Economic Analysis of Smallholder Vegetable Production in Tigary, Ethiopia. A Case of IPMS’s Alamata Wereda Pilot learning Project

To examine the determining factors on smallholder vegetable producers’ adoption decision to use the new agricultural technology or not, and to interpret the smallholder’s response to this new technology adoption decision in relation to the determining factors, this thesis involves the robust logit model estimation, and elasticity after logit model estimation. To see the impact of the project intervention in the pilot learning Wereda and the trend of vegetable production starting 2004 to 2009 in the area, Heckman treatment effect model and descriptive statistics are estimated (used) respectively. In the robust logit estimation, the study found that education level of the respondent, water sources accessibility, household land holding size, access to credit and households with no experience to employ man labor to their farm activity revealed positive effect while age of the household head, distance of the farm area from the local market (Alamata) and the practice of renting in land for producing vegetable output revealed negative effect on new agricultural technology adoption decisions. The Heckman treatment effect estimation robust our principal hypothesis where our principal hypothesis is project participation has positive effect on the profitability of the project participant and in return this profitability can affect the utility of the smallholder positively which is basically assumed as impact of the project. Besides, membership of any association or farmers’ cooperatives, farmer’s future output market price expectation, being married or coupled and male sex variables indicates positive effect on profitability of the smallholder vegetable producer. Keywords: new agricultural technology, adoption decision, smallholder, vegetabl

The impact of community based health insurance in health service Utilization in Tigray: A Case of kilte Awlaelo woreda

Health insurance is among the solutions promoted in developing countries since 1990s to improve access to health care services because it avoids direct payments of fees by patients and spread the financial risk among all the insured. Community based health insurance is an emerging and promising concept which addresses health care challenges faced in particular by the rural poor and workers of informal sector. Moving away from out of pocket (OOP) payments for health care at the time of use to prepayment through health insurance is an important step towards financial hardships associated with paying for health services. Ethiopia is a low income country with more of health spending out of pocket payment by households. Community based health insurance was introduced in Ethiopia in 2010.It covers only the rural community and informal sectors. This paper evaluates the impact of community based health insurance on health service utilization by providing financial protection in woreda kilteawlaelo for these rural community and informal sector workers. The insurance coverage increased access to public facility services. The insured are also better protected from large financial burden due to health expenditures than the uninsured .The study suggests that more attention needs to be paid to expanding insurance coverage and setting an appropriate benefit

Note On: The adverse effects of polygamy on the rights of women: a case study in Gedeo and Sidama Zones

A variety of researches conducted in diverse contexts of Ethiopia found that polygamy type of family relationship hinders the realization of the rights of women in many respects. This research inquires whether the polygamous life style practiced in Gedeo and Sidama Zones adversely affects the rights of women in the same way. To deal with this question, the research has reviewed the legal status of polygamy under the international human rights instruments ratified by Ethiopia and the Ethiopian legal system. It also scrutinizes how polygamous marriages affect the rights of women in Gedeo and Sidama Zones using interview and focus group discussions. The study finds that while the prohibition against polygamy is presumed in the constitutional provisions, there is leniency in the subsidiary laws in Ethiopia. This practice is found to affect the social, economic, and civil rights of women in the study areas. Based on these findings, this article recommends that the Federal and SNNPR governments should revisit their respective laws to outlaw polygamy. Besides, to enhance voluntary compliance of the laws, educational campaigns have to be conducted revealing the adverse effects of polygamy on women and the society as a whole.Keywords: adverse effect, cultural practice, polygamy, rights of wome

Reforming the Ethiopian electoral system: looking for the best alternative

Electoral systems are set of rules and procedures which determine how voters cast their votes and how the votes are converted into representative seats.1 Beyond this, each electoral system has its own impact on how the political system functions. From this perspective, the author has tested the discontents of the Ethiopian electoral system, the first-past-the-post (FPTP) taking the election data of 2005, 2010 and 2015. The research finding showed that the FPTP electoral system is ill devised to the Ethiopian current needs and realities.2 In view of such discontents, there should be a genuine concern of reforming the Ethiopian electoral system. The question remains, however, which electoral system best suits the Ethiopian situation from the bulk of alternatives? In choosing the best alternative electoral system, first, a list of criteria are set which sum up what we want to achieve and what we want to avoid or in a broader sense what we want our political system to look like. The possible alternative electoral systems are evaluated against the specific criteria designed. Finally, the evaluation revealed decisively that the mixed electoral system with compensatory seats which maintains the strong attributes of FPTP and PR electoral systems while avoiding at the same time their negative sides is found to be the best to the Ethiopian multicultural federation. This system which combines FPTP and PR systems would produce proportional results, encourage inter-party conciliation, reduce the number of ignored votes, enable geographic representation, ensure fair results for all political parties and the voters behind them, and above all creates cohesive government than the PR system would do alone.Keywords: electoral system, the FPTP, the mixed electoral system, proportional electoral system, and Ethiopi

