Effects of climatic conditions and agro-ecological settings on the productive efficiencies of small-holder farmers in Ethopia

This study argues that the adaptation measures farmers take to reduce the negative impacts of climate change do affect farmers’ efficiency of production. To support this argument, two steps were followed to understand how climatic factors especially long term average seasonal rainfall and temperature; and agro-ecological settings affect production efficiency in Ethiopian agriculture. In the first step, the stochastic frontier approach was employed to analyze the farm level technical efficiency. In the second step, the tobit regression model was adopted to analyze how climatic and agro-ecological settings affect efficiency scores derived from the first step. Results from the first step indicated that the surveyed farmers have an average technical efficiency of 0.50; with significant output elasticits of labor, draft power and tractor. Results from the tobit regression model showed that soil types, run-off, seasonal climatic conditions and agro-ecological settings affect technical efficiency in Ethiopian agriculture.Technical efficiency, seasonal climate, agro-ecology, Ethiopia

Measuring the economic impact of climate change on Ethiopian agriculture : Ricardian approach

This study uses the Ricardian approach to analyze the impact of climate change on Ethiopian agriculture and to describe farmer adaptations to varying environmental factors. The study analyzes data from 11 of the country's 18 agro-ecological zones, representing more than 74 percent of the country, and survey of 1,000 farmers from 50 districts. Regressing of net revenue on climate, household, and soil variables show that these variables have a significant impact on the farmers'net revenue per hectare.The study carries out a marginal impact analysis of increasing temperature and changing precipitation across the four seasons. In addition, it examines the impact of uniform climate scenarios on farmers'net revenue per hectare. Additionally, it analyzes the net revenue impact of predicted climate scenarios from three models for the years 2050 and 2100. In general, the results indicate that increasing temperature and decreasing precipitation are both damaging to Ethiopian agriculture. Although the analysis did not incorporate the carbon fertilization effect, the role of technology, or the change in prices for the future, significant information for policy-making can be extracted.Environmental Economics&Policies,Climate Change,Crops&Crop Management Systems,Global Environment Facility,Common Property Resource Development

Enhancing Land-Use-Efficiency through Appropriate Land Policies in Ethiopia

The land tenure system has been a controversial issue in Ethiopia: The advocates of the existing land policy believe that if the farmers are given the right to own land privately and are allowed to sell, many farmers will become landless and exposed to various hardships. The critics argues that the existing land tenure arrangements has contributed towards increased degradation of farmers' land resulting in soil erosion and poor productivity level of various crops. Farmers with ownership right and secure land tenure are more likely to make long-term investment in their land. The meager land productivity is not because of the poor soil fertility rather as a result of ill management of the limiting factor of production i.e. land. Programming model was developed using primary information, collected from 110 farmers' households (82 High income group + 28 Low income group) from 4 peasant associations in Meket District of north wollo region of Ethiopia in order to study the potential of land productivity enhancement through better land management and land use planning in the country. The optimal solutions brought out that land productivity increased by 9.4 percent on high-income group and 8 percent on low-income group farmers with an overall improvement of 8 percent in the region if farmers cultivate their land with more vigor and long-term commitments. Thus there is an urgent need to revisit the government policies especially with regard to land use planning, land tenure and ownership right etc for achieving the long term agricultural development.Land Economics/Use,

The Private Rate of Return to Schooling: Evidence from Eritrea

The extent of links between education and earnings is a determining factor in making decisions about investment in education. The purpose of this study is to estimate the private rate of return to education in Eritrea using sample data from employees working in public and private sector of the economy. The main result obtained with the help of extended Mincerian earnings function indicates the financially rewarding effect of education. It is also found that the rates of return to education increase with the increase in levels of education. The findings imply a need for expanding access to education and the possibility of sharing the cost burden of education, especially at tertiary level of educatio

Short report on apple production and management training in Debre Birhan, Ethiopia

United States Agency for International Developmen

Contingent Valuations of Indigenous Timber Tree Resources: The Case of Cheha District, Gurage Zone, Ethiopia

Ethiopia has a variety of indigenous trees. Although indigenous timber tree resources have indispensible benefits for environmental balance and economic development, these trees are prone to extinction and degradation by the local peoples for different purposes in Cheha district. The main purpose of this research was to examine the values of commercial and non-commercial uses of indigenous timber tree resources. This study employed contingent valuation methods to elicit the household’s willingness to pay for plantation of indigenous trees in Chehadistrict.  Mostly primary data was used from a survey of 243 sample households. The study results revealed that  mean WTP for the future plantation of indigenous timber tree resources from the double bounded dichotomous format of Seemingly Unrelated Bivariate Probit model  was  in  the range of ETB 41.93827  to  ETB 46.24 per person. The study result  also revealed that total income of the household, sex of the respondent and training about forest conservation and protection had positive and significant effect on WTP for proposed plantation project. On the other hand, bid amount and distance of households home from the plantation project had negative and significant effects on WTP. Hence, urgent action and involvement of government and local cummunity should be necessary to protect and conserve endangered indigenous timber trees. Keywords: Economic valuation, Indigenous timber trees, Seemingly Unrelated Bivariate Probit, Cheha, Ethiopi

Effect of Genotype X Environment Interaction on the Performance of Hybrid Sorghum Genotypes in Moisture Stressed Areas of Ethiopia

Genotype x environment (GxE) interaction and yield-stability analysis is an imperative in measur­ing varietal stability and suitability for cultivation over seasons and ecological zones. Developing high performing and stable genotypes across different locations is of most importance to plant breeders. This study was conducted using 84 hybrid lines to identify the most stable and high yielding genotypes. To gain these objective, multiple-environmental trials (MET) was undertaken annually across locations. AMMI model has shown that the largest proportion of the total variation in grain yield was attributed to environments and somehow to genotypes.  GGE bi-plot analysis also visualized the winner genotype at each area and to identify high yielding and stable genotypes. The genotype with the high yield in SR is G66, and in KB G27, G10, G79, in SH G25, G78, G86 and G68 while, in SR the best genotypes is G66. The other vertex genotypes (G1, G32, G51, 71 and G26 are poorest in all environments. Environments, AM and SH exerted strong interaction forces while the rest two did less. On the other hand, the genotypes near the origin are not sensitive to environmental interaction and those distant from the origins are sensitive and have large interaction. Hence, G1, G5, G66, G71, G18, G10 and G25 had more responsive since they were far away from the origin whereas the genotypes G54, G29, G23, G4, G9, G5, G43, G13 and G7 were close to the origin and hence they were less sensitive to environmental interactive forces while genotypes G38, G11, G45 and G76 were the most closest to the origin and hence had almost no interaction forces. Generally, G74 can be recommended for specific adaptation whereas G2 and G16 relatively for broader adaptation. Keywords: AMMI; GEI; genotype; environment; model; stability, GGE biplot DOI: 10.7176/JNSR/13-5-04 Publication date:March 31st 202