The Response of Ethiopian Grain Markets to Liberalization

The objective of this paper is to determine how liberalization of Ethiopia’s grain marketing system in March 1990 has affected the level and volatility of wholesale prices and price spreads between major regional cereal markets. The paper also identifies issues and problems needing attention to guide future policy decisions with the aim of reducing costs in the food system and thereby promoting the welfare of grain producers and consumers in Ethiopia.food security, food policy, Ethiopia, grain markets, International Relations/Trade, Marketing, Q18,

Is the Glass Half-Empty or Half Full? An Analysis of Agricultural Production Trends in Zambia

One objective of this paper is to examine the trends and changes in crop production before and after the implementation of the partial market liberalization policies starting in the early 1990s. Another objective of the paper is to assess agricultural production performance and its implications for household food security. These issues are examined on the basis of the Crop Forecast Survey (CFS) data, Post Harvest Survey (PHS) data, Central Statistical Office (CSO) price data, data from the Agricultural Market Information Centre (AMIC) at the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries (MAFF), and other data.food security, food policy, Zambia, crop production, Crop Production/Industries, Q18,

Is the Glass Half-empty or Half Full? An Analysis of Agricultural Production Trends in Zambia

This policy brief highlights some of the key trends in Zambia agricultural production since the implementation of partial agricultural reform.food security, food policy, Zambia, agricultural production, Farm Management, Q18,

Ectoparasites of Sheep and Goats in North-West Amhara Regional State, Ethiopia

A cross-sectional study on ectoparasites of sheep (n=738) and goats (n=492) was conducted in Northwestern Amhara Regional State of Ethiopia from October 2009 to April 2010 to determine the prevalence of major ectoparasites of sheep and goats and the associated risk factors. Out of the clinically examined animals, 331(44.9%) sheep and 214 (43.5%) goats were infested with one or more ectoparasites. Ectoparasites identified in sheep were Damalinia ovis (30.9%), Mellophagus ovinus (10.8%), ticks (3.9%), Linognathus species (3.1%) and flea (1.1%). Among goats, Linognathus species, ticks, flea and demodectic mange were identified with respective prevalence of 27%, 17.7%, 2.6% and 2.2%. Sheep in midland were 3.7 and 2.3 times more at risk for Damalinia ovis infestation than sheep in highland and lowland, respectively and also goats in midland were 1.8 times at risk for Linognathus species than lowland sheep (P < 0.05). Sheep poor in body condition were 1.9 times more at risk for Damalinia ovis than good body condition sheep and goats poor in body condition were 3.5 times more at risk for Linognathus species than good body condition goats (P< 0.05). Age and wool length of sheep were important predictors for the presences of Mellophagus ovinus on highland sheep. The prevalence of Mellophagus ovinus was significantly higher in young and long wool sheep than in adult and short wool sheep (P < 0.05). The observed overall prevalence is generally high which may result in enormous economic losses through decreased production and productivity, damages to the skin and deaths of the animal which requires an immediate attention and professional intervention.Key words: Ectoparasites, Ethiopia, Goat, Prevalence, Risk factors, Sheep

The Existing Forest Coffee Market Channel of Essara Woreda and Actors Involved in the Chain the Cause of Dawuro Zone, Southern Nation Natonalits and Peoples Region, Ethiopia

Forest coffee originates in Southwestern and Southeastern Ethiopia where 30% of production and 10 % to 20% of the country’s total export originates from. The general objective of the study was to analyze the factors that affect the existing forest coffee value chain of Essara woreda with specific focus of identify the existing coffee market channel and actors involved in the chain, the structure and performance of coffee chain determinants of market surplus production, price received by coffee farm households and the role of gender in coffee value chain. To these end 235 sample producers, local coffee collector, local traders, wholesalers and consumers were identified from 9 kebele, Balle and Tarcha town for the study. Based on the findings of the study the volume of production and marketing were found to be affected by age, family size, market Center and all-weather road distance, the level of deforestation and factors that aggravated deforestation, selling price, experience of producer households and mixing forest coffee to garden coffee to increase the volume. About 2%  of market surplus coffee is transacted in through formal market while, 98 % is through conventional market, as a result of which producer obtain less income and 98 % forest coffee producer’s income source is depending on natural forest coffee production and marketing while, the level of deforestation is too high it needs appropriate intervention and awareness creation. Market margin of the area indicated that the large share of benefit is concentrated at roadside, café and hotel coffee brewers and venders. Hence, in order to improve the profit margin and level of producers’ benefit value addition and increase in sale price for their produce at farm get level is recommended Keywords: Essara Woreda, value chain, actor’s, market channe

Enset‐based agricultural systems in Ethiopia: A systematic review of production trends, agronomy, processing and the wider food security applications of a neglected banana relative

Enset (Ensete ventricosum (Welw.) Cheesman) is the major starch staple of the Ethiopian Highlands, where its unique attributes enhance the food security of approximately 20 million people and have earned it the title “The Tree Against Hunger”. Yet enset‐based agriculture is virtually unknown outside of its narrow zone of cultivation, despite growing wild across much of East and Southern Africa. Here, we review historical production data to show that the area of land under enset production in Ethiopia has reportedly increased 46% in two decades, whilst yield increased 12‐fold over the same period, making enset the second most produced crop species in Ethiopia—though we critically evaluate potential issues with these data. Furthermore, we address a major challenge in the development and wider cultivation of enset, by reviewing and synthesizing the complex and fragmented agronomic and ethnobotanic knowledge associated with this species; including farming systems, processing methods, products, medicinal uses and cultural importance. Finally, we provide a framework to improve the quality, consistency and comparability of data collected across culturally diverse enset‐based agricultural systems to enhanced sustainable use of this neglected starch staple. In conclusion, we discuss the challenges and opportunities for enset cultivation beyond its restricted distribution, and the regional food security potential it could afford smallholders elsewhere in Southern and East Africa

Segregation of receptor-ligand complexes in cell adhesion zones: Phase diagrams and role of thermal membrane roughness

The adhesion zone of immune cells, the 'immunological synapse', exhibits characteristic domains of receptor-ligand complexes. The domain formation is likely caused by a length difference of the receptor-ligand complexes, and has been investigated in experiments in which T cells adhere to supported membranes with anchored ligands. For supported membranes with two types of anchored ligands, MHCp and ICAM1, that bind to the receptors TCR and LFA1 in the cell membrane, the coexistence of domains of TCR-MHCp and LFA1-ICAM1 complexes in the cell adhesion zone has been observed for a wide range of ligand concentrations and affinities. For supported membranes with long and short ligands that bind to the same cell receptor CD2, in contrast, domain coexistence has been observed for a rather narrow ratio of ligand concentrations. In this article, we determine detailed phase diagrams for cells adhering to supported membranes with a statistical-physical model of cell adhesion. We find a characteristic difference between the adhesion scenarios in which two types of ligands in a supported membrane bind (i) to the same cell receptor or (ii) to two different cell receptors, which helps to explain the experimental observations. Our phase diagrams fully include thermal shape fluctuations of the cell membranes on nanometer scales, which lead to a critical point for the domain formation and to a cooperative binding of the receptors and ligands.Comment: 23 pages, 6 figure