Effect of Rhamnus prinoide (Gesho) Intercropping in Wheat Field on Soil Nutrient and Moisture in the Drylands of North Ethiopia

Rhamnus prinoide (Gesho) intercropping is a common practice with  significant socioeconomic and ecological importance in Ganta-afoshum district. However, this practice is not well explored so far, especially from the perspective of its impact on sustainable land management while land degradation and low productivity is a challenge in the district. The  objective of this study was to examine the effect of R. prinoide intercropping on soil nutrient and moisture. The study was conducted in Ganta-afoshum district, eastern zone of Tigray regional state where smallholder farmers practice R. prinoide intercropping. Soil samples were taken from farmland with dense, medium and sparse density of R. prinoide intercropping and from farmland without trees as a control for analysis. The density of the trees significantly affected the soil bulk density (P<0.05). Soil moisture content significantly increased with increasing soil depth and by the interaction effects of soil depth and density (P<0.05). Soil nitrogen concentration significantly influenced by the density and soil depth (P<0.05). Soil phosphorus and potassium  concentration significantly affected by soil depth (P<0.05). Lower mean soil pH values were observed for soils under the farm with dense trees as compared to soils in open farm. Overall, the enhancing and exploitative effects of R. prinoide intercropping on soil nutrient and moisture is  minimal. This could be the reason for being practiced and maintained by most farmers.Keywords: Agro-forestry systems, R. prinoide intercropping, Spatial arrangement, Soil nutrient and moisture, Tigray, Ethiopia

Shocks in food availability and intrahousehold resources allocation : evidence on children nutrition outcomes in Ethiopia

This paper examines the intra-gender nutrition outcome both with and without the presence of household level shock using Living Standards Measurement Study- Integrated Survey (LSMS) panel data in Ethiopia. We used a mixed-effect estimation strategy to analyze how parents’ gender preference affects resource allocation between boys and girls, and nutrition outcomes. We used a gender dummy and found that child gender dummy interaction with household level shock index variables does not have a significant effect on child nutrition. The results indicate that nutrition equality could be due to (1) the girls’ biological bodily development that causes differences in trouble tolerance such that the girls’ nutrition remains the same as that of boys and (2) the boys’ physical exercises which cause weight loss such that it brings their nutrition down making it equal to that of the girls’. The results suggest the need for energy food supplementation for boys and a need for equal care for both girls and boys.The authors are grateful for the Ph.D. fellowship fund by NORHED Project on Capacity Building for Climate Smart Natural Resource Management and Policy (CLISNARP). Authors are also thankful for the World Bank for the publicly available Living Standards Measurement Survey (LSMS) dataset in Ethiopia.https://link.springer.com/journal/40100am2020Agricultural Economics, Extension and Rural Developmen

Growth and Yield Evaluation of Avocado (Persea americana) Varieties in Lowland Agro Ecology of Raya Azebo, Southern Zone of Tigray Region, Northern Ethiopia

Avocado is among the subtropical fruit crops produced in Ethiopia; however, the production and Productivity of avocado is influenced by different factors; of which lack of improved and well adapted varieties are the major one. So, an experiment was conducted at Fachagama from 2013 to 2019 to evaluate and select the best adaptable avocado variety/ies at Raya Valley. Six avocado varieties namely Ettinger, Fuerte, Pinkarton, Hass, Naba and Bacon were laid in RCBD and replicated three times. To achieve the objective, the growth, phenological and yield data were collected and analyzed using SAS software.  Accordingly, above graft union stem girth diameter was significantly (P≤0.01) affected by variety, while tree height and canopy diameter were not significantly ascertained by variety. All the tested avocado fruit yield parameters were significantly (P≤0.01) influenced by variety throughout the three years except marketable fruit yield tree-1 and the total yield tree-1 which was not significantly (P≥0.5) determined by variety during 2017 fruit harvesting year. Variety exerted significant (P≤0.01) variation on fruit length (cm) fruit weight (g) and seed weight respectively, throughout the three years (2016-2018), the two years (2017 and 2018) and the two years (2016 and2018). The highest girth diameter (61.44mm) was obtained on Nabal variety. Likewise, the highest (15.51 and18.88kg tree-1) total yield was recorded in Pikerton and Bacon varieties respectively during 2016 and 2018 respectively. From the result Pinkerton and Bacon are recommended for Raya Valley and other areas having similar agro-ecologies.  However, it is important to consider the water requirements in terms of irrigation depth and frequency of avocado

Global, regional, and national burden of chronic kidney disease, 1990–2017 : a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017

