The Cause and Extent of Post Harvest Loss of Fruits and Vegetables in Ethiopia - Review

Horticulture is an important sector for economic development and contributes to increased food security and improves the populations’ nutrition intake. Horticultural crop production (Fruits and vegetables) is the major farming system in Ethiopia and farmers have willingness to increase the production and productivity of the crops even if it faces many challenges. Post-harvest loss is a global problem but it is more critical in developing countries. Post-harvest losses can be measured both by quality and quantity losses. The major causes of postharvest losses are direct /primary (technical origin) and indirect /secondary (socio economic origin) factors. The extent of post-harvest losses may vary greatly among commodities, production areas, season of production, and ways of handling, management practices and economic status of the country. Postharvest loss as going beyond the loss of the actual crop to include loss in the environment, resources, labor needed to produce the crop and livelihood of the individual involved in the production process. Currently there are limited review on the cause and extent of postharvest losses of fresh fruits and vegetables in Ethiopia due to lack of research works in the sector. It is too early to reach a conclusive recommendation since limited study were conducted in the cause and extent of post harvest loss of horticultural crops. Hence, further studies must be done to tackle the cause of post harvest loss of horticultural crops and minimized the extent of post harvest losses. Keywords: Post harvest loss, cause, extent DOI: 10.7176/JBAH/12-19-01 Publication date:October 31st 202

The Status, Challenges and Opportunities of Primary Multipurpose Agricultural Cooperatives (PMPACs) in Northern Ethiopia: The Case of Gozamin District, East Gojjam, Amhara National Regional State

Ethiopia is an agrarian country where the agriculture sector is the main economic stay of about 84% of its population. Taking this fact into account, the government has placed large emphasis and made a great investment on promoting co-operatives, especially the agriculture-oriented ones, among other organizations, to transform the sector. To this end, a study of 120 farmers randomly selected in 3 kebeles (the lower administrative units) with a cooperative membership criterion was conducted in Gozamin District, East Gojjam, Ethiopia to assess the status of primary multipurpose agricultural cooperatives (PMPACs), the type of services they are offering to their members, their major challenges and opportunities influencing their performance in the real situation. The study found that PMPACs were the dominant ones by status (i.e. by function, by the size of membership and capital accumulation) than other cooperatives established in the study area. They were mainly engaged in the supply of farm inputs and consumer goods to their members. Besides, the provision of additional services like credit, marketing and milling varied from one kebele to the other indicating the locational differences in their financial capacities and the service demands of their members. Moreover, the study identified negative attitude, poor management and limited capital as the major challenges, and the existence of conducive agro-climatic conditions for agricultural production, interest of the society to form such cooperatives and a good access to road and market as the major opportunities of PMPACs in their order of importance. Finally, the study puts the following suggestions to tackle their challenges and then fully exploit the identified opportunities: The cooperative promotion offices at the District and Zonal levels, and if needed, at Regional and Federal levels, among other stakeholders, should provide basic trainings on the objectives, principles and values, and functions of cooperatives to members and the general public to brainwash the negative attitude developed in the past regime. Besides, the respective offices should closely work with the cooperatives to help them employ cooperative managers on merit basis and arrange a regular managerial skill enhancing trainings to their managers and management bodies to enable them exercise an effective and efficient management. The concerned stakeholders should also help these cooperatives to formulate some strategies to increase members’ capital subscription and to create linkages with financial institutions to access credits to solve their shortage of capital. Keywords: Status, service provision, challenges, opportunities, multipurpose, primary, agricultural cooperatives, Ethiopia

The Internal Predictive Factors of Humanitarian Logistics Performance: The Case of Amhara National Regional State, Ethiopia

