Impact of Land Acquisition on the Livelihoods: The Case of Gilibina-Akuna-Agita-Merewo-Besikiya Road Project Telemet Woreda, North Gondar Zone, Amhara region, Ethiopia

Gilibina_Akuna_Agita_Merewo_Besikiya road project is located in Amhara National Regional State, North Gondar Administrative Zone, Telemte woreda. The settlement pattern of the population residing in the project Woreda is dispersed and mainly concentrated in rural settlements that are mainly at lower level of socio economic status. The project influence Woreda lack adequate social services and other infrastructural services, such as road and communication networks. The total length of the road project is 98.06 km and is Design Standard (DC3). The construction of the project road as per the route selection study and Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) will improve the livelihood of the local populations that are crossed by the road project. It could also contribute to the growth and development of trade and urban centers, improvement of crop and livestock production and its marketing network. The natural resource and human resource potentials are also highly important in contributing to the development of the project area. The project road is expected to have both positive and negative impacts in the direct Project Influence Area (PIA), as well in the indirect influence area. The potential social impacts will be quicker felt in the direct influence area. The adverse (or negative) environmental and social impacts are very minimal and could not make significant impacts that will impede the life of the local population. The proposed project road is in harmony with all the national development policies and strategies of Ethiopia, and fulfils all requirements set forth both by the Federal and Regional Governments. The land acquisition report presents the policy, legal and Administrative framework; the valuation measures, the compensation payment to be made for the PAPs including restoration measures, and it also establishes methodologies for compensation estimate and payment. The basis of the land acquisition report is a socio economic assessment of the livelihoods that will be affected due to the construction of the project road which include the number of Project Affected Persons, the size of affected properties and asset. DOI: 10.7176/JESD/10-1-0

The Contribution of Rehabilitation Program on the Livelihood of Displaced Households in Norther Ethiopia: The Case of Belese Sugar Development Project Jawi District Amhara region

The study examines the contribution of rehabilitation program to the livelihoods of settlers due to expropriation of landholdings for sugar development project in resettlement areas Alikurand and Kumber kebeles of Jawi woreda in Amhara region.Random sampling technique was employed to select 127sample survey household heads. Data was collected using key informant interview, interview schedule and focus group discussion. Analytical tools used include Descriptive and Logistic Regression. The finding of the study identify challenges experienced by resettlers such as reduction of farm land size, the increase distance from farm land to homesteads, and the reduction and no grazing land for cattle were perceived to be a major threat that were preventing them from achieving their livelihoods objective. The logit model result for factors determine livelihood strategies settlers revealed that out of the 15 explanatory variables, 10 variables were found to affect the livelihood strategies of settlers. age, family size, distance from farm land to homesteads, frequency of extension contact and social network affect significantly and negatively at less than 5% significance level and ethnic group, education level, size of landholdings, fertility level of farm land, membership in cooperative affect significantly and positively at less than 5 % level of significance. And it also shows 4 variables affect the estimated annual income of the displaced households. .compensation affect positively and significantly at less than one % level of significance, size of landholding, distance from farm land to homesteads and membership in cooperative affect negatively and significantly at less than 5% significant level. The resettlement and the Livelihood restoration programs have the potential to strengthen local capacities. This is particularly through increased access to social services, infrastructure and administrative service such as school, health center, roods, extension service and communication and access employment and the finical compensation create household’s asset. Keywords: livelihoods restoration, resettlement, logit model, determinate, livelihoods, compensatio

The Contribution of Rehabilitation Program on the Livelihood of Displaced Households in Norther Ethiopia: The Case of Belese Sugar Development Project Jawi District Amhara Region

