HaFAS Takes Center Stage at Ethiopia's National Digital Agriculture Extension Service Forum
Harmonized Fertilizer Advisory System (HaFAS) Showcased at Ethiopia's Digital Agricultural Extension and Advisory Services (DAEAS) Platform Annual Forum
On 12 June 2026, the Digital Agricultural Extension and Advisory Services (DAEAS) Platform under the Ministry of Agriculture, Ethiopia, organized its Annual Forum in Addis Ababa.
Held under the theme "Strengthening Collaboration, Harmonization, and Innovation for Scalable Digital Agricultural Extension and Advisory Services in Ethiopia," the forum brought together more than 200 participants representing the Ministry of Agriculture, research institutions, universities, TVETs, digital service providers, development partners, NGOs, and private-sector organizations engaged in Ethiopia's agricultural extension ecosystem.
The Harmonized Fertilizer Advisory System (HaFAS) was showcased as one of the country's flagship digital advisory innovations by Dr Fitih Ademe, Senior Researcher, Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research (EIAR) and Dr Gizaw Desta Gessesse, Senior Scientist, ICRISAT.
HaFAS Framework:
The Ministry of Agriculture and the Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research, Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research (EIAR) and the Regional Agricultural Research Institutes (RARIs), in partnership with ICRISAT and the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, developed the HaFAS framework to harmonize fertilizer and agronomy advisory services under a nationally managed digital system.
Built on evidence generated through the CGIAR Sustainable Farming Program and powered by the Machine Learning (ML) and AI-based Decision Support Tool, HaFAS integrates soil, climate, and agronomic data with artificial intelligence and machine learning to generate site- and season-specific, farm-level recommendations.
In 2025, HaFAS fertilizer and agronomy advisories were disseminated through a multi-partner delivery mechanism. The HaFAS Zonal Scaling Network, facilitated by zonal agricultural offices, NGOs, and ICRISAT, reached 22,162 farmers with tailored recommendations.
Digital platforms further expanded the system's reach. ICRISAT's Telegram network, spanning 43 district groups, disseminated 19,260 advisory messages, while the Telegram bot recorded 120 farmer feedback interactions, most of which focused on crop and disease diagnostics.
In addition, Digital Green's FarmerChat delivered personalized recommendations to 49,000 farmers, and LERSHA's bundled finance platform reached 32,000 farmers, connecting 8,000 farmers to credit and insurance services, including 1,300 women.
Technical Discussions:
With an ambitious target of reaching 7 million farmers and institutionalizing digital advisory delivery nationwide, the forum served as an important platform for partners to share experiences, strengthen collaboration, and discuss strategies for scaling HaFAS through public-private partnerships.
Discussions emphasized leveraging existing agricultural structures at zonal, district, and kebele levels while engaging farmer-facing organizations, cooperatives, and private service providers.
During the technical session, Dr Fitih Ademe and Dr Gizaw Desta highlighted several innovative delivery mechanisms adopted by the local scaling partner network. These included FarmerChat, Telegram bots, SMS and voice messaging, hotlines, farmer agents, and extension agents, demonstrating how multiple complementary channels can strengthen learning, farmer feedback, continuous improvement, and the adaptation of digital agricultural extension and advisory services.
Beyond raising awareness, the forum provided an opportunity to sensitize stakeholders on several key aspects of the HaFAS framework, including:
- HaFAS digital advisories are built on long-term scientific evidence, supported by rigorous data, continuous improvement, and robust quality assurance processes.
- The harmonization framework provides a standardized workflow for generating validated advisory content, enabling innovation and technology developers to avoid duplication, promote interoperability, and develop bundled advisory solutions endorsed by the National Agricultural Research System (NARS).
- HaFAS has demonstrated multiple scalable delivery pathways capable of reaching diverse farmer segments through coordinated public-private partnerships and integrated digital platforms.
Participants expressed strong support for the HaFAS approach and reaffirmed their commitment to pooling innovations, expertise, and resources through the national digital advisory partnership and governance platform to accelerate the delivery of harmonized, evidence-based agricultural advisory services across Ethiopia.
This initiative is implemented under the CGIAR Sustainable Farming Program (SFP) through a partnership between CGIAR Centers—ICRISAT, the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, CIMMYT, and IITA—and Ethiopia's National Agricultural Research System, including the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research (EIAR), Regional Agricultural Research Institutes (RARIs), and the Bureaus of Agriculture at regional, zonal, and district levels. The initiative is further supported by GIZ-Ethiopia through the SSHI Project, the Coalition of the Willing (CoW) Ethiopia, Digital Green Ethiopia, Green Agro Solution PLC (LERSHA), Self Help Africa, the Sasakawa Africa Association, and the Catholic Church South Synods.
Parkavi Kumar
