Maize is a major cereal crop in Ethiopia contributing 21% of the daily calorie requirements of the population (Rashid, 2010). Increasing the yield of maize is vital to maintain farm household food security, particularly in drought prone areas such asCentral Rift Valley areas of Ethiopia where 46% of the cultivated area is allocated to maize and maize constitutes nearly two-thirds of the crop production. To increase the maize productivity, Ethiopia has pursued the application of improved variety seeds and accompanying inputs, focusing on high rainfall areas. Meanwhile, areas of low rainfall had virtually been forgotten by maize research and extension. In the past two decades, however, substantial amounts of resources have been devoted to the development of improved maize varieties, including those for drought prone areas, and about half a dozen improved open pollinated varieties (OPVs) ofmaize were released. The research and extension of maize has employed a new approach namely Farmer Research Group (FRG). An FRG approach refers to a farmer participatory research method through which a research team, extension workers and groups of farmers jointly conduct trials on farmers' fields on selected topics, which are based on the needs of farmers. Accordingly, FRG based improved OPVs of maize selection, seed production and dissemination was implemented on farmers' fields at their residence Kebeles..
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