How Ethiopia built a national digital fertilizer advisory system

Ethiopia is advancing from generalized fertilizer recommendations toward a nationally coordinated, data-driven advisory system through the Harmonized Fertilizer and Agronomy Solutions (HaFAS) framework. Developed with leadership from the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research and scientific support from CGIAR partners, HaFAS integrates soil, climate, agronomic, and management information to generate site- and season-specific fertilizer and agronomic recommendations. The system builds on extensive field evidence, including more than 2,700 on-farm validation trials across wheat, maize, tef, and sorghum, and combines conventional extension with digital delivery channels such as FarmerChat and LERSHA. In 2025, approximately 49,000 farmers received tailored recommendations, with reported improvements in crop productivity, profitability, and fertilizer-use efficiency. HaFAS also strengthens national coordination by harmonizing previously fragmented advisory approaches, establishing common validation and quality-assurance processes, expanding national soil and agronomy databases, and embedding digital infrastructure within government systems. The initiative demonstrates how locally validated science, digital innovation, institutional ownership, and public-private partnerships can support the transition from project-based advisory services toward a scalable and sustainable national agricultural advisory system.