Project 19

Investigating underutilized traditional crop mixtures for nutritional yield, climate resilience and soil regeneration

Description

In the Ethiopian highlands, many staple crops have traditionally been grown as mixtures. For example, multiple varieties of wheat and barley are often sown together in the same field, as are fava beans and peas, multiple varieties of sorghum, and multiple varieties of tef. However, there is a limited understanding of the complex impacts of rapidly disappearing traditional cropping systems on nutrition, especially their impact on nutritional yield, crop resilience, and soil health. Thus, this study will validate farmers’ traditional knowledge of the mixture cropping practicies on nutrition, climate resilience and soil on mother-baby experimental trial in Wolloon four traditional mixed cropping systems. (2023-2025)

Objectives

To evaluate the nutrient content of crops grown as mixtures and mono-cropping using PTFI omics techniques.

-To assess the impact of soil type and growing condition/farming practice on the nutrient quality of crops and estimate the nutritional yield of mixtures and mono-cropping practices.

Funding Agency

New York Botanical Garden

Project Partners

AAU, Wollo University, EFDA, Clark University, City University of New York, Cornell University

EPHI PI/s Contact Persons

Dr.  Endale Amare (endal97@gmail.com)

Teshome Assfea (teshome23@gmail.com)