The study examines the contribution of rehabilitation program to the livelihoods of settlers due to expropriation of landholdings for sugar development project in resettlement areas Alikurand and Kumber kebeles of Jawi woreda in Amhara region.Random sampling technique was employed to select 127sample survey household heads. Data was collected using key informant interview, interview schedule and focus group discussion. Analytical tools used include Descriptive and Logistic Regression. The finding of the study  identify challenges experienced by resettlers such as reduction of farm land size, the increase distance from farm land to homesteads, and the reduction and no grazing land for cattle were perceived to be a major threat that were preventing them from achieving their livelihoods objective. The logit model result for factors determine livelihood strategies settlers revealed that out of the 15 explanatory variables, 10 variables were found to affect the livelihood strategies of settlers. age, family size, distance from farm land to homesteads, frequency of extension contact and social network affect significantly and negatively at less than 5% significance level and ethnic group, education level, size of landholdings, fertility level of farm land, membership in cooperative affect significantly and positively at less than 5 % level of significance. And it also shows 4 variables affect the estimated annual income of the displaced households. .compensation affect positively and significantly at less than one % level of significance, size of landholding, distance from farm land to homesteads and membership in cooperative affect negatively and significantly at less than 5% significant level. The resettlement and the Livelihood restoration programs have the potential to strengthen local capacities. This is particularly through increased access to social services, infrastructure and administrative service such as school, health center, roods, extension service  and communication and access employment and the finical compensation create household’s asset. Keywords: livelihoods restoration, resettlement, logit model, determinate, livelihoods, compensatio

Socio-Economic Impact Assessment of Proposed Road Project Kimerdingay-atekna-Meketwuha Road Project, Amhara Region, Ethiopia

The Kimerdingay-Atekna-Meketwuha proposed road project is administratively located in Amhara National Regional State, South Gondar Administrative Zone between Guna Bigimeder and Meketwuha woredas .The overall positive socioeconomic impacts of the proposed road project include availability of all-weather reliable roads, reduced transportation costs, increased access to market places for local produces, access to new employment centers, better access to social service centers like health institutions, and strengthening of local economy are felt during the operation phases of the project road. However, the   direct and adverse impacts are increased traffic accidents, pollution due to increased vehicle exhaust gases and transportation of hazardous material in transit, noise and road side litter, displacement of people, damages to properties and crops, reduction of size of farmland, interruption of social services like water supply, electricity and telecommunication services, expansion of HIV/AIDS and other STDs, drug abuse, commercial sex work, child labor, theft, exhaustion of natural resources, price escalation at local level  etc.Mixed methods of data collection both primary and secondary data source were used. Field observation, photo, Goagle earth, transect walk , published and unpublished woredas sectoral report, discussion with the respective project woredas cabinet ,and formal and informal public discussion along the project kebles.The road project directly connect Guna Bigmider with Meketwuha woredas and connect Kimirdngay_Wukiro_Amijaya_Atikna_Giday_Aiyada_Aija_Zikilmoka_Aidiya_Aighisa kebles. The total project population along the project kebles are male= 42,779 female=40,039Along the proposed road project kebles there are three primary, twenty three primary full cycle, one secondary and one secondary and preparatory schools. And also there are ten heath post, four health center and nine animal health post. Keywords: proposed road, project, socioeconomic impact, adverse, positive, mitigation measure DOI: 10.7176/CER/11-3-04 Publication date: April 30th 201

Off-farm income and technical efficiency of smallholder farmers in Ethiopia

As in most developing countries, agricultural production in Ethiopia is dominated by subsistence-based smallholder farmers, whose production and incomes from the sector are constrained by socio-economic, institutional, resource and environmental factors. These factors generally attribute for lower productivity of the sector, which in turn forces farmers to participate in off-farm activities in order to diversify their sources of income. However, participation in off-farm activities has direct and indirect influence on agricultural production. The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of off-farm income on technical efficiency and farm output of smallholders in Ethiopia. The study used data from the 2009 Ethiopian rural household survey conducted by International Food Policy Research Institute. A Stochastic frontier model is used to address the objectives of the research. Results confirm the appropriateness of the Cobb-Douglas form of the production function over the Translog and Stochastic Frontier Analysis over the Ordinary Least Squares. An instrumental variable regression framework is used to address the endogeneity of off-farm income in determining technical efficiency and farm output of farmers. The estimation results show that size of farm land, household size, off-farm income, gender and education of the household head are the most significant variables determining the value of farm output. The average technical efficiency of farmers is only 53 percent, implying the existence of wider scope for improvement of their efficiency. In addition, maximum likelihood estimation result indicates that household size, education of the head, soil conservation, extension services and off-farm income are major factors for differences in technical efficiency among farmers. Particularly, the effect of off-farm income on farm output and technical efficiency is positive showing the spillover effects of income from off-farm activities on farm productions. Hence, policy makers should focus on increasing opportunities and access of off-farm activities to enhance production, productivity and overall wellbeing of the rural societies