The main objective of this study was to examine internal predictive factors that affect the performance of humanitarian logistics in Amhara National Regional State humanitarian aid organizations. To this study purpose, quantitative and qualitative mixed methods design was employed. Sample participants were selected through comprehensive sampling method. To collect data from participants, a questionnaire comprised of 32 Likert scale items and semi-structured key informant interview questions were developed and used. The instrument had the reliability coefficient greater than .75 Cronbach's Alpha (α).  The stepwise multiple regression analysis and percentage were computed via SPSS version 20, while qualitative data were analyzed thematically. The present study found the availability of professional staff, and institutional learning as internal factors that significantly predict the performance of humanitarian logistics. It is concluded that some internal determinant factors have had much more effect on the performance of humanitarian logistics than other variables. To this end, the need to identify critical success factors of humanitarian logistics performance is recommended. Keywords: Internal factors; Disaster; Logistics; Humanitarian Organization; Amhar

Yield and Quality Response of Snap Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) to P and S Fertilizers Application under Different Irrigation Regimes in Central Rift Valley of Ethiopia

Snap bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is a leading exportable vegetable crop and it is a protein source for consumers in many parts of Ethiopia. However, its’ current national productivity of 4.12 t ha-1 is lower than its’ potential as a result of inadequate moisture and poor soil fertility. Therefore, the field experiment was conducted at Melkassa Agricultural Research Center during the dry season in 2017 and 2018 to evaluate the response of snap bean to phosphorus and sulfur fertilizers application under different irrigation regimes on yield and quality. The experiment was laid out in split-plot design with three replications. Four drip irrigation regimes (100, 85, 70 and 55% ETc) were assigned to main-plots. Four fertilizer types (0, 21 kg P ha-1, 30 kg S ha-1 and 21 kg P ha-1+30 kg S ha-1) were allocated to sub-plots. The analysis of variance revealed that the interaction effect of irrigation regimes and fertilizers application had a significant (P ≤ 0.05) effect on first grade and total pod yield. The main effect of various irrigation regimes had a significant (P ≤ 0.05) effect for all yield and quality parameters except, second grade pod yield and pod diameter. On the other hand, application of different fertilizers types had non-significant effect in all parameters. The highest marketable yield was recorded from the interaction effect of 100% ETc with different fertilizers types’ application. The partial budget analysis indicated that the best treatments were 85 and 100% ETc without fertilizers application, which gave higher net benefits of 111,879.2 and 160,242.6 ETB ha-1, respectively with an acceptable marginal rate of returns for snap bean production. Therefore, snap bean producers could consider 85% ETc without fertilizers application where scarcity of irrigation water is limiting and 100% ETc without fertilizers application where there are no water shortages, in the central rift valley of Ethiopia with similar soil properties. Keywords: fertilizers, irrigation, plati, yield DOI: 10.7176/JNSR/12-15-03 Publication date:August 31st 202

A Critical Assessment of Decentralized Public Governance Features and Challenges in Ethiopia: Insights from Self-Governance in Guraghe Zone Districts

Ethiopia decentralized its centralized unitary government system in 1991. This decentralization reform accompanied continuous restructuring of regional ethnic-based States and sub-national governments with the objective of establishing self-governing and empowered States for effective decentralized public governance in the country. However, some empirical studies criticized the policy stating that the objectives have not yet been achieved. The critics point out that the system lacks proper design to ensure accountability and structure that recognizes the population size for services provided. This article assesses the decentralized public governance system focusing on the features and challenges in order to improve public service provision in Ethiopia, in the context of Guraghe Zone Districts. To achieve the objectives of the study, the researcher employed concurrent mixed methodes research design. The data were collected through survey questionnaires,focus group discussions and key informant interviews, simultaneosly. The data were integrated for analyses and interpretation of the results. The researcher employs percentages, graphs, Chi-square and Kruskal Wallis Test to discuss and analyze the data, and identifies the institutional factors affecting the success of decentralized public governance for improved services. The results show that the majority of respondents agree that the decentralization system was well designed, while a significant number of respondents confirmed that decentralization reform has not been properly implemented. Furthermore, it was found that Zonal and Woreda administrators were not appropriately empowered, though this charge is enshrined in the Regional State Constitution. Through careful analyses of the data, the study identifies specific gaps in the system that leaders can then use to take corrective measures. Keywords: decentralized public governance, proper local government size, empowermen

