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A newly released food barley variety known as GABISA has demonstrated significantly better performance than existing barley varieties grown by farmers in the Guji Highlands of Oromia, Ethiopia. The findings were reported by Girma Amare, Dembi Korji, and Basha Kebede of the Bore Agricultural Research Centre in a study published in 2026 in the International Journal of Integrative Research (IJIR). The research highlights the potential of the new variety to improve food production and increase farm income in one of Ethiopia’s important barley-growing regions.
Barley is one of Ethiopia’s most
important staple crops, particularly in the country’s highland areas. It is
widely used for food, livestock feed, traditional beverages, and other
household purposes. Despite its importance, barley productivity in many parts
of Ethiopia remains relatively low due to challenges such as poor soil
fertility, soil acidity, drought, and plant diseases.
To address these challenges,
researchers evaluated a newly developed barley variety called GABISA, which was
released by the Bore Agricultural Research Center in 2023. The variety was
tested directly on farmers’ fields using a participatory approach that allowed
farmers to assess the technology alongside researchers and agricultural
extension workers.
The study was conducted in the
Bore and Ana Sora districts of the Guji Zone, two highland areas known for
their barley production potential. Eleven trial farmers participated in the
demonstration, planting the new GABISA variety side by side with the commonly
used HB-1307 variety. Both varieties were grown under the same management
practices, allowing researchers to compare their performance under real farming
conditions.
In addition to field trials, the
project included training sessions, field visits, and field days involving
farmers, agricultural development agents, subject matter specialists, and other
stakeholders. More than 220 participants took part in these capacity-building
activities, helping to raise awareness about improved barley production
technologies.
The results revealed a
substantial advantage for the GABISA variety. The average grain yield reached 45.29
quintals per hectare, compared with 29.62 quintals per hectare for
the HB-1307 variety. This represents a 52.9 percent yield advantage,
making GABISA one of the most promising food barley varieties currently
available for the highland areas of Guji.
Researchers also found that
GABISA performed consistently under farmers’ field conditions. The variety
recorded a technology gap of only 5.21 quintals per hectare, compared
with 12.38 quintals per hectare for HB-1307. Likewise, GABISA achieved a
technology index of 10.3 percent, considerably lower than the 29.47
percent recorded for the comparison variety. Lower technology index values
indicate that a variety is more practical and adaptable for farmers to
cultivate successfully.
The economic benefits of adopting
GABISA were equally impressive. The variety generated an average total revenue
of 362,363 Ethiopian Birr (ETB) per hectare, while HB-1307 produced
approximately 207,391 ETB per hectare. After accounting for production
costs and land rental expenses, farmers growing GABISA achieved an average Net
Farm Income (NFI) of 267,486 ETB per hectare, more than double the 121,513
ETB per hectare earned from HB-1307.
Profitability indicators further
confirmed the financial advantages of the new variety. GABISA achieved a Benefit-Cost
Ratio (BCR) of 4.46, compared with 2.19 for HB-1307. The study also
reported an Incremental Benefit-Cost Ratio (IBCR) of 32.44, indicating
that every additional 1 ETB invested in adopting the GABISA technology package
generated approximately 32 ETB in additional net profit compared with the
standard variety.
Farmer evaluations strongly
supported the quantitative findings. All participating farmers ranked GABISA as
their preferred variety based on several important traits, including higher
yield, resistance to lodging, stronger tillering capacity, attractive seed
color, and better marketability. The variety received first-place rankings
across all evaluation criteria, reflecting its strong acceptance among local
farming communities.
According to Girma Amare and
colleagues, the combination of high productivity, strong economic returns, and
positive farmer feedback demonstrates that GABISA is ready for wider
dissemination. The researchers recommend immediate pre-scaling-up activities and
broader distribution of the variety throughout the highland areas of the Guji
Zone.
The findings have important
implications for agricultural development and food security in Ethiopia.
Increasing barley productivity can help improve household food supplies, raise
rural incomes, and strengthen local agricultural economies. As demand for food
continues to grow, improved crop varieties such as GABISA offer a practical and
cost-effective strategy for boosting production without requiring significant
expansion of cultivated land.
Author Profile
Girma Amare is a
researcher at the Bore Agricultural Research Centre, Ethiopia,
specializing in crop production technologies and agricultural extension. The
study was conducted in collaboration with Dembi Korji and Basha
Kebede, who are also affiliated with the Bore Agricultural Research Centre
and actively involved in agricultural technology development and crop
improvement research in Oromia, Ethiopia.
Research Source
Article Title: Pre-extension
Demonstration and Evaluation of Improved Food Barley Technologies at Highlands
of Guji Zone, Oromia, Ethiopia
Authors: Girma Amare,
Dembi Korji, and Basha Kebede
Journal: International
Journal of Integrative Research (IJIR), Volume 4, Issue 8, 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.59890/ijir.v4i8.248
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