Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research
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The Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research (EIAR) has evolved through several stages since its initiation during the late 1940s, following the establishment of agricultural and technical school of Ambo and Jimma. Until the mid-1960s the Imperial College of Agricultural and Mechanical Arts—now Haramaya University—with its Agricultural Experiment Station at Debre Zeyit—now Debre Zeit Research Center—was the major research entity. The establishment of the then Institute of Agricultural Research (IAR) in 1966 saw the first nationally coordinated agricultural research system in Ethiopia.
The EAR consist of Federal and Regional Agricultural Research Institutes (RARIs), and Higher Learning Institutions (HLIs). EIAR is responsible for the running of federal research centers, and RARIs are administered by the regional state governments. In addition to conducting research at its federal centers, EIAR is charged with the responsibility for providing the overall coordination of agricultural research countrywide, and advising Government on agricultural research policy formulation.
Currently, the EIAR comprise 55 research centers and sites located across various agro-ecological zones. The research centers vary in their experience, human, facility, and other resources capacities. Some of the research centers and sites have one or more sub-centers and testing sites.
Core mandates
- Supply of improves agricultural technology,
- Popularization of improved technologies,
- Coordination of the national agricultural research, and
- Capacity building of researchers