Effect of elevated fry rearing temperature on survival rate, growth performance, and sex ratio of three Oreochromis niloticus populations of Ethiopian Rift Valley Lakes

Sex-reversal in Oreochromis niloticus is used to produce mono-sex males which are desired in aquaculture for better growth performances and population control. The present study was aimed at studying the effect of elevated fry rearing temperature on survival, sex ratios, and growth performances of O. niloticus populations of Lakes Chamo, Koka, and Ziway. Fries from five separate brood pairs of each population were either treated (T) in elevated fry rearing temperature of 36 ± 1°C or kept at room temperature of 24 ± 1°C as control (C) groups for 10 days (phase-I) and then grown in outdoor ponds for six months (phase-II). Survival rates in T groups (74.0 to 91.7%) were lower than that of C groups (83.3 to 97.0%) in all the three populations in phase-I but not in phase-II. Chamo population was better in survival rate (88.4% and 95.4% in Phase-I, and 95.4% and 95.3% in phase-II) than Koka population (85.8% and 91.3% in Phase-I, and 93.9% and 93.5% in phase-II) and Ziway population (80.2% and 88.6% in Phase-I and 90.2% and 91.9% in phase-II) both in T and C groups respectively. The Chamo population also attained significantly (p<0.05) higher mean final weight of 31.58 ± 6.78 g and 24.26 ± 6.67 g in T and C groups respectively, followed by that of Koka population with 21.70 ± 5.10 g and 18.83 ± 4.16 g while Ziway population with mean final weight of 17.49 ± 4.60 g and 16.81 ± 4.15 g was the least both in T and C groups. The overall sex ratios in T groups were skewed towards male but balanced in all C groups of each population.  Better growth was achieved only in T groups with higher male ratio than their corresponding C groups. The number of sensitive brooding pairs and the overall male ratio in T groups were higher in the Koka population (40%, 61.68%) than in Ziway (20%, 56.78%) and Chamo (20%, 56.39%) populations respectively. However, the sensitivity of sex reversal to elevated fry rearing temperature was wide between individuals within each population than across the three populations. Hence, sensitive individuals can be selected from the populations and their degree of sensitivity can be improved through continuous selection of progenies from temperature-sensitive parents

Teacher’s Job Satisfaction And Its Relationship With Organizational Commitment In Ethiopian Primary Schools: Focus On Primary Schools Of Bonga Town

This study explored the extent of organizational commitment and how this may support or hinder a range of job satisfaction of teachers examined in the Ethiopian primary schools.The research employed correlation design. To this end, one hundred and eighteen 118 (58.1%) teachers were selected from six primary schools using simple random sampling technique and participated in the study. The researchers collected the relevant data from teachers using Spector’s (1997) adopted version of job satisfaction survey (JSS) and Meyer and Allen’s (1990) organizational commitment questionnaire (OCQ). The researchers analyzed the data using mean, standard deviation, correlation analysis and t-test. The result showed that there was evidence of positive correlation between teachers’ job satisfaction and their organizational commitment in the sampled schools. Regardless of this, the findings of the study revealed that gender was the only demographic variable that had significant positive relationship with job satisfaction. The other demographic variables such as age, gender, marital status and level of education did not show significant relationship with teachers’ job satisfaction in the sampled schools. Consequent up on this finding it was concluded that schools can enhance the level of teachers’ organizational commitment by creating a more satisfying working environment. As to the demographic variable, since some of the finding contradicts with the existing literature, we need to undertake more studies to have better understanding of the nature of the relationship between teachers demographic variables, job satisfaction and organizational commitment in developing countries context

