Fertilizer Adoption Impact on Maize Yield Growth: Disparity among Major Maize Growing Administrative Regions of Ethiopia

Fitsum Daniel

doi:10.7176/jesd/11-19-05

Abstract

This study examines the regional disparity in the impact of adoption of fertilizer (organic, inorganic or both) on yield growth using 953 sample farm households in five major maize growing administrative regions of Ethiopia. Propensity score matching (PSM) technique was employed since it is an increasingly utilized standard approach for evaluating impacts using observational data. It is found that adoption of fertilizer doesn't have homogenous positive and significant impact on yield growth in all of the administrative regions considered. Thus, the study recommends that the agricultural research and extension system of the country should further consider the various differences that exist among different regions and areas of the country so as to generate and disseminate suitable improved agricultural technologies and information. Keywords: Impact, Maize, Fertilizer, Ethiopia DOI: 10.7176/JESD/11-19-05 Publication date: June 30th 2020

Highlights

As it is well known, agriculture is the mainstay of the Ethiopian economy
A rigorous impact evaluation method; namely, Propensity Score Matching has to be employed to control for observed characteristics and determine the actual attributable impact of fertilizer adoption on yield growth in different maize producing regions of Ethiopia
This study is undertaken to identify the regional disparity in the impact of adoption of fertilizer on maize yield growth among different major maize producing administrative regions of Ethiopia

Summary

Introduction

The sector constitutes over 47% of the gross domestic product (GDP), accounts for about 75% of the labor force and earns over 90% of the foreign exchange (Dorosh and Rashid, 2012; Welteji, 2018 citing Alemu et al, 2010). As to Welteji 2018, crop production on average makes up 60% of the sector’s outputs, whereas livestock accounts for 27% and other areas contribute 13% of the total agricultural value added. Cereals dominate Ethiopian crop production (Dorosh and Rashid, 2012). Cereals’ contribution to agricultural value-added is 65 percent, which translates to about 30 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) (Dorosh and Rashid, 2012). A closer look at what is happening in cereal production has an important welfare and policy implication in Ethiopia (Abegaz, 2011)

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Conclusion