Impact of Agricultural Enterprises on Employment Creation and Income Generation in Hadiya Zone, Ethiopia

This study seeks to examine the impact of agricultural enterprises on employment creation and income generation in Hadiya zone, Ethiopia. Data were collected from 383 randomly selected household heads, eighteen FGDs and five key informants’ interviews. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and econometric model called propensity score matching. The survey results show that out of 383 sampled household heads 125(32.5%) were members and the remaining 258 (67.5%) were non-members. The propensity score matching result shows that being member in micro and small agricultural enterprises (MSAEs) had significant positive impact on members’ employment creation and income generation. The result revealed that the membership resulted in average increment of household’s annually employment creation by about 4 people (33.98%) and income generation by Birr 12,339.00 (32.57%). The result showed that membership in MSAEs had a significant and positive impact on employment creation and income generation and the impact estimates were found to be insensitive to unobserved selection bias. It is, therefore, essential to expand and strengthen development of agricultural enterprises and the membership of households. Keywords: Agricultural enterprises, employment creation, income generation, propensity score matching. DOI: 10.7176/EJBM/12-4-07 Publication date: February 29th 202

Financial Performance of Agricultural Enterprises and Their Determinant Factors in Hadiya Zone, Ethiopia

This study seeks to examined and generate findings on financial performance of agricultural enterprises and their determinant factors in Hadiya zone, Ethiopia. The study was performed the financial performance of agricultural enterprises and the determinant factors of 212 MSAEs selected by multi-stage sampling techniques. In addition to these 18 focus group participants and 5 key informants stakeholders were used to sharpen and summarized the data collected from sample to fill the identified research gaps and to address the research objectives of the study. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and econometric models including profitability ratio analysis and multiple liner regression analysis techniques. According to the result obtained from profitability ratio analysis 42(67%) of MSAEs found in the study area profitable whereas 70(33%) were incurred loss. The result of multiple liner regression analysis showed that From the independent variables included in the model age of MSAEs, amount of initial capital and access to training were statistically significant at less than 1% significance level; number of employee, experience of manager, access to market, access to premises and access to credit were statistically significant at less than 5% significance level as hypothesized and educational level and entrepreneurial skill were also statistically significant at less than 10% significance level. All statistically significant explanatory variables found in the model had positive relationship with the financial performance of the MSAEs. Recommendations emanating from the study are very important to build up the financial performance of MSAEs to become profitable in the business and also to transform them into higher level of enterprises. To improve the financial performance of enterprises beyond the impact of challengeable constraints, all concerned bodies should give high attention to update and initiate entrepreneurial skill by applying innovative training, ensure experience and best practice sharing system, allocate proper capital and employee, upgrade education level attained and create alternative market access, facilitating sufficient premises and credit access, monitoring and evaluation of all benefit generated and costs incurred as well as effective utilization of employees to ensure successful financial performance of the MSAEs. Keywords: MSAEs, profitability ratio analysis, multiple liner regressio

Financial Performance of Agricultural Enterprises and Their Determinant Factors in Hadiya Zone, Ethiopia

This study seeks to examined and generate findings on financial performance of agricultural enterprises and their determinant factors in Hadiya zone, Ethiopia. The study was performed the financial performance of agricultural enterprises and the determinant factors of 212 MSAEs selected by multi-stage sampling techniques. In addition to these 18 focus group participants and 5 key informants stakeholders were used to sharpen and summarized the data collected from sample to fill the identified research gaps and to address the research objectives of the study. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and econometric models including profitability ratio analysis and multiple liner regression analysis techniques. According to the result obtained from profitability ratio analysis 42(67%) of MSAEs found in the study area profitable whereas 70(33%) were incurred loss. The result of multiple liner regression analysis showed that From the independent variables included in the model age of MSAEs, amount of initial capital and access to training were statistically significant at less than 1% significance level; number of employee, experience of manager, access to market, access to premises and access to credit were statistically significant at less than 5% significance level as hypothesized and educational level and entrepreneurial skill were also statistically significant at less than 10% significance level. All statistically significant explanatory variables found in the model had positive relationship with the financial performance of the MSAEs. Recommendations emanating from the study are very important to build up the financial performance of MSAEs to become profitable in the business and also to transform them into higher level of enterprises. To improve the financial performance of enterprises beyond the impact of challengeable constraints, all concerned bodies should give high attention to update and initiate entrepreneurial skill by applying innovative training, ensure experience and best practice sharing system, allocate proper capital and employee, upgrade education level attained and create alternative market access, facilitating sufficient premises and credit access, monitoring and evaluation of all benefit generated and costs incurred as well as effective utilization of employees to ensure successful financial performance of the MSAEs. Keywords: MSAEs, profitability ratio analysis, multiple liner regressio

