As rainfall becomes less predictable, researchers are developing improved seed, testing more efficient irrigation and using digital tools to track water losses. Getting these solutions to farmers could protect harvests and provide Ethiopia’s textile factories with more locally grown fibre.
When the rains arrive late or stop too soon, cotton farmer Debalkie Abate can no longer depend on the planting calendar he once knew. But researchers and water specialists are working on an alternative: improved seed, better-timed irrigation and more accurate climate information that could help farmers continue producing despite increasingly unpredictable weather.
“The weather has become much less predictable than it was a decade ago,” Abate says. “Sometimes the rains arrive late, sometimes they stop too early. Without irrigation we cannot rely on rainfall alone.”
Ethiopia already possesses tools that could reduce that risk. Research in its cotton-growing lowlands shows how carefully timed irrigation can make better use of limited water. New assessments are identifying irrigation losses, while researchers develop varieties intended to improve productivity and fibre quality.
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