Food Security In Ethiopia Research Articles

Small-scale irrigation scheme governance - poverty nexus: evidence from Ethiopia

Irrigated agriculture has been popularized as a key factor to improve crop yields and enhance food security in Africa. However, empirical findings are mixed. This study analyzes determinants of small-scale irrigation adoption and the impact this may have on food security in Ethiopia, where agricultural land is extremely fragmented and densely populated. Data were collected from 240 farmers, and the findings from the survey were triangulated with focus group discussions and key informant interviews. First, the Foster-Greer-Thorbecke indices indicated high poverty levels among farmers without access to irrigation. Second, accounting for a self-selection bias by using the endogenous switching regression (ESR) model, scheme governance, perceived water scarcity, and access to information were found to have significant effects on the adoption of irrigation schemes. Model estimates further indicated that access to small-scale irrigation resulted in better living conditions for both current users and non-users when compared to their counterfactual situations. Farm income of the user households would decrease by 42% (birr 151,419 or US$ 5,500 per ha) had they not used irrigation. Similarly, farm income of the non-users would increase by 149% had they used irrigation. Per adult equivalent consumption expenditure has also shown a decrease of 35% for irrigation users and an increase of 40% for non-users compared to their respective counterfactual situations. We conclude that much of the perceived water scarcity level is attributed to existing governance regimes more than the physical scarcity of water. The study draws several implications for household food security and local-based water use policies.

Achieving zero hunger: implementing a human rights approach to food security in Ethiopia

A human rights approach to food security seeks to empower vulnerable groups to claim their rights. It also reinforces a government’s obligations to respect, protect and fulfil the right to food. Furthermore, it encourages the integration of the right to food into the design and implementation of food security policies. This article examines the human rights approach to food security, with specific reference to Ethiopia. It assesses the historical causes of Ethiopia’s food insecurity, and examines the legislative and policy measures that the country has adopted over the last three decades in order to achieve food security. Food insecurity in the country is largely explained by the absence of government accountability. In 1973 and 1984, the hunger caused by drought was transitioned to famine not because of overall unavailability of food in the country, but because the government failed to provide food aid to the starved people and concealed the occurrence of famines from the international donors. Despite designing some food security policies over the last three decades, the country has not yet adopted sufficient legislative and judicial measures to enforce the right to food. This article argues that Ethiopia should introduce a framework law on the right to food to end hunger in the context of achieving national food security.

The Role of Informal Local Institutions in Food Security of Rural Households in Southwest Ethiopia

Among sub-Saharan countries, Ethiopia is known for its dominant informal institutions and chronic problem of food insecurity. However, the role of local institutions in households' food security in Ethiopia is less understood. Thus, the aim of the study was to identify local informal institutions and their roles in household food security. Mixed methods research was used to collect and analyse data relating to