Tied-ridging has proven to be an effective practice for improving soil water availability and crop yield in semi-arid parts of Ethiopia both through formal on-station research and farmer participatory research. Mean grain sorghum yield is often doubled with tied-ridging. Farmer evaluations of the technology verified the effectiveness and feasibility of the practice for many situations. The beneficial effects of tied ridging on crop yield, however, vary due to differences in amount and distribution of rainfall, soil type, slope, landscape position, crop, and the time of ridging. The most substantial effects occur for annual cropping systems in semi-arid areas where early, high-intensity rainfall often result in significant runoff. An extension program has been launched to promote the tied-ridge practice, including the use of a simple, oxen-drawn, tied-ridging implement. Rapid adoption of tied-ridging by small-scale farmers requires targeting situations with high probability of beneficial effects. A decision tool has been developed to better identify these situations. The decision tool considers soil texture and depth, slope, rainfall amount and distribution, and risk of soil water-logging. The tool is intended primarily for corn and sorghum production with the tied-ridges constructed before or at planting.