Lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.) is an important legume for human nutrition, animal feeding and soil fertility enhancement in Wag-lasta areas of Ethiopia. Despite its importance, concerned actors in the extension system have inconsistencies on the efficient production practices. The participatory assessment of different lentil production practices was thus carried out involving twenty-three farmers in the marginal dry lands of Wag-lasta area. The experiment was designed to evaluate and demonstrate the performance of different lentil production practices to farmers and extension personnel to settle the paradox in the extension system. It was directed through comparing the improved variety with its full production package (IPP) against the local variety with full package (LPP) and local variety under farmers' practice (LFP). Agronomic, economic and preference data were collected and analysed in descriptive statistic, ANOVA, partial budgeting and weighted ranking matrix. The combined result indicated that LPP, LFP and IPP provided mean grain yields of 806, 584 and 486 kg ha-1 , respectively. Accordingly, LPP has 27.5 and 39.7% yield advantage over LFP and IPP, respectively. The marginal rate of return of LPP is 334.9 and 411% in Sekota and Lalibela districts in that order. The overall weighted ranking matrix also shows that LFP and LPP were farmers' first and second choices in Sekota but vice versa in Lalibela district. Farmers and experts in the extension system thus perceived and approved the prominence of local cultivar under full package practice. Therefore, large-scale dissemination of the local cultivar with its full package components is safely recommended.

Different management practices likely to enhance teff production are used in Ethiopia, however, evidence on their relative performance is little studied or unavailable. This on-farm experiment was conducted to assess the performance of different management practices for teff productivity, profitability, and acceptability in subtropical districts of North East Amhara. Four trial treatments (viz., IKIM, IBIM, LBIM, and LBFM) were laid out in an unreplicated simple block considering farmers as replication during the main cropping seasons of 2019 and 2020. Tukey’s (HSD) test following one-way ANOVA, partial budget analysis, and weighted matrix ranking were used to explain the significance level, profitability, and preference traits, respectively. Results presented a significant ( p  ≤ 0.01) treatment difference across districts in days to maturity, grain, and biomass yields. Among treatments, IKIM had short maturity days at Sekota (94), Dehana (105), and Lasta (95) districts. The grain yields were on average 1.75 ton ha−1, 1.45 ton ha−1, and 1.63 ton ha−1 at Sekota, Dehana, and Lasta districts, respectively. The lowest grain yields of 0.70 ton ha−1, 0.58 ton ha−1, and 0.63 ton ha−1 were recorded from LBFM. Despite the higher total variable costs, IKIM was gainful having 51400 ETB, 40579 ETB, and 46928 ETB net benefits at Sekota, Dehana, and Lasta districts, respectively. The MRR showed that a marginal profit of 13.77, 9.76, and 9.23 ETB was gained per each 1.00 ETB investment for shifting the practice (LBFM to IKIM). Therefore, we recommend IKIM as best management practice for consistent teff production in similar agroecological conditions.

Participatory on-farm evaluation of improved tomato varieties namely;‘Melka salsa, 'Roma VF' and 'Kochero’ against the local variety was carried out in the 2019/20 irrigation season. The trial was laid on unreplicated simple plots using six farmers as replication at irrigation scheme of Saka kebele in Abergelle woreda. The experiment was intended to evaluate and demonstrate the performances of different tomato varieties for farmers, then to collect and assess their feedback. Based on the actual biological and farmers’ preference data, the analysis result underscores the better performance of improved tomato varieties over the local variety by the most yield-related attributes. The average marketable fruit yields of ‘Melka salsa, 'Roma VF', 'Kochero’, and the local variety were 4.62, 3.88, 3.64, and 3.10 ton.ha-1, respectively. The improved varieties had thus yielded an advantage of 72.38%, 37.14%, and 25.72% over the local variety in the given order. Among the improved tomato varieties, ‘Melka salsa' provided the highest fruit yield, and owing the highest score of overall preference attributes rank. The medium-sized, oval-shaped, and tasty flashed ‘Melka salsa’ tomato fruit is most liked by farmers for its less perishability, better market demand and good taste. The ‘Melka salsa’ tomato variety is therefore suggested for up-scaling for similar agro-ecologies that have irrigation schemes and production potential. The biological scientists were also advised to consider the farmers’ preference attributes and feedback as a backup for future tomato breeding studies.