Analysis of Onion Market Value Chain among smallholder farmers in Rural Ethiopia: A Case Study of South Bench Woreda in Bench Maji Zone, Ethiopia.

This study analyzed value chain analysis of onion market in south Bench Woreda. The data used for the study were obtained from 118 randomly selected samples of households and 65 sample of trader in the study area. The data for the study was collected from both primary and secondary sources. For the primary data collection, questionnaires was designed and pre-tested based on the objective of the study in the study area. The questionnaires schedule was tested at the farm level on 5 randomly selected farm households. The study was employed both descriptive and econometric data analysis methods. Cobb-Douglas production function model was employed to analyze the determinants of onion production supplied to the market by onion producers. Results of econometric model showed that quantity of fertilizer utilized, distance from the nearest market, family size of house hold head, educational level of house hold head, farming experience and Credit access were significantly and positively determined the quantity of onion supplied to the market. The results suggest that these significant variable need to be promoted to boost the amount of the onion market supply.  In order to increase the productivity of onion there is need of public, private, research center and farmer themselves working together so as to increase access and disease resistance seed verity. Keywords: Onion Value Chain Analysis, Marketing Channel, Cobb Douglas Production Function Model, South Bench Woreda. DOI: 10.7176/DCS/11-8-02 Publication date:October 31st 202

Psychological adjustment and relational development in Ethiopian adoptees and their families

The number of American families choosing to adopt a child from Ethiopia has increased exponentially since 2004. Over the past five years alone, between 2006 and 2011, 13.5% of internationally adopted children in the U.S. came from Ethiopia. The purpose of this study was to examine psychological adjustment and relational development of Ethiopian adoptees who have been adopted during 2007 -2010 and their families who reside in Montana. Using a convenience-sampling method, data were collected from 25 adoptive parents who adopted a total of 35 children from Ethiopia. All families live in Montana and responded to questions through an online survey. In addition, four families participated in a semi-structured in-depth interview. Descriptive statistics were used to examine the parents’ scores on parental adjustment, cultural competency, parenting intervention skills and their perceptions about their child’s adjustment. To compare the relationships between different variables, one-tailed Spearman’s non-parametric correlations and Mann-Whitney U test were used. The study’s findings suggest that: 1) Parents report a variety of environmental characteristics as risk factors that challenge the relationship development with their adopted child. 2) Ethiopian adopted children are described by their adoptive parents as being generally well adjusted. 3) Adoptive parents also appear to: be well adjusted to the adoption process; have good awareness about their own and their adopted child’s culture; and report good parenting intervention skills. 4) Parents who live in the more urban, populated areas of Montana seem to be better adjusted to adoption compared to parents who live in the rural areas of the state. 5) Parents with biological children seem to have better intervention skills in comparison to parents without any biological children. The correlational analyses of the study also show that perception of lower level of adoptee’s adjustment problems was found to be related to higher levels of parental cultural competency; and, parental adjustment was positively correlated with their cultural competency and to their parenting intervention skills. This study replicates findings of previous studies regarding the relationship between adoptees’ adjustment and parents’ cultural competence. Implications of these findings are discussed

Business Ethics And The Repayment Of Loans In Small Enterprises

The capacity of small business enterprises to pay back loan money to microfinance agencies is a key determinant of long-term profitability in microfinance agencies (Mayer, Caruso & Salovey, 2016). Ethiopian entrepreneurs who conduct business in South Africa rely heavily on start-up capital raised from social capital schemes (Haile, 2015). The purpose of research was to determine factors that affect the repayment of loan money obtained from social capital schemes. The study points out necessary and sufficient conditions for the repayment of loans. The research found that 84% of the migrant entrepreneurs managed to pay back their loans in time, whereas about 16% of them failed to do the same. By the standards of Mayer et al. (2016), about 71% of respondents had adequate emotional intelligence. By the standards of Sahoo and Lenka (2016), about 72% of migrant entrepreneurs possessed adequate entrepreneurial skills. One key finding of study was that the repayment of loan money to social capital schemes was dependent upon awareness about the relative importance of adhering to business ethics principals, emotional intelligence, and the profitability of businesses. The study shows that the prompt repayment of loan money to social capital schemes, the acknowledgement of business ethics principles, and the possession of adequate emotional intelligence are key attributes of profitable businesses