Honey Value Chain Analysis and Producers Financing in Damot Gale District, Southern Ethiopia

Honey value chain played a significant role in the economy of the country by engaging around two million farm households and other different actors. However, these actors and their function are not literally identified. In  a  given  value  chain,  financial service is an important instrument in improving the welfare of a poor through enhancing their productive capacity and motivating further value adding activities. Despite its importance, its supply for improved apiculture is limited in Ethiopia. This prevented farmers from buying high yielding equipment and undertaking modern colony management. This study was conducted with the aim of identifying different major actors and their respective functions who are engaged in honey value chain. It also identified the sources of finances for bee keepers, and their opportunities and challenges. The study was conducted in 120 households who were selected by using two stage sampling from Damot Gale District. The study identified seven major actors: producers, collectors, wholesalers, retailers, cooperatives, processors and consumers; and their functions were transporting, sorting and packing, filtering and processing. Producers get either in cash or in kind credit both as external and internal value chain financing where the major external sources were Omo micro finance institution and WARDO while the internal financial sources were cooperatives and self-supply. The study also revealed that, Shortage of input supply, Lack of skill to make locally made transitional hive, Shortage bee forage and Lack of strong internal value chain financing system challenged the effectiveness of honey value chain in the study area. Keywords: Honey, Value chain, Value chain financing, Actors, Marketing, Damot Gal

Livestock Production Constraints and Opportunities and its Determinant in Assosa District, Benishangul-Gumuz Regional State, Western Ethiopia

The study was carried out in 4 selected kebeles of Assosa district with the objectives of identifying the major constraints and opportunities of livestock production and analyzing the determinants of livestock production of smallholder farmers’ in the study area. A total of 99 household heads were selected through random sampling techniques. Both primary and secondary sources of data collection was applied. The primary data was collected through interviewing the selected farmers and field observation supported with secondary data sources. The collected data was analyzed by descriptive and cobb-douglas econometric model. Both SPSS and STATA software were used. The result of the study showed that the average age of sampled farmers was 47.34%. 7.1% and 92.9% of farm household head were female and male headed households, respectively with mean educational schooling of 4.25 years. The study revealed that the average grazing land size was 1.62 hectares with mean 1.64 km and 2.44 km of distance traveled by livestock to water source and sampled household head to the livestock market, respectively. the major livestock constraints identified in the study area were: disease, shortage of grazing land, lack of capital and improved breed, water scarcity during the dry season and lack of artificial insemination, respectively with the livestock production opportunities of availability of veterinary supply, input access, mixed crop production system, access to credit service and feed availability. The econometric result showed that from the hypothesized 14 explanatory variables, only 6 variables (labor, Extension contact service, capital, grazing land, veterinary service, breeding type) were found to be statistically significant at 1 and 5% significance level in affecting household livestock production. The study recommends that provision of extension service, supply of improved breed and capital along with a combined effort expansion is needed to increase livestock production. Keywords: Assosa district, livestock, Cobb-Douglas

Identification of Major Crop Production Constraints in Debub Ari district, South Omo zone, Southern Ethiopia

A survey was carried out during 2016 at Debub Ari, South Omo zone, SNNPRS, Ethiopia to identify the major crop production constraints. Before the inception of the study, the team made short meeting at JARC for the way of interview and given direction on the sampling method and the data to be collected. Then the whole multidisciplinary team was started the work by collecting secondary data from zonal and woreda respective offices. Discussion was made with woreda respective offices to get information with regard to the important preliminary conditions for the study such as selection of the representative kebele for the district, accessibility of the kebele’s and the general background of the district. Primary data were collected through discussion between the disciplinary based sub-groups and the corresponding farmers’ sub-groups. For the purpose of discussion, the farmers were grouped in to three interviewee sub-groups of plant breeders, agronomists and protection researcherseach containing females, youths and male elders with proportionate number and participated in the discussion. The discussion was guided by the checklist prepared by multidisciplinary team at regional level and issues raised during discussion were incorporated. Visual observations were also made at farm level. Upon completion of the sub-group level discussion, information particularly agricultural production and production related constraints identified by each sub-groups of farmers were summarized together. Then, all informant farmers were gathered as one group and summarized series of constraints had been briefed to them and then they ranked the problems by consensus in order of their importance. Based on the study, in Debub Ari woreda there is no improved crop variety and package use, not used improved agronomic practice, serious disease andpests, no market institution, information, linkage, accessibility and weak processing of end product and lack of post-harvest handling and food processing technology on fruit, root and tuber crops. Keywords: Major crop production constraints, Insect pests, Farming system

Poster Abstract: Modeling an Electronically Switchable Directional Antenna for Low-power Wireless Networks

WISENET (NES

Identification of Major Field Crops and Challenges Facing Farm Households in Case of Gerado Small Scale Irrigation Canal, Southern Wollo, Ethiopia

