Determinants of smallholder commercialization of food crops: Theory and evidence from Ethiopia

"In this paper, we develop a theoretical farm household model of food crop production and marketing decisions, derive testable hypotheses concerning the determinants of these decisions, and test these hypotheses, using data on cereal production and marketing collected from a nationally representative survey of 7,186 farm households in Ethiopia. Focusing on production and marketing decisions for teff and maize, the two most important crops in Ethiopia, we find that most producers of these crops are either autarkic or net buyers (especially for maize) and that net buyers and autarkic households are poorer in many respects than net sellers. This implies that interventions to increase cereal productivity will favorably affect distribution for most producers. The econometric analysis shows that increasing production of teff and maize is the most important factor contributing to increased sales, and that increased smallholder access to roads, land, livestock, farm equipment, and traders is key to enabling increased smallholder production and commercialization of these crops." from Authors' AbstractSmallholder production, Small farmers, household consumption, Market access, Commercial behavior, Market participation, Cereal crops,

The Political Economy of Ethiopian Cereal Seed Systems: State Control, Market Liberalisation and Decentralisation

This paper presents the political and economic processes governing Ethiopian cereal seed systems by analysing the overall policy context, as well as the main interests driving seed policy formulation and implementation and the roles and interaction of the different public and private actors. It also examines how these interests and interactions are related to the performance of the system on the ground. The nature of the Ethiopian agricultural sector, the historical evolution of the seed system and the seed specificities for each cereal crops has resulted in a wide range of actors with diverse linkages and policy processes. The analysis of these processes has identified a number of constraints faced by the Ethiopian cereal seed system. These constraints are a result of a economic and political drivers, including top-down state driven initiatives, agricultural liberalisation and the private sector and political-administrative decentralisation, all of which pull in different directions. While contrasting interests in federal and decentralised state level activities exist, ultimately it is the state-driven imperatives that define what private sector activity is possible. Centrallydirected, state-supported efforts, including numerous campaigns, special projects and programmes along with ad hoc crash programmes, create numerous blockages in the supply and distribution of seed. These ‘pull-push’ factors have brought about severe strains within the system. Thus, it is important that the technocrats, politicians, international donors and supporters understand these political economic drivers of change in the Ethiopian cereal seed system. By addressing these conflicts and contradictions, they may improve their chances of designing and implementing more technically effective and socially appropriate policies. This in turn will help establish a vibrant seed system which offers real choices for farmers in terms of seed type, quantity, and quality and delivery time at reasonable prices.DfI

Farm-level determinants of output commercialization: In haricot bean based farming systems

This study assesses the commercial behavior of smallholder farmers in the moisture-stress haricot bean based farming systems of central Ethiopia along with the determinants of smallholder farmers’ engagement in the sales of most important crops. Descriptive and Tobit regression analyses are used to determine the key factors that influence household participation in the market in terms of volumes of product sales. The study identified that among the interviewed farmers 90% have participated in selling out their crops and the level of participation was 45%. The key determinants of commercialization among haricot bean based farmers are family size, land size, age, livestock holding and dependency ratio. The study recommends that policy makers and development organizations should target on improving labor and land efficiency and asset accumulation in order to promote smallholder farmers' participation in greater crop sales and income generation and contribute to acceleration of agricultural production growth

Agricultural research and extension linkages: Challenges and intervention options

The article presents the historical evolution of attempts made in Ethiopia to strengthen the agriculture research and extension linkages since the start of formal agricultural research and extension in the early 1950s. The result reveals that there is a gradual improvement with increased types and mechanisms of the research-extension linkage in recent years that are related with (i) institutional linkages of actors of the National Agricultural Research System (NARS) with actors of formal agricultural technology delivery systems, (ii) technology demonstration and popularization promoted by the NARS in collaboration with MoA and Regional Bureaus of Agriculture (RBoA), (iii) Farmers’ Research Groups (FRGs) approach promoted by the NARS in collaboration with MoA and RBoA, (iv) Technology specific special pre-extension activities promoted by the NARS, (v) Publications made available by the NARS, and (vi) Agricultural  Development Partners' Linkage Advisory Councils (ADPLACs) as research-extension linkage platforms. However, there are number of challenges that need policy and development attention to fully exploiting the potentials these approaches offer in strengthening the linkage, which is crucial for the aspired agricultural transformation.Key words: ADPLAC, NARS, extension, agricultural research, platform

Negotiating New Relationships: How the Ethiopian State is Involving China and Brazil in Agriculture and Rural Development

This article provides an overview of Brazilian and Chinese agricultural development cooperation activities in Ethiopia. Development cooperation is carefully managed and coordinated in Ethiopia, a highly aid?dependent country, in line with the national ‘Growth and Transformation Plan’. The government promotes harmonisation and an alignment process of Western donor support through the Ethiopian High Level Forum. Brazil and China are currently not engaged in these coordination platforms, working instead on a bilateral basis. Core activities include experience?sharing in public governance, technical cooperation, and the attraction of private and public investments. In the case of Brazil, the cooperation focuses on renewable energy sector development mainly related to biofuels derived from sugar cane production, whilst in the case of China, cooperation is more focused on infrastructure, agricultural technology and skill transfer. The approach adopted by Ethiopia reflects a commitment to a ‘developmental state’ approach. This seems to be delivering results in the agricultural sector, and beyond

Women’s Socio-Economic Empowerment and Uptake of HIV Testing in Ethiopia

Introduction: Sub-Sahran Africa constitute two-thirds of all people living with HIV in the world. HIV infection rate is high in the continent with women comprising 56% of new HIV infections among adults 15 and older. Women 15 to 24 are the most affected constituting 66 % of new infections occurring among this age group. The purpose of this study was to examine how gender power relations between men and women affect health seeking behavior, particularly HIV testing, among Ethiopian women age15 to 49. Methods: The Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey (EDHS) from 2016 served as the data source for this study. The EDHS sample was determined using a two-stage stratified cluster sampling design. Participants included 12, 688 Ethiopian men between the ages of 15 and 59 and 15,683 Ethiopian women between the ages of 15 and 49. The sub-sample for this dissertation study consisted of all currently married women within the EDHS sample. Kabeer’s theoretical framework and Anderson’s Behavioral Model guided variable selection. The outcome variable, “ever being tested for HIV,” was assessed using a bivariate analysis and multivariate logistic regression. Participants with missing data on questions related to decision making, emotional violence and other covariates adjusted in the multiple logistic regression were excluded from the analysis. Sampling weights that accounted for complex survey design were incorporated in all analyses. Results: Several indicators of women’s empowerment were associated with HIV testing among women. After adjusting for covariates, socio-economic status, health care decision vi making, household decision making, and media exposure independently predicted HIV testing uptake. Women currently employed, those with better education, who participated in household decision making and decision making related to their own health care, and who reported higher exposure to the media were more likely to have been tested for HIV. Having experienced emotional violence by an intimate partner did not independently predict HIV testing uptake. Conclusion: This research is the first of its kind to explore the association of aspects of women’s empowerment with HIV testing in Ethiopia, using a national sample. The results indicated the importance of socio-economic status, media exposure, participation in household decision making, and health care decision making in Ethiopian women’s uptake of HIV testing. These findings are relevant for those who design programs and policies related to promoting uptake of HIV testing among women, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa

Policies to promote cereal intensification in Ethiopia: A review of evidence and experience

Dawit Alemu: DCA, EthiopiaCereal crops, Agricultural development, Agricultural extension work, Fertilizers, Seed industry and trade Developing countries, Public investment, Food policy,

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