Barley acid soil tolerance is one of the research targets in Okayama University. Tolerant barley materials with a major tolerance gene are distributed in East Asia and Northern Europe but not in Ethiopia even among ca. 1000 accessions of barley in Okayama University. Barley is used as a food in Ethiopia but the production was reduced due to the expansion of acid soils which were mainly caused by an application of chemical fertilizers.
 IPSR, Okayama Univ. collaborate with Hawassa University by inviting scientist and providing techniques to select tolerance by molecular selection. The tolerant barleys are crossed with Ethiopian barley to select tolerant cultivars to adapt Ethiopian acid soil conditions.
 These activities may overcome the unfavorable condition for barley cultivation in Ethiopia and to promote the production of barley which is one of the staple foods in Ethiopia.