Melkassa Agricultural Research Center of EIAR

15/09/2026

Melkassa Agricultural Research Center Advances Okra Technologies Through Participatory Variety Selection
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Melkassa, Ethiopia | September 2026 — Melkassa Agricultural Research Center (MARC), through its National Warm-Season Vegetables Research Program, Food Science Research Program, and Agricultural Extension and Communication Research, in partnership with the World Vegetable Center (WorldVeg), successfully conducted an Okra Participatory Variety Selection (PVS) event at the Melkassa on-station experimental site. The event brought together farmers, private companies, business enterprises, and researchers to evaluate promising okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) varieties and explore opportunities for improved production, utilization, and commercialization.
A key highlight was the Participatory Variety Selection (PVS), where farmers and other stakeholders evaluated promising okra varieties based on yield potential, pod quality traits, market preference, disease and pest tolerance, and commercial value. MARC’s Food Science Research Program has also successfully demonstrated recipe preparation, utilization, and value-addition opportunities, highlighting the nutritional importance and diverse uses of okra.

Through this collaboration, MARC and WorldVeg are strengthening the link between research, farmers, and the private sector to promote productive, climate-resilient, and market-oriented okra technologies. The initiative aims to enhance okra productivity and utilization through technology development, multiplication, and the promotion of improved varieties. MARC sincerely appreciates all participating farmers, company partners, business enterprises, and researchers for their valuable contributions to the success of this important event toward improved food and nutrition security, agricultural resilience, and sustainable livelihoods.

08/09/2026

የመልካሣ ግብርና ምርምር ማዕከል ለኢትዮጲያ የግብርና ልማትና ምርምር ላበረከታችሁ ከፍተኛ አስተዋጽዖ ያመሰግናችሁዋል።

Melkassa Agricultural Research Center proudly recognizes and sincerely appreciates your invaluable contributions to agricultural research and development in Ethiopia.

08/09/2026

የመልካሳ ግብርና ምርምር ማዕከል ዓመታዊ የሠራተኞች የመገናኛ በዓል አካሄደ
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የመልካሳ ግብርና ምርምር ማዕከል ጳጉሜ 2 ቀን 2018 ዓ.ም. ዓመታዊ የሠራተኞች መገናኛ በዓሉን በደማቅ ሁኔታ አካሄደ። በዝግጅቱ ላይ ለአገልግሎታቸው ዕውቅና የተሰጣቸው የቀድሞ የማዕከሉ ዳይሬክተሮች፣ በክብር የተሸኙ በጡረታ የወጡ ሠራተኞችና ጥሪ የተደረገላቸው እንግዶች ተገኝተዋል። የማዕከሉ ዳይሬክተር ዶ/ር አማረ ፉፋ ለቀድሞ አመራሮችና ሠራተኞች ላበረከቱት አስተዋጽዖ ምስጋና አቅርበዋል። የኢትዮጵያ ግብርና ምርምር ኢንስቲትዩት የቦርድ ሰብሳቢና የዋና ዳይሬክተሩ ተወካይ ዶ/ር አበራ ደሬሳ በበኩላቸው ዝግጅቱ የቡድን መንፈስንና ተቋማዊ አንድነትን የሚያጠናክር በመሆኑ በሌሎች ማዕከላትም ሊስፋፋ እንደሚገባ ገልጸዋል።

Giddugalli Qorannoo Qonnaa Malkaasa’aa Ayyaana Hojjettootaa Kabaje
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Giddugalli Qorannoo Qonnaa Malkaasa’aa Qaammee 2, 2018tti ayyaana hojjettootaa bakka daayrektarootni duraanii, hojjettootni ammaa fi kan soorama ba’an akkasumas keessummootni affeeraman argamanit kabaje. Daayrektaroonni duraanii hoggansa isaanii olaanaa fi guddina giddugalchaatiif gumaacha taasisaniif beekamtii argatan. Hojjettoonni soorama ba’anis qorannoo fi misooma qonnaa Itoophiyaatiif tajaajila kennaniin galateefatamuun kabajamanii gaggeeffaman. Daayrektarri Giddugalichaa Dr. Amaare Fufaa gumaacha isaanii hundaaf galateeffatan. Dr. Abaraa Dheeressaa, Walitti Qabaa Boordii Gorsaa Instiitiyuti Qorannoo Qonnaa Itoophiyaa fi bakka bu’aan Daayrektara Olaanaa Instiitiyuticha, sagantichi hojjettoota kan kakaasu, hafuura garee fi tokkummaa giddugalchaa kan cimsu ta’uu ibsanii, sagantaan akkana giddugaloota qorannoo biroo fi sadarkaa Instiitiyuti Qorannoo Qonnaa Itoophiyaati qophaa’u akka qabu dhaamsa dabarsaniiru.