The objective of this study is to identify the challenges and major field crops by using small scale irrigation with special reference to Gerado-Bilen and Endod-Ber kebeles of small scale irrigation scheme in Dessie zuria district of Amhara regional state. In order to undertake this study, both qualitative and quantitative methods of data analysis were employed. The qualitative data was used to capture perception and opinions of the respondents on the contribution of small scale irrigation to farm household income by using personal interview. Quantitative data on the household’s resource ownership and demographic characteristics were collected using semi-structured questionnaires. The study result indicated that the contribution of small scale irrigation was very imperative especially in those areas where insufficient and erratic rainfall was existed. The study also showed that the major challenges that hinder the optimal utilization of irrigation schemes were: lack of clear water use rights between users, shortage of fuels and lack of spare parts, marketing problem, occurrence of disease and pests, high cost of imported farm inputs and others. Based on the study result, the researcher recommended that; implementing clear water use rights between users, supplying durable and efficient motor pump to the irrigating farm households, creating a market linkage that connects farmers with the consumer to have fair marketing margin distribution, encouraging and advising the farm households to produce variety of crops that have high market price and providing modern farm inputs at a reasonable and subsidized price by the concerned bodies will help the farmers to produce the desired farm products. Keywords: Small Scale Irrigation, Farm househol

Deep-Learning Realtime Upsampling Techniques in Video Games

This paper addresses the challenge of keeping up with the ever-increasing graphical complexity of video games and introduces a deep-learning approach to mitigating it. As games get more and more demanding in terms of their graphics, it becomes increasingly difficult to maintain high-quality images while also ensuring good performance. This is where deep learning super sampling (DLSS) comes in. The paper explains how DLSS works, including the use of convolutional autoencoder neural networks and various other techniques and technologies. It also covers how the network is trained and optimized, as well as how it incorporates temporal antialiasing and frame generation techniques to enhance the final image quality. We will also discuss the effectiveness of these techniques as well as compare their performance to running at native resolutions

Marketing Channel and Margin Analysis of Ware Potato: A Case Study of Ware Potato Marketing at Ambo and Dendi Districts in Central Ethiopia

The study was conducted at Ambo and Dendi districts, Central Ethiopia to identify ware potato marketing channels, assess margins of the market and examine the role of various marketing actors involved in the chain. Related data from primary and secondary sources were collected and analyzed with descriptive statistics using SPSS. Simple random sampling method was used for the study. From the total volume produced in the study area, a total of 1,366 and 938 tons of ware potato, accounting 76.28% and 68.68% from the total produced, were sold in Ambo and Dendi districts, respectively, during study period. Seven marketing channels were identified. There is wide gap in market margin and found to be inefficient; with the highest market margin goes for collectors (32.8%) with the lowest shared by (40%). Likewise, the highest and lowest profit margins were taken by wholesaler (13.55 birr/qt) and collectors (48.65 birr/qt). In order to benefit the major participants of the market chain, farmers have to linked with the need of consumers by working closely suppliers and processors to produce the specific goods required by consumers.   Keywords: - Ambo and Dendi districts, margin, market channel

Determinants of Smallholder Farmer’s Loan Repayment Performance: The Case of Assosa District, Benishangul-Gumuz Regional State, Western Ethiopia

The study examined determinants of smallholder farmer’s loan repayment performance in Assosa district, Western Ethiopia. The study used both Purposive and simple random sampling technique in order to select sampled kebeles and households, respectively. Hence, from 111household credit users in the district, 94 households were selected randomly followed by probability proportional sample from Assosa district. Both primary and secondary data were collected for this study. Primary data were collected through direct interview of sample respondents; whereas, secondary data were also collected from published and unpublished documents. Descriptive statistics were employed in order to summarize and describe the socio-economic characteristics of the respondents. Furthermore, t-test and chi-square test analyses were employed to compare defaulters and non-defaulters in relation to the explanatory variables. In addition, binary logit econometric model was employed in order to identify the factors that influence loan repayment performance of the selected sampled household farmers. The result showed that out of 94 selected respondents, 40 were defaulters and 54 were non-defaulters. A total of thirteen explanatory variables were included in the empirical model and out of the total hypothesized explanatory variables included in the model, livestock ownership, age, family size, income from crop product, get extension agent, off farm income and sex of the respondent were found to be statistically significant (at 1%, 5% and 10%) in determining loan repayment performance of smallholder farmers. The econometric result revealed that the male headed household increases the probability of being default. On the other hand, the probability of non-default increases as off farm income, income obtained from selling livestock and crop product, contact with the extension agents and family size increases, respectively. Therefore, the study recommended that the identified significant variables have to be a spring board for further interventions by financial cooperatives, stakeholders and policy makers so as to come with a breakthrough to significantly decrease or even avoid defaulting problems. Keywords: Binary logit, loan repayment, defaulters and non-defaulters, Assos