Background Health system planning requires careful assessment of chronic kidney disease (CKD) epidemiology, but data for morbidity and mortality of this disease are scarce or non-existent in many countries. We estimated the global, regional, and national burden of CKD, as well as the burden of cardiovascular disease and gout attributable to impaired kidney function, for the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2017. We use the term CKD to refer to the morbidity and mortality that can be directly attributed to all stages of CKD, and we use the term impaired kidney function to refer to the additional risk of CKD from cardiovascular disease and gout. Methods The main data sources we used were published literature, vital registration systems, end-stage kidney disease registries, and household surveys. Estimates of CKD burden were produced using a Cause of Death Ensemble model and a Bayesian meta-regression analytical tool, and included incidence, prevalence, years lived with disability, mortality, years of life lost, and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs). A comparative risk assessment approach was used to estimate the proportion of cardiovascular diseases and gout burden attributable to impaired kidney function. Findings Globally, in 2017, 1·2 million (95% uncertainty interval [UI] 1·2 to 1·3) people died from CKD. The global all-age mortality rate from CKD increased 41·5% (95% UI 35·2 to 46·5) between 1990 and 2017, although there was no significant change in the age-standardised mortality rate (2·8%, −1·5 to 6·3). In 2017, 697·5 million (95% UI 649·2 to 752·0) cases of all-stage CKD were recorded, for a global prevalence of 9·1% (8·5 to 9·8). The global all-age prevalence of CKD increased 29·3% (95% UI 26·4 to 32·6) since 1990, whereas the age-standardised prevalence remained stable (1·2%, −1·1 to 3·5). CKD resulted in 35·8 million (95% UI 33·7 to 38·0) DALYs in 2017, with diabetic nephropathy accounting for almost a third of DALYs. Most of the burden of CKD was concentrated in the three lowest quintiles of Socio-demographic Index (SDI). In several regions, particularly Oceania, sub-Saharan Africa, and Latin America, the burden of CKD was much higher than expected for the level of development, whereas the disease burden in western, eastern, and central sub-Saharan Africa, east Asia, south Asia, central and eastern Europe, Australasia, and western Europe was lower than expected. 1·4 million (95% UI 1·2 to 1·6) cardiovascular disease-related deaths and 25·3 million (22·2 to 28·9) cardiovascular disease DALYs were attributable to impaired kidney function. Interpretation Kidney disease has a major effect on global health, both as a direct cause of global morbidity and mortality and as an important risk factor for cardiovascular disease. CKD is largely preventable and treatable and deserves greater attention in global health policy decision making, particularly in locations with low and middle SDI

The global, regional, and national burden of oesophageal cancer and its attributable risk factors in 195 countries and territories, 1990-2017: A systematic analysis for the global burden of disease study 2017

© 2020 The Author(s). Background Oesophageal cancer is a common and often fatal cancer that has two main histological subtypes: oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma and oesophageal adenocarcinoma. Updated statistics on the incidence and mortality of oesophageal cancer, and on the disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) caused by the disease, can assist policy makers in allocating resources for prevention, treatment, and care of oesophageal cancer. We report the latest estimates of these statistics for 195 countries and territories between 1990 and 2017, by age, sex, and Socio-demographic Index (SDI), using data from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2017 (GBD). Methods We used data from vital registration systems, vital registration-samples, verbal autopsy records, and cancer registries, combined with relevant modelling, to estimate the mortality, incidence, and burden of oesophageal cancer from 1990 to 2017. Mortality-to-incidence ratios (MIRs) were estimated and fed into a Cause of Death Ensemble model (CODEm) including risk factors. MIRs were used for mortality and non-fatal modelling. Estimates of DALYs attributable to the main risk factors of oesophageal cancer available in GBD were also calculated. The proportion of oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma to all oesophageal cancers was extracted by use of publicly available data, and its variation was examined against SDI, the Healthcare Access and Quality (HAQ) Index, and available risk factors in GBD that are specific for oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma (eg, unimproved water source and indoor air pollution) and for oesophageal adenocarcinoma (gastro-oesophageal reflux disease). Findings There were 473 000 (95% uncertainty interval [95% UI] 459 000-485 000) new cases of oesophageal cancer and 436 000 (425 000-448 000) deaths due to oesophageal cancer in 2017. Age-standardised incidence was 5.9 (5.7-6.1) per 100 000 population and age-standardised mortality was 5.5 (5.3-5.6) per 100 000. Oesophageal cancer caused 9.78 million (9.53-10.03) DALYs, with an age-standardised rate of 120 (117-123) per 100 000 population. Between 1990 and 2017, age-standardised incidence decreased by 22.0% (18.6-25.2), mortality decreased by 29.0% (25.8-32.0), and DALYs decreased by 33.4% (30.4-36.1) globally. However, as a result of population growth and ageing, the total number of new cases increased by 52.3% (45.9-58.9), from 310 000 (300 000-322 000) to 473 000 (459 000-485 000); the number of deaths increased by 40.0% (34.1-46.3), from 311 000 (301 000-323 000) to 436 000 (425 000-448 000); and total DALYs increased by 27.4% (22.1-33.1), from 7.68 million (7.42-7.97) to 9.78 million (9.53-10.03). At the national level, China had the highest number of incident cases (235 000 [223 000-246 000]), deaths (213 000 [203 000-223 000]), and DALYs (4.46 million [4.25-4.69]) in 2017. The highest national-level agestandardised incidence rates in 2017 were observed in Malawi (23.0 [19.4-26.5] per 100 000 population) and Mongolia (18.5 [16.4-20.8] per 100 000). In 2017, age-standardised incidence was 2.7 times higher, mortality 2.9 times higher, and DALYs 3.0 times higher in males than in females. In 2017, a substantial proportion of oesophageal cancer DALYs were attributable to known risk factors: tobacco smoking (39.0% [35.5-42.2]), alcohol consumption (33.8% [27.3-39.9]), high BMI (19.5% [6.3-36.0]), a diet low in fruits (19.1% [4.2-34.6]), and use of chewing tobacco (7.5% [5.2-9.6]). Countries with a low SDI and HAQ Index and high levels of indoor air pollution had a higher proportion of oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma to all oesophageal cancer cases than did countries with a high SDI and HAQ Index and with low levels of indoor air pollution. Interpretation Despite reductions in age-standardised incidence and mortality rates, oesophageal cancer remains a major cause of cancer mortality and burden across the world. Oesophageal cancer is a highly fatal disease, requiring increased primary prevention efforts and, possibly, screening in some high-risk areas. Substantial variation exists in age-standardised incidence rates across regions and countries, for reasons that are unclear

