Determinants of smallholder commercialization of food crops: Theory and evidence from Ethiopia

"In this paper, we develop a theoretical farm household model of food crop production and marketing decisions, derive testable hypotheses concerning the determinants of these decisions, and test these hypotheses, using data on cereal production and marketing collected from a nationally representative survey of 7,186 farm households in Ethiopia. Focusing on production and marketing decisions for teff and maize, the two most important crops in Ethiopia, we find that most producers of these crops are either autarkic or net buyers (especially for maize) and that net buyers and autarkic households are poorer in many respects than net sellers. This implies that interventions to increase cereal productivity will favorably affect distribution for most producers. The econometric analysis shows that increasing production of teff and maize is the most important factor contributing to increased sales, and that increased smallholder access to roads, land, livestock, farm equipment, and traders is key to enabling increased smallholder production and commercialization of these crops." from Authors' AbstractSmallholder production, Small farmers, household consumption, Market access, Commercial behavior, Market participation, Cereal crops,

Farmer-Based Seed Multiplication in the Ethiopian Seed System: Approaches, Priorities and Performance

At the advent of Ethiopia’s new economic development plan, the Growth and Transformation Plan (GTP) 2010 - 2015, the Farmer-Based Seed Multiplication (FBSM) programme has increased hopes in the strengthening of the country’s national seed system. Although FBSM engages in various strategies and numerous actors across Ethiopia (Dawit and Spielman 2006), the primary function of FBSM involves the organisation of farmer groups at local levels throughout Ethiopia to produce seed that can either be conditioned (cleaned and bagged) or left in raw form, and provided both for sale to the formal sector or for local exchange. The overall goal of FBSM is contributing to the target of doubling agricultural production through improving access to and use of quality seeds of improved crop varieties along with sustaining the availability of germplasm of local varietiesDfI

The Political Economy of Ethiopian Cereal Seed Systems: State Control, Market Liberalisation and Decentralisation

This paper presents the political and economic processes governing Ethiopian cereal seed systems by analysing the overall policy context, as well as the main interests driving seed policy formulation and implementation and the roles and interaction of the different public and private actors. It also examines how these interests and interactions are related to the performance of the system on the ground. The nature of the Ethiopian agricultural sector, the historical evolution of the seed system and the seed specificities for each cereal crops has resulted in a wide range of actors with diverse linkages and policy processes. The analysis of these processes has identified a number of constraints faced by the Ethiopian cereal seed system. These constraints are a result of a economic and political drivers, including top-down state driven initiatives, agricultural liberalisation and the private sector and political-administrative decentralisation, all of which pull in different directions. While contrasting interests in federal and decentralised state level activities exist, ultimately it is the state-driven imperatives that define what private sector activity is possible. Centrallydirected, state-supported efforts, including numerous campaigns, special projects and programmes along with ad hoc crash programmes, create numerous blockages in the supply and distribution of seed. These ‘pull-push’ factors have brought about severe strains within the system. Thus, it is important that the technocrats, politicians, international donors and supporters understand these political economic drivers of change in the Ethiopian cereal seed system. By addressing these conflicts and contradictions, they may improve their chances of designing and implementing more technically effective and socially appropriate policies. This in turn will help establish a vibrant seed system which offers real choices for farmers in terms of seed type, quantity, and quality and delivery time at reasonable prices.DfI

Farm-level determinants of output commercialization: In haricot bean based farming systems

This study assesses the commercial behavior of smallholder farmers in the moisture-stress haricot bean based farming systems of central Ethiopia along with the determinants of smallholder farmers’ engagement in the sales of most important crops. Descriptive and Tobit regression analyses are used to determine the key factors that influence household participation in the market in terms of volumes of product sales. The study identified that among the interviewed farmers 90% have participated in selling out their crops and the level of participation was 45%. The key determinants of commercialization among haricot bean based farmers are family size, land size, age, livestock holding and dependency ratio. The study recommends that policy makers and development organizations should target on improving labor and land efficiency and asset accumulation in order to promote smallholder farmers' participation in greater crop sales and income generation and contribute to acceleration of agricultural production growth

