A major milestone has been achieved for Ethiopia’s vegetable sector with the official approval and release of the country’s first kale (Brassica oleracea var. acephala) varieties.
The achievement was led by the World Vegetable Center (WorldVeg) in collaboration with Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research (EIAR) – Kulumsa Agricultural Research Center (KARC), and regional research partners, including Tigray Agricultural Research Institute–Mekelle, Amhara Agricultural Research Institute–Woramit, and Debre Birhan Agricultural Research Center.
Despite the importance of leafy vegetables in Ethiopian diets, the country has lacked officially released kale varieties adapted to local growing conditions. As a result, farmers have largely relied on informal seed systems, particularly farmer-saved seed and those purchased from local retailers, which are often mixed with other brassicas. This has contributed to inconsistent yields, variable quality, and limited access to reliable seed. Strengthening the use of locally adapted kale varieties is therefore increasingly important as the country seeks to improve nutrition, diversify diets, and build more resilient food systems.
The two varieties, K14 and K18, were officially approved during the National Variety Release Committee Annual Meeting held on May 11–12, 2026, in Addis Ababa. It marks a historic step forward in strengthening Ethiopia’s vegetable breeding and seed systems while expanding opportunities for farmers to access high yielding, locally adapted kale varieties whose leaves can be harvested up to nine times in a single season.
The road to release
The release is the result of several years of research and collaboration between participating organizations. WorldVeg played a central role by initiating the project concept, leading initial germplasm collections with farmers in the Oromia and Central Ethiopia regions, and obtaining seed samples shared by the Ethiopian Biodiversity Institute. WorldVeg also provided financial and technical support, coordinating multi-location crop evaluations, and directly contributing to variety selection, testing, and release activities.
The materials underwent characterization, preliminary screening, and multi-location evaluations before advancing to National Variety Trials. These were conducted over three consecutive seasons in Addis Ababa, Kulumsa, Debre Birhan, Mekelle, and Bahir Dar by breeders from the respective research centers.
Farmers and consumers were also involved in the selection process to identify preferred kale varieties based on agronomic performance, quality, and market traits. Data generated from all testing locations was compiled, analyzed, and coordinated by WorldVeg to support the final variety release process, while EIAR-KARC oversaw the legal registration and release processes.
Based on the trial results, the two best-performing candidate varieties were selected for Variety Verification Trials across eight sites in Kulumsa, Addis Ababa, and Bahir Dar, representing different agro-ecological zones. The varieties were then formally evaluated and approved by the National Variety Release Committee led by the Ethiopian Agricultural Regulatory Authority.
Detailed descriptions for the official variety registration catalogue will now be finalized, while breeder seed multiplication is already underway at KARC. This marks an important next step toward scaling seed production and making the first newly released kale varieties available to farmers across Ethiopia, contributing to improved nutrition, diversified vegetable production, and stronger livelihoods.
For a crop long overlooked by formal breeding systems, kale is finally getting its moment.
This work was primarily funded by a USAID Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance project, while the final evaluation and verification processes were supported through the SNV-Power for Food Partnership project. Field testing sites and other facilities were generously facilitated by the EIAR and the respective regional agricultural research institutes.
This work is part of the Action Area on Vegetable Biodiversity under the WorldVeg Global Strategy (2026-2033).