Cost Benefits Analysis of Lemongrass (cybopogon citratus) Variety: WG-Lomisar-UA for Herbal Production at Wondogenet

Despite lemongrass has many uses as culinary, medicinal and as inputs for industries; in Ethiopia production and utilization of this plant is at infant Stage. Besides this, information regarding production costs, returns and financial feasibility of lemongrass production is limited. Thus the study aimed to assess the financial feasibility of WG-lomisar-UA lemongrass production for its herbal use. The study was conducted at Wondogenet agricultural research center experimental field from August 2014 to September 2017.  For this study WG-lomisar-UA lemongrass was planted on 100m2 area of land with an intra and inters raw spacing of 60cm. All cost and benefit data were collected throughout the production period. The study employed financial analysis methods such as Net Present Value (NPV) and Benefit Cost Ratio (BCR) to analyze feasibility of production. The result revealed that; the herbal production WG-lomisar-UA lemongrass required a total cost of 60,172.78 birr/ha, and provided total revenue of 152,750 birr/ha, resulted net return of 92,577.22 birr/ha in three years of production. Moreover, net present value and benefit cost ratio was found 76,454.03 and 2.44 respectively indicating that production of WG-lomisar-UA lemongrass is financially feasible. Sensitivity analysis in selected scenarios revealed that production the plant is still financially feasible

The Effect of Remittances on Economic Growth in Ethiopia: A Time Series Analysis (1980/81-2017/18)

For more than half a century, regardless of its increasing importance, the effect of remittances on economic growth has not adequately studied. In this study the empirical relationship between economic growth and remittances was investigated by using an ARDL bound approach to cointegration in Ethiopia during the period 1980/81-2017/18. According to the findings of this paper the estimated coefficients of the level of remittance inflows were found to influence the economic growth positively and significantly both in the long run and short run. Moreover in order to confirm the relationship and the impact of remittances inflows on economic growth co-integration and causality tests were conducted on the macroeconomic variables data collected. The outcome of co-integration test showed that there is a long-run equilibrium relationship between real GDP, remittance inflows, human capital, labor force, rate of inflation, gross capital formation and national saving. The result of causality test also shows that there is a unidirectional causality running from remittance inflows to GDP. Keywords: Remittances, Economic growth, ARDL DOI: 10.7176/EJBM/12-1-02 Publication date: January 31st 202

The Impact of Adopting Improved Wheat Technology on the Productivity and Income of Houeholds in Misha District, Southern Ethiopia

Wheat rust disease is a major constraint of wheat production in Ethiopia. Thus, this study is carried out to examine the impact of rust resistant wheat varieties on the productivity and income of households in Misha district in Southern Ethiopia. Using a household survey, cross-sectional data were collected from 387 randomly selected households. Descriptive statics and propensity score matching methods were used for data analysis to achieve the objectives of the study. Propensity score matching method was used to measure the impact of adopting rust-resistant improved wheat varieties on productivity and income of households. The study has found that age and education level of household head, land size, livestock holding, frequency of extension contact, and access to credit services were factors that significantly affected adoption of rust-resistant improved wheat varieties. Using the propensity score matching method, the study found that the adoption of rust-resistant improved wheat had a positive impact on average wheat productivity and income of households. Moreover, the results were insensitive to unobserved heterogeneity bias. This indicates that adoption of the technology has a positive contribution to households' wellbeing. Therefore, government and concerned bodies should better give due attention to the development, dissemination, and scaling up of rust-resistant improved wheat varieties. Keywords: Adoption, Impact, Propensity Score Matching, Wheat. DOI: 10.7176/EJBM/14-19-03 Publication date:October 31st 202