Desta, G and Melesse, M B and Sartas, M and Agegnehu, G and Tigabie, A and Legesse, G and Desalegn, H and Amede, T and Jat, M L and Harawa, R (2025) The practice of scaling landscape-based fertilizer advisory in Ethiopia: Drivers, pathways, and strategies for upstream-downstream integration for scaling. Sustainable Futures, 10. pp. 1-17. ISSN 2666-1888
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Abstract
Smallholder farming in Ethiopia faces challenges with poor nutrient use efficiency and low yields. Addressing these issues requires site-specific nutrient management strategies. Since 2020, a landscape-based fertilizer advisory has been developed, co-validated, and piloted to improve fertilizer use efficiency, lower costs for smallholder farmers, and promote environmental sustainability. This effort has been catalyzed by the CGIAR Excellence in Agronomy Initiative and driven by demand partners from the local to the national level. This paper systematically analyzes the process and practice of scaling up this innovation, using an agricultural innovation system (AIS) analysis. Using a contextualized innovation scaling framework, we examine the dissemination process and mechanisms, key drivers of scalability, the institutional collaboration and governance of the scaling process and practices. We emphasize the importance of a demand-driven, participatory, and collaborative scaling process that guides the analysis of scaling drivers, diffusion pathways, barriers, and strategies for responsible scaling from both local (horizontal scaling) and national (vertical scaling) perspectives. This scaling process has led to a localized, farmer-relevant nutrient management approach that delivers optimized and cost-effective advisory services. Consequently, farmers have demonstrated significant improvements in understanding (86–94 %) and implementing the landscape-based advisory (75–91 %), with usability scores ranging from 4.2 to 5.2 out of 7. This paper provides insights and guidance to facilitate the transition from delivery to scaling agricultural innovations on a large scale, emphasizing the importance of a contextualized science of scaling and pathways, customized strategies, successful partnerships, responsible scaling, and ongoing efforts to overcome emerging barriers to effective scaling.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Divisions: | Global Research Program - Resilient Farm and Food Systems Research Program : East & Southern Africa |
| CRP: | UNSPECIFIED |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | Fertilizer advisory, Innovation use, Landscape approach, Responsible scaling, Scaling framework |
| Subjects: | Others > Farming Systems Others > Fertilizers Others > Ethiopia |
| Depositing User: | Mr Nagaraju T |
| Date Deposited: | 26 Nov 2025 04:29 |
| Last Modified: | 26 Nov 2025 04:29 |
| URI: | http://oar.icrisat.org/id/eprint/13395 |
| Official URL: | https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/... |
| Projects: | CGIAR Scaling for Impact (S4I) Science Program |
| Funders: | Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation |
| Acknowledgement: | The author(s) acknowledge the financial support from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in Seattle, WA (grant number INV-005431) through the Excellence in Agronomy (EIA) CGIAR initiative. We thank the CGIAR Scaling for Impact (S4I) Science Program for supporting this work. We also acknowledge the Ministry of Agriculture, the demand partner of the use case, especially the district agriculture offices and extension agents in the implementing districts. Special thanks are extended to National Agriculture Research System (NARS) partners and collaborating research centers for their contributions to the validation of the innovation. We are grateful to the farmers who volunteered to work with us. |
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