Melkassa Agricultural Research Center Conducted Annual Staff Get-Together
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Melkassa Agricultural Research Center conducted its Annual Staff Get-Together on September 7, 2026 bringing together former Center Directors, current and retired staff, and invited guests.
Former Directors were recognized for their outstanding leadership and contributions to the Center’s growth and achievements. Retired employees were also honored for their dedicated service to Ethiopia’s agricultural research and development. The current Center Director Dr. Amare Fufa expressed the Center’s sincere appreciation to the former Directors and retired staff for their invaluable contributions. In his closing remarks, Dr. Abera Deressa, Chairperson of the Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research (EIAR) Advisory Board and representative of the EIAR Director General, described the event as colorful and inspiring. He emphasized its value in motivating staff and strengthening team spirit and institutional unity, recommending that similar events be organized at other research centers and at the EIAR level.

08/09/2026

24/08/2026

መልካሳ ግብርና ምርምር ማዕከል የ2018/2019 ዓ.ም. የድርጊት መርሃ ግብር ዕቅድ ላይ በ18/12/2018 ዓ.ም. ውይይት አካሄደ። በውይይቱ የምርምር ክፍል ኃላፊዎችና የአስተዳደር ሥራ አስፈጻሚዎች ዕቅዶቻቸውን አቅርበው የጋራ ውይይት ተደርጓል። በመጨረሻም የማዕከሉ ዳይሬክተር ዶ/ር አማረ ፉፋ የተሰጡ አስተያየቶችን በማካተት ዕቅዶቹ ተሻሽለው ወደ ተግባር እንዲገቡ አቅጣጫ ሰጥተዋል።

Melkassa Agricultural Research Center held a discussion on its 2018/2019 E.C. (2026/27) annual action plan on August 24, 2026. Heads of research departments, national research programs, and administrative executives presented their respective plans, followed by an engaging and constructive discussion. In closing, the Center Director, Dr. Amare Fufa, provided guidance to incorporate the feedback, further refine the plans, and move forward with effective implementation.

03/08/2026

የመልካሳ ግብርና ምርምር ማዕከል አመራሮችና ሰራተኞች በጋራ በመሆን የ2018 ዓ.ም በአንድ ጀምበር 800 ሚሊዮን ችግኞች ተከላ ፕሮግራም በአዳማ ከተማ ዋቄ ሚዓ የአርሶ-አደሮች መንደር አካሄዷል፡፡

Bulchiinsi fi hojjettoonni Giddugala Qorannoo Qonnaa Malkaasa'aa (MARC) sagantaa Ashaaraa Magariisaa bara 2018 A.L.I. "Guyyaa Tokkotti Biqiltuu Miiliyoona 800 Dhaabuu" keessatti hirmaachuun, Ganda Qonnaan Bultoota Waaqee Mi'aa Magaalaa Adaamaatti biqiltuu dhaaban. Hirmaannaan keenya kun naannoo eeguu, jijjiirama qilleensaa dandamachuu fi Itiyoophiyaa magariisummaa ishee cimsuuf kutannoo keenya kan agarsiisudha.

The management and staff of Melkassa Agricultural Research Center proudly took part in the 2018 E.C. Green Legacy Initiative's "800 Million Seedlings in One Day" nationwide tree-planting campaign. Together, we planted seedlings at Waqe Mi'a Farmers' Village in Adama City, reaffirming our commitment to environmental conservation, climate resilience, and a greener future for Ethiopia.

21/04/2026

Hojjiwwan qo’annoo fi qorannoo cinaatti raakkoowwan oomisha Dammaa fi qulqullina dammaa wajjiin wal qabatu furuuf qotee bultootaa fi waldaalee misooma kannisaa irratti hojjataniif leenjii fi deeggarsa ogummaa akka kennaa turanii fi ammas akka keennaa jiraan eerun kanaanis qotee bultonnii fi waldaaleen garagaraa akka irraa fayyadamaa jiran kaasanii jiru.
Dhumaa irrattis omishini fi omish*tummaan dammaa akka dabaluuf qo’annoo fi qorannoon kannisaa dammaa, nyaataa kannisaa, qulqullinaa dammaa, teknooloojiwwan dammaa fi kannisaa dammaa cimaanii akka itti fufuu qaban dubbatanii jiru.

