Abstract
Despite economic development and social improvements, millions of family farmers in Ethiopia are still struggling with food insecurity. Lack of technology adoption by family farmers is often considered as the root cause for low agricultural productivity and persistence of food insecurity. Based on a study of family farms in southwestern Ethiopia, we show the complex nexus between family farming, food insecurity, and agricultural productivity. We collected qualitative and quantitative data through 300 sample household interviews; expert interviews with elders and village chairmen, agricultural extension agents, farmers’ cooperative heads, as well as experts in NGOs, research institutes, and state agencies; and on-farm observations with in-depth interviews and discussions with individual farmers. Our findings illustrate that everyday experiences, culture, knowledge, and priorities of farmers coupled with ecological and political factors play crucial roles—and need more consideration than the classic ‘lack of technology’ theorem.
Highlights
Global demand for food is expected to massively increase until 2050 [1]
Lack of technology adoption by family farmers is often considered as the root cause for low agricultural productivity and persistence of food insecurity
Based on a study of family farms in southwestern Ethiopia, we show the complex nexus between family farming, food insecurity, and agricultural productivity
Summary
Global demand for food is expected to massively increase until 2050 [1]. The business-as-usual scenarios will even be worse for countries in Africa, the continent with the strongest population increase where a quarter of its people suffer from severe food insecurity. While the agronomic and technical questions of how to produce more of what kind of food in which farming systems are well considered in science and extension work, the socio-cultural frames and local capacities of family farms to manage productivity have long been undervalued and are not yet fully understood [5]. Large-scale investments into agriculture are being made, and technical innovations such as the adoption of ‘modern’ fertilizer and ‘improved’ seed helped to increase agricultural productivity Factors such as shortage of land, land degradation, and effects of climate change hold family farmers into food insecurity circles. This paper is an outcome of a study which illustrates agricultural productivity and food (in)security from a bottom-up perspective of family farming households in the Yayu area, Southwest Ethiopia
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