Agricultural research and extension linkages: Challenges and intervention options

The article presents the historical evolution of attempts made in Ethiopia to strengthen the agriculture research and extension linkages since the start of formal agricultural research and extension in the early 1950s. The result reveals that there is a gradual improvement with increased types and mechanisms of the research-extension linkage in recent years that are related with (i) institutional linkages of actors of the National Agricultural Research System (NARS) with actors of formal agricultural technology delivery systems, (ii) technology demonstration and popularization promoted by the NARS in collaboration with MoA and Regional Bureaus of Agriculture (RBoA), (iii) Farmers’ Research Groups (FRGs) approach promoted by the NARS in collaboration with MoA and RBoA, (iv) Technology specific special pre-extension activities promoted by the NARS, (v) Publications made available by the NARS, and (vi) Agricultural  Development Partners' Linkage Advisory Councils (ADPLACs) as research-extension linkage platforms. However, there are number of challenges that need policy and development attention to fully exploiting the potentials these approaches offer in strengthening the linkage, which is crucial for the aspired agricultural transformation.Key words: ADPLAC, NARS, extension, agricultural research, platform

Negotiating New Relationships: How the Ethiopian State is Involving China and Brazil in Agriculture and Rural Development

This article provides an overview of Brazilian and Chinese agricultural development cooperation activities in Ethiopia. Development cooperation is carefully managed and coordinated in Ethiopia, a highly aid?dependent country, in line with the national ‘Growth and Transformation Plan’. The government promotes harmonisation and an alignment process of Western donor support through the Ethiopian High Level Forum. Brazil and China are currently not engaged in these coordination platforms, working instead on a bilateral basis. Core activities include experience?sharing in public governance, technical cooperation, and the attraction of private and public investments. In the case of Brazil, the cooperation focuses on renewable energy sector development mainly related to biofuels derived from sugar cane production, whilst in the case of China, cooperation is more focused on infrastructure, agricultural technology and skill transfer. The approach adopted by Ethiopia reflects a commitment to a ‘developmental state’ approach. This seems to be delivering results in the agricultural sector, and beyond

APRA Brief 16

This brief presents a historical analysis of rice commercialisation and its impacts on local livelihoods and rural economies in Ethiopia, drawing insights from the experience of the Fogera Plain in the Amhara Region. Fogera is one of the regions which has experienced the largest expansion of rice production and processing in the country. The brief presents a review of historical trends in the introduction of rice in different parts of the country, the changing nature of rice farming systems, the observed agrarian changes, and some of the associated initiatives that have enhanced these trends

Policies to promote cereal intensification in Ethiopia: A review of evidence and experience

Dawit Alemu: DCA, EthiopiaCereal crops, Agricultural development, Agricultural extension work, Fertilizers, Seed industry and trade Developing countries, Public investment, Food policy,

Production and Marketing Behaviour of Hadiya Pastoralists, Southern Ethiopia

The paper characterises Hadiya pastoral cattle production system by explaining the nature of production and marketing. Both secondary and primary data were employed. Face to face interviews focus group and key informant discussions took place in the two districts considering 160 pastoral households. The main Findings of the work are the Hadiya pastoralists are keeping large number of cattle like other pastoralists not as a security against risks but it is their cultural obligation to do so and attain the cultural titles though still economic factors affect the system. Moreover, Ethiopia being a wide multiethnic country and pastoralism is an ethnic based production system. However the sample size was limited to only one part of the country and may not represent all Ethiopian pastoralists the study gives a meaningful insight into the pastoralists' production system and serves as useful reference for future studies in studies and interventions in pastoral areas. Key words: Hadiya pastoralists, Marketing Behavior, Ethiopi