Entry, survival, and growth of manufacturing firms in Ethiopia

econometric analysis;Ethiopia;manufacturing;business economics

Poverty, Resource Scarcity and Incentives for Soil and Water Conservation: Analysis of Interactions with a Bio-economic Model

The paper examines the interlinkages between population pressure and poverty, possible impacts on household welfare and land management, and the consequent pathways of development in a low potential rural economy. A dynamic non-separable bio-economic model, calibrated using data from the Ethiopian highlands, is used to trace key relationships between population pressure, poverty and soil fertility management in smallholder agriculture characterized by high levels of soil degradation. Farm households maximize their discounted utility over the planning horizon. Land, labor and credit markets are imperfect. Hence, production, consumption and investment decisions are jointly determined in each period. The level of soil degradation is endogenous and has feedback effects on the stock and quality of the resource base. This may in turn influence land management choices. Under high population pressure, land becomes dearer relative to labor. This is likely to induce conservation investments, especially when conservation technologies do not take land out of production. When markets are imperfect, poverty in vital assets (e.g., oxen and labor) limits the ability or the willingness to invest in conservation and may lead to a less sustainable pathway. Boserup-type responses are more likely when (privately) profitable technologies exist and market imperfections do not limit farm-households' investment options.Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

Performance trials on different rates and ratios of N and P fertilisation in Ethiopia to inform field-specific Maize-Nutrient-Management advisory

This report of the Scaling Readiness of Nutrient Management decision Support Tools project focuses on agronomic trials that serve to inform the development of scalable, field-specific advisory for maize farmers in Ethiopia. These trials were conducted to generate additional information required to make a mobile phone-based nutrient decision support tool – Maize-Nutrient-Manager – more scalable in the context of institutional limitations in fertilizer availability and distribution in Ethiopia. The focus of the trials is on establishing proper N:P ratio’s for different fertilization rates with the fertilizers available to farmers in West-Shewa and Jimma (two major maize belts in Ethiopia). The trials were conducted with additional funding from the TAMASA project and in collaboration with EIAR. As the latter institute is involved in conducting fertilizer trials and the development of recommendations, this collaboration also aimed at forming an appropriate entry point for institutionalization of the decision support tool that is being developed

Estimating Soil Loss Rates For Soil Conservation Planning in Borena Woreda Of South Wollo Highlands of Ethiopia: The Case from the Legemara Watershed

The rate of soil erosion is pervasive in the highlands of Ethiopia. Soil conservation is thus crucial in these areas to tackle the prevailing soil erosion. This area is mainly in the steeper slope banks of tributaries where steep lands are cultivated or overgrazed. The objective of this study is to estimate the rate of soil loss in Legemara watershed in Borena Woreda of South Wollo Administrative Zone in the Amhara Regional State. The study also recommends possible ways of curbing the problem.The study uses the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE), integrated with satellite remote sensing and the Geographical Information System (GIS) as useful tools for conservation planning. Monthly precipitation, a soil map, a 30m-digital-elevation model, a land-cover map, land-use types and slope-length steepness were used to determine the RUSLE values. Based on the level of soil erosion rates, the study area was divided into five priority categories for conservation interventions. The results show that, 2,344.57 ha (42.97 %) of the total area and 130,102.35 tons ha-1yr-1 (77.19 %) of the total soil loss have ranges of the erosion severity classes of very severe and severe, in which case, conservation priorities of first and second order are suggested. Moreover, the total soil loss in the study area was168, 521 metric tons per year from 5456.5 ha, and the average annual soil loss for the entire watershed was estimated at 30.88 metric tons ha-1yr-1.Keywords: Soil Erosion; RUSLE; GIS; Conservation; Watershed; Ethiopi

Maize-Nutrient-Manager: A mobile phone application for field-specific, balanced nutrient management advisory

To increase productivity and profitability, while limiting nutrient losses and related GHG-emissions, African smallholders need more tailored fertilizer advice. Yet, such advice critically hinges upon – largely lacking – field-level management data, as management is key to efficient fertilizer use. The Maize- Nutrient-Manager (MNM) mobile phone application enables collection of such data at scale, and directly converts this data into actionable advice for the farmer. Focusing on field-level management data, MNM can identify those management practices that are currently imperative for enhancing smallholder farmers’ efficient use of fertilizers in their locality, thereby increasing productivity while reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This document describes the background, design principles and development process of then MNM mobile phone application, as well as its pilot use in advisory practice in the Mbozi and Momba districts of Songwe region, Tanzania

Evaluating The Land Use And Land Cover Dynamics In Borena Woreda South Wollo Highlands, Ethiopia

This paper describes the land use and land cover dynamics in Borena Woreda of South Wollo Highlands of Ethiopia and implications by using the DPSIR framework(Driving Forces-Pressures-State-Impact-Response) in a Geographical Information System (GIS) context. The integration of satellite remote sensing and GIS was an effective approach for analyzing the direction, rate, and spatial pattern of land use change. Three land use and land cover maps were produced by analyzing remotely sensed images of Landsat satellite imageries at three time points (1972,1985,and 2003) . The result shows five major land use and land cover types. These include forest, shrub or bush, grassland, agricultural land and bare land. Between (1972 to 1985), there was a dramatic expansion of agricultural land followed by bare land while, shrub land, forest land and grass land showed reduction in coverage. The period between 1985 to 2003,saw similar changes in agricultural land, bare land, shrub land and forest land cover but grass land showed a slight expansion in coverage due to the conversion of forest and shrub land to grass land. The major driving forces for these changes were natural factors such as steep slope, drought and Climate change. The human driving forces for these changes steep slopes, drought and climate change. The human driving factors include population growth and density, over-use of land, farm size, land tenure status and land use. These factors exert pressure and impacts on land use. Implications include biodiversity loss central ownership of natural resources , the breakdown of traditional structure and consequent difficulties in the use o fallow lands, open access to grass lands, inability to protect and manage land resources , inappropriatedevelopment strategies and la ck of land use planning.Key words: land use/land cover dynamics, DPSIR model, remote sensing, Ethiopia

Evaluation of current and future water resources development in the Lake Tana Basin, Ethiopia

Lakes / Weirs / Environmental flows / Water resources development / Models / Ethiopia / Lake Tana Basin / Chara Chara Weir

Determinants of Agricultural Technology adoption: the case of improved groundnut varieties in Malawi

This paper applies the Average Treatment Effect (ATE) framework on data obtained from a random cross-section sample of 594 farmers in Malawi to document the actual and potential adoption rates of improved groundnut varieties and their determinants conditional on farmers’ awareness of the technology. The fact that not all farmers are exposed to the new technologies makes it difficult to obtain consistent estimates of population adoption rates and their determinants using direct sample estimates and classical adoption models such as probit or tobit. Our approach tries to control for exposure and selection bias in assessing the adoption rate of technology and its determinants. Results indicate that only 26% of the sampled farmers grew at least one of the improved groundnut varieties. The potential adoption rate of improved groundnut for the population is estimated at 37% and the adoption gap resulting from the incomplete exposure of the population to the improved groundnut is 12%. We further find that the awareness of improved varieties is mainly influenced by information access variables, while adoption is largely influenced by economic constraints. The findings are indicative of the relatively large unmet demand for improved groundnut varieties suggesting that there is scope for increasing the adoption rate of improved groundnut varieties in Malawi once the farmers are made aware of the technologies and if other constraints such as lack of access to credit are addressed.groundnuts, adoption, Average Treatment Effect, Malawi, Crop Production/Industries,