Integrated use of nps blended fertilizer and cattle manure on growth, yield and quality of potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) under Dabo Ghibe Kebele, Seka Werada of Jimma Zone, Southwest Ethiopia

Irish potato (Solonaum tuberosum L.) is An important leading tuber crop in Ethiopia. It is an important food security and cash crop for smallholder farmers in Ethiopia. However, the yield of the crop is low at national as well as regional levels which, constrained mainly by low soil fertility. A new blended fertilizer (NPS) containing nitrogen (19% N), phosphorous (38% P2O5) and sulfur (7% S) is recently introduced aiming at substituting DAP in Ethiopian agriculture. There is a need to optimize the fertilizer under farmers’ conditions particularly its use along with organic resources. Therefore, a field experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of combined application of NPS blended fertilizer and cattle manure (CM) on growth, tuber yield and quality of potato on a Nitisol at Dabo-Gibe Kebele, Seka werada in 2016/2017 under irrigation. The objective of this study was to determine the optimum rate of mineral NPS blended fertilizer and CM rate on growth, yield and quality of potato. The treatments consisted of four NPS blended fertilizer levels (0, 50,100 and 150kg ha-1) and four Cattle Manure levels (0, 10, 20 and 30t ha-1).The experiment was laid out as a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) in a factorial arrangement and replicated three times. Data on days to 50% flowering, days to 75% physiological maturity, plant height, main stem number, total tuber yield (t ha-1), marketable tuber yield (t ha-1), unmarketable tuber yield (t ha-1), total tuber number per hill, marketable tuber number per hill per plant, unmarketable tuber number per hill per plant, dry matter content and specific gravity were collected and statistically analyzed using SAS version 9.3 software. Results revealed that combined application of NPS blended fertilizer and CM significantly (P<0.05) influenced days to 50% flowering, days to 75% physiological maturity, plant height, total tuber yield (t ha-1), marketable tuber yield (t ha-1), total tuber number per hill, marketable tuber number per hill and specific gravity. However, main stem number and dry matter content were not affected by the combined application of NPS blended fertilizer and cattle manure. Unmarketable tuber number and yield was also not affected by the main effects of NPS blended fertilizer and CM and as well as their interaction. The highest total tuber yield (40.23 t ha-1) was obtained by applying 150 kg ha-1 NPS bended fertilizers+30 t ha-1CM. Based on the partial budget analysis, combined application of 100 kg ha-1NPS bended fertilizers+30tha-1CM gave the maximum net return of Birr 138,513 ha-1 with an acceptable marginal rate of return (51.1%). The total nitrogen, available phosphorus and organic carbon content of the experimental soil were also increased due to the interaction of mineral NPS blended fertilizers and cattle manure at their highest rates. In conclusion, the results revealed that combined application of 150 kg ha-1NPS fertilizers and cattle manure at 30 t ha-1 significantly increased total tuber yield (40.23tha-1) of potato and restore of N, P and organic carbon of soil. In economic point of view, combined application of 100 kg ha-1NPS blended fertilizers and 30 t ha-1CM is found economically feasible and can be recommended for potato growers around Seka Wereda

Impact of Dairy Enterprises on Employment Creation and Income Generation in Hadiya Zone, Ethiopia

This study sought to examine the impact of dairy enterprises on employment creation and income generation in Hadiya zone, Ethiopia. Data were collected from 385 randomly selected household heads, three FGDs participants and five key informants’ interviews. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and propensity score matching. The survey results showed that out of 385 sampled household heads 126 (32.5%) were members and the remaining 259 (67.5%) were non-members of micro and small dairy enterprises. The propensity score matching result shows that being member had significant positive impact on members’ employment creation and income generation. The result revealed that the membership resulted in average increment of household’s annually employment creation by about 4 persons (33.98%) and income generation by Birr 12,339.00 (32.57%). The result showed that membership in dairy enterprises had a significant and positive impact on employment creation and income generation. The impact estimates were found to be insensitive to unobserved selection bias. It is, therefore, essential to expand and strengthen development of dairy enterprises and the membership of households in dairy enterprises to increase employment creation and income generation of members