SPAWNING MIGRATION OF LABEOBARBUS SPP. (PISCES: CYPRINIDAE) OF LAKE TANA TO ARNO-GARNO RIVER, LAKE TANA SUB-BASIN, ETHIOPIA

The spawning migration of Labeobarbus species of Lake Tana to Arno-Garno River was studied from July to December 2010. Five sampling sites, based on the nature, flow-rate of the river, human interference and suitability for fish spawning were selected by preliminary survey. Fish were sampled monthly in the non-peak spawning season (July, November and December) and bimonthly in the peak spawning season (August to October) using 6, 8, 10, 12 and 14 cm stretched mesh size gillnets. A total of 1077 Labeobarbus specimens were collected. Labeobarbus intermedius, L. brevicephalus, L. nedgia and L. tsanensis were the dominant species, contributing 93.03% of the total catch. The monthly gonado-somatic index indicated that the peak spawning season for Labeobarbus species was from August to October. Labeobarbus intermedius and L. tsanensis were the first species to aggregate at the river mouth starting from July and L. brevicephalus and L. nedgia aggregate starting from September. Labeobarbus intermedius was the first to migrate to the upstream sites starting from the end of July followed by L. tsanensis. The last migrant species was L. brevicephalus starting from the fourth week of August. Pairwise comparison of the Labeobarbus spp. showed temporal segregation in all sampling months, except L. intermedius and L. brevicephalus that did not show temporal segregation with L. nedgia. The best management option to protect these species is closed season that should be strictly implemented during the spawning season (from July to October)

Ichthyofaunal diversity of the Omo-Turkana basin, East Africa, with specific reference to fish diversity within the limits of Ethiopian waters

The freshwaters of the East African nation of Ethiopia are divided into nine main drainage basins. One of these, the Omo-Turkana basin, spans a large part of southwestern Ethiopian highlands and northern Kenya, and consists of the Omo-Gibe (or simply, Omo) River and a northern portion of Lake Turkana. Despite some development activities, including proposed dam construction with potential impacts on ichthyofaunal diversity, the Ethiopian part of the basin generally lacks comprehensive study or full scientific documentation. During the current surveys 31 species were identified from the lower Omo River and Ethiopian part of Lake Turkana, with some new records for the basin. The Omo River system was found to be richer in species while Lake Turkana has a higher abundance. Ichthyofaunal diversity within Ethiopian waters is specifically addressed, and an annotated checklist for native species of the basin is provided

Spawning migration of Labeobarbus species to some tributary rivers of Lake Tana, Ethiopia

Spawning migration of Labeobarbus species was studied from August to December 2013 in some tributary rivers (Qimon, Guanta, Shini, and Chibirna) of Lake Tana. Fish specimens and physico-chemical parameters were measured bimonthly in August and September but monthly from October to December. Adult fish specimens were caught using 6 and 8 cm stretched mesh size monofilament gillnets and 6, 8, 10 and 12 cm mesh size multifilament gillnets. A total of 933 adult Labeobarbus specimens were collected during the study period. Labeobarbus intermedius was the most abundant species followed by L. brevicephalus. The peak spawning season of L. intermedius was from fourth week of August to end of September and for L. brevicephalus it was from fourth week of August to beginning of October. Both species were found to spawn in all sampling rivers. However L. truttiformis spawned only at Guanta and Qimon Rivers during August while L. nedgia in Shini and Chibirna Rivers at the end of September. This implies the presence of micro-spatial segregation among species. Pair-wise comparison of Labeobarbus species showed temporal segregation in all sampling months, except L. brevicephalus and L. nedgia. The present findings showed that small tributary rivers and streams are the main spawning grounds for Labeobarbus species of Lake Tana. Therefore, main spawning grounds or routes should be protected from the deleterious effects of anthropogenic activities like illegal fishing, irrigation and sand mining for wise use of the fish resources.Keywords: Fecundity, Fish, Migration, River, Spawnin