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Mr. Beshada also noted that, in addition to research and development, the center provides training and technical support to farmers and beekeepers’ associations. These efforts help address challenges related to honey production and quality. The center is also actively working to improve honey quality and promote modern beekeeping technologies.
Finally, he emphasized the need to strengthen research on honey bees and bee forages, honey quality, and beekeeping technologies. Expanding these efforts will help increase honey production and improve overall productivity.

21/04/2026

Giddu galli qorannoo qonnaa Malkaasa’aa hojii qo’aannoo fi qorraannoo adda addaa gaggeesuu, bu’aa qorrannoo isaaanii haawasa biraan ga’uu fi hawaasni akka irraa fayyadamu gochaa jira. Hojiiwwan qorannoo giddu gala kana keessatti hojjataman keessaa inni tokko qorannoo fi qo’annoo kannisaa Dammaa fi Dammaa yoo ta’u kanuma ilaalchisuun giddugalichatti qorataa Dammaa fi Kannisaa Dammaa kan ta’aan obboo Bashaadaa Taayyeen turtii TV OBN waliin tasiisaniin yaada armaan gadii kennanii jiru.
Kannisni Dammaa ilbisoota akka Adunyaatti dhala namaaf iddoo guddaa qabdu yoo ta’u kanneen keessaa muraasni:- Biqiloota diqaaloomsuu (pollination), Wabii nyaataa mirkanessuu, Madda galii cimsuu fi Caarraa hojii uumuu keessatti iddoo ol aanaa qaba.
Giddu galichatti hojiiwan qorannoo kannisaa Dammaa kan akka, nyaata kannisaa, horsisaa kannisaa, dhukkuboota kannisaa, haala walii gala qabnisa kannisaa, Rakkoowwan qulqullina Dammaa furuu, Oomiisha dammaa dabaluu, teknooloojii gara garaa kan misooma kanniisa Dammaa fi Dammaa irratti hojii guddaa akka hojjachaa jiran ibsanii jiru.
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The Malkaasa Agricultural Research Center plays a significant role in conducting problem-solving agricultural research activities, disseminating research findings to target beneficiaries and stakeholders, and ensuring that the people benefit from research outputs. One of the key research areas at the center is beekeeping and honey production.
A researcher at the center, Mr. Beshada Taye, explained in an interview with OBN TV that honey bees are among the most important insects for humans worldwide. Their contributions include pollinating plants, supporting food security, increasing income sources, creating job opportunities, and providing health benefits to producers and consumers.

20/04/2026

The Melkassa Agricultural Research Center conducted a field day and building inauguration.
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The research activities carried out by the center’s Technology Multiplication and Seed Research department, focusing on the management and quality control of early generation seed production, were visited by stakeholders and farmers. The objective is to enable stakeholders to understand the technologies currently being implemented under irrigation, to make these technologies accessible, and to increase production and productivity, as well as ensure food security.
On the same day, the Soil and Water Management Research Department building, funded by CALM project, was officially inaugurated. During the event, senior officials of the institution and various stakeholders were in attendance.

20/02/2026

Melkassa Agricultural Research Center (MARC) has successfully concluded its center-level Annual Research Review.
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Melkassa Agricultural Research Center (MARC) has successfully concluded its center-level Annual Research Review, marking an important milestone in evaluating and strengthening its research activities. In his opening address, the Center Director, Dr. Amare Fufa, emphasized the purpose and significance of this platform. He noted that the review was designed to systematically examine the progress of ongoing research activities, showcase major outcomes from completed activities, assess the relevance and potential impact of newly proposed research activities, and identify both accomplishments and areas that require further improvement.
During the review, representatives from various departments presented detailed updates on their respective activities. These presentations highlighted the progress achieved so far, shared important research findings, and discussed practical challenges encountered during implementation.
Senior leadership from the Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research (EIAR) also participated in the general discussion session. The Director General, Nigussie Dechassa, together with the Deputy Director General, Chilot Yirga, engaged with researchers by responding to questions and providing strategic guidance. They also outlined key future directions aimed at enhancing research effectiveness and ensuring alignment with national agricultural development priorities.