Global, regional, and national incidence, prevalence, and mortality of HIV, 1980–2017, and forecasts to 2030, for 195 countries and territories: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2017

Background Understanding the patterns of HIV/AIDS epidemics is crucial to tracking and monitoring the progress of prevention and control efforts in countries. We provide a comprehensive assessment of the levels and trends of HIV/AIDS incidence, prevalence, mortality, and coverage of antiretroviral therapy (ART) for 1980–2017 and forecast these estimates to 2030 for 195 countries and territories. Methods We determined a modelling strategy for each country on the basis of the availability and quality of data. For countries and territories with data from population-based seroprevalence surveys or antenatal care clinics, we estimated prevalence and incidence using an open-source version of the Estimation and Projection Package—a natural history model originally developed by the UNAIDS Reference Group on Estimates, Modelling, and Projections. For countries with cause-specific vital registration data, we corrected data for garbage coding (ie, deaths coded to an intermediate, immediate, or poorly defined cause) and HIV misclassification. We developed a process of cohort incidence bias adjustment to use information on survival and deaths recorded in vital registration to back-calculate HIV incidence. For countries without any representative data on HIV, we produced incidence estimates by pulling information from observed bias in the geographical region. We used a re-coded version of the Spectrum model (a cohort component model that uses rates of disease progression and HIV mortality on and off ART) to produce age-sex-specific incidence, prevalence, and mortality, and treatment coverage results for all countries, and forecast these measures to 2030 using Spectrum with inputs that were extended on the basis of past trends in treatment scale-up and new infections. Findings Global HIV mortality peaked in 2006 with 1·95 million deaths (95% uncertainty interval 1·87–2·04) and has since decreased to 0·95 million deaths (0·91–1·01) in 2017. New cases of HIV globally peaked in 1999 (3·16 million, 2·79–3·67) and since then have gradually decreased to 1·94 million (1·63–2·29) in 2017. These trends, along with ART scale-up, have globally resulted in increased prevalence, with 36·8 million (34·8–39·2) people living with HIV in 2017. Prevalence of HIV was highest in southern sub-Saharan Africa in 2017, and countries in the region had ART coverage ranging from 65·7% in Lesotho to 85·7% in eSwatini. Our forecasts showed that 54 countries will meet the UNAIDS target of 81% ART coverage by 2020 and 12 countries are on track to meet 90% ART coverage by 2030. Forecasted results estimate that few countries will meet the UNAIDS 2020 and 2030 mortality and incidence targets. Interpretation Despite progress in reducing HIV-related mortality over the past decade, slow decreases in incidence, combined with the current context of stagnated funding for related interventions, mean that many countries are not on track to reach the 2020 and 2030 global targets for reduction in incidence and mortality. With a growing population of people living with HIV, it will continue to be a major threat to public health for years to come. The pace of progress needs to be hastened by continuing to expand access to ART and increasing investments in proven HIV prevention initiatives that can be scaled up to have population-level impact