Technical Efficiency of Resource Use in the Production of Irrigated Potato: A Study of Farmers Using Modern and Traditional Irrigation Schemes in Awi Zone, Ethiopia

Based on cross-sectional data collected from randomly selected 80 farmers in four districts of Awi zone in North-western Ethiopia, this study examines the technical efficiency of farmers in the production of irrigated potato. The stochastic frontier production function, which considers deviation from the frontier to be due to the effect of technical inefficiency and random noise, is used for data analysis. Technical efficiency of farmers was estimated independently for the farms under modern irrigation schemes and traditional irrigation schemes. Using likelihood ratio test, Translog production function is found to be an adequate representation of the production behavior of farms under the two types of schemes. The mean level of technical efficiency was found to be 77 percent and 97 percent respectively for modern and traditional schemes. Therefore, improving the level of efficiency could raise productivity under modern schemes, whereas improving productivity under traditional schemes needs introduction of new technology as the farmers’ level of production has approached the frontier. Irrigation experience, commodity rate of production and size of livestock are found to be the important variables that determine the level of efficiency

Land tenure in Ethiopia: Continuity and change, shifting rulers, and the quest for state control

"Ethiopia experiences a fierce political debate about the appropriate land tenure policy. After the fall of the socialist derg regime in 1991, land property rights have remained vested in the state and only usufruct rights have been alienated to farmers – to the disappointment of international donor agencies. This has nurtured an antagonistic debate between advocates of the privatization of land property rights to individual plot holders and those supporting the government's position. This debate, however, fails to account for the diversity and continuities in Ethiopian land tenure systems. This paper reviews the changing bundles of rights farmers have held during various political regimes in Ethiopia, the imperial, the derg and the current one, at different times and places. Our analysis indicates the marked differences in tenure arrangements after the fall of the empire, but identifies some commonalities in land tenure regimes as well, in particular between the traditional rist system and the current tenure system." authors' abstractLand tenure, Property rights regime, Bundles of rights, Legal pluralism, Devolution,

To share or not share? (non-)violence, scarcity and resource access in Somali region, Ethiopia

"It is often argued that environmental scarcity was a trigger and source of violent conflict, in particular in African countries. At the root of such arguments is a simple environmental determinism, which understands scarcity as undermining co-operative relationships between competing resource users. Robert Kaplan popularised this thesis in his argument about 'The Coming Anarchy', where he interpreted recent civil wars in Africa as an advent of a fundamental environmental crisis. In our view, this conception disregards the crucial role of local-level institutions in governing competing resource claims. In this paper, we present a case study from the violence-prone Somali Region, Ethiopia. We analyse how agro-pastoralist communities develop sharing arrangements on pasture resources with intruding pastoralist communities in drought years, even though this places additional pressure on their grazing resource. A household survey investigates the determinants for different households in the agro-pastoralist community, asset-poor and wealthy ones, to enter into different types of sharing arrangements. Our findings suggest that resource sharing offers asset-poor households opportunities to stabilise and enhance their asset-base in drought years, providing incentives for co-operative rather than conflictive relations with intruding pastoralists. We conclude that it may depend on potential incentives arising from institutional arrangements, whether competing resource claims in periods of environmental scarcity are resolved peacefully or violently." (author's abstract

Production and Marketing Behaviour of Hadiya Pastoralists, Southern Ethiopia

The paper characterises Hadiya pastoral cattle production system by explaining the nature of production and marketing. Both secondary and primary data were employed. Face to face interviews focus group and key informant discussions took place in the two districts considering 160 pastoral households. The main Findings of the work are the Hadiya pastoralists are keeping large number of cattle like other pastoralists not as a security against risks but it is their cultural obligation to do so and attain the cultural titles though still economic factors affect the system. Moreover, Ethiopia being a wide multiethnic country and pastoralism is an ethnic based production system. However the sample size was limited to only one part of the country and may not represent all Ethiopian pastoralists the study gives a meaningful insight into the pastoralists' production system and serves as useful reference for future studies in studies and interventions in pastoral areas. Key words: Hadiya pastoralists, Marketing Behavior, Ethiopi

Measurement of Farmers’ Attitude towards Complete Ownership of Farmland in Eastern Ethiopia

The aim of this study was developing a scale with which to measure farmers’ attitude towards complete ownership of farmland. The research started by identifying 50 different statements based on review of the empirical literature and information obtained from stakeholders and experts. Of these statements, 30 items were selected and ultimately only 12 consistent and reliable statements were retained for inclusion in a five point Likert type scale. The 12 statements’ scale was administered on 335 randomly selected sample farmers to measure their attitude towards complete ownership of farmland. The result shows that about 85% and 9% of the respondents were favoring and disfavoring complete ownership of farmland, respectively. Only 6% of the sample respondents were undecided in terms of their preference for the complete ownership of farmland. This detailed study together with strict follow-up of data collection from the sample respondents has been extremely useful in developing a relatively consistent tool to measure farmers’ attitude. Therefore, the 12- item five point Likert scale can be applicable in similar situations of Ethiopia in particular, and in developing countries in general.attitudes, farmers’ attitude, Likert scale, item generation and analysis, complete ownership of farmland, Community/Rural/Urban Development, Farm Management, Land Economics/Use,

Analysis of Resource Use Efficiency in Smallholder Mixed Crop-Livestock Agricultural Systems: Empirical Evidence from the Central Highlands of Ethiopia

The study uses data generated through a survey from rural households in Ethiopian central highland districts to assess farm-level resource use efficiency in the production of major crops including teff, wheat and chickpea in the mixed crop-livestock agricultural systems of Ethiopia, under conditions of diminishing land resource and environmental constraints. Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) results show that smallholder farmers are resource use inefficient in the production of major crops with mean technical, allocative and economic efficiency levels of 0.74, 0.68 and 0.50, respectively. A Tobit model regression results on the determinants of inefficiency reveal that livestock ownership and participation in off-farm activities are associated with reduced level of resource use inefficiency. Furthermore, large family size and membership to associations contribute to higher level of resource use inefficiency. The findings suggest that resource use efficiency would be significantly improved through a better integrated livestock and crop production systems; expansion and promotion of off-farm activities; and reform of farmer’s associations. Keywords: Data Envelopment Analysis; Tobit; Resource use efficiency; mixed crop-livestock agriculture; Ethiopi

Resource use efficiency of smallholder crop production in the central highlands of Ethiopia

Abstract Resource use efficiency in agricultural production has been a major concern in Ethiopia. In this article data from 700 households in the central highland districts were used to assess farm-level resource use efficiency and to determine factors that influence inefficiencies in the production of teff (Eragrostis tef), wheat and chickpea, the major important crops in the country. The study established that smallholder farmers are resource use inefficient. Moreover, a two-limit Tobit regression model results reveal that inefficiency in resource use is positively and significantly affected by family size, farming experience and membership to associations. It is also found that those households whose decision makers have roles in their community activities show improved resource use efficiency. Moreover, the findings show that eliminating resource use inefficiency could contribute about 31.28% of the minimum annual income required for the sustenance of an average farm household. The study established that resource use efficiency and productivity gains are likely to be significantly improved through expansion of nonfarm sectors, reform of farmer related associations and integrating community leadership in various community activities and programs. Moreover, market infrastructure development would likely increase efficiency and agricultural productivity. JEL classification: C21, C61, Q1