop is really to bring together active sorghum researchers of the Eastern Africa Sorghum Improvement Geographic Functional Region so that we can discuss the present status and future prospects of sorghum improvement in our Region. Personal acquaintances and interactions among sorghum workers of the region as in this workshop are expected to develop closer ties among professional colleagues which in turn is expected to facilitate free exchange of information and germplasm of sorghum among the countries of the region. Since there is a whole lot that we can learn from each other about sorghum improvement in the region, frequent getting together of sorghum workers of our region is obviously important. Each of the national sorghum improvement programs in the region has some sorghum information and germplasm which could be useful in the other national sorghum improvement programs of the region. The lack of forum for sorghum workers of the region to meet and interact as a group has limited the dissemination of such information and germplasm. This workshop is e/xpected to open the way and facilitate the gathering of overall information on sorghum improvement in the region. In the programing of the workshop, a whole day is allocated for country reports. Each of the country reports is expected to give a good picture of the status of sorghum improvement in the country of the report. Collectively these reports should give an overall picture of the status of sorghum improvement in the region. : Several papers in different disciplines of sorghum improvement are to be presented by Ethiopian participants of this workshop. These papers collectively will hopefully give an overall picture of sorghum research in Ethiopia. Out of the four days for the workshop, one and half are scheduled for station visits and discussions in the sorghum fields. This will give us excellent opportunity to discuss and interact at the field level. In the station visits, we will have opportunity to visit one station (Nazareth) concentrating on lowland sorghums and another one (Arsi Negelie) working on highland sorghums. Since both of these groups of sorghums are important in most of the countries of our region, these visits will give us chance to discus and exchange views right out in the fields in the midst of the sorghum plants. The last half day of the workshop is scheduled for general dis cussions on strengthening the Eastern Africa Sorghum Improvement Network. Items to be considered in these discussions will be the initiation of sorghum regional trials and nurseries, exchange of germplasm and annual reports, the need for an establishment of a regional sorghum crossing block, training in sorghum, the desirability and possibility of having annual regional workshop, and other areas of regional cooperation. By the last day of the workshop, it is hoped that we have interacted and known each other sufficiently well so that we can develop joint strategies for future cooperative regional sorghum improvement work. A regional cooperative sorghum improvement program could be as strong as we want it. Although there is no substitute for a strong national program no country in our region has all the necessary finance, trained manpower, and germplasm to enable it to stand alone and solve all of its sorghum improvement problems by itself. Jointly and on a regional basis, there are a number of areas where the different national programs could strengthen and assist each other. The workshop is expected to explore and discuss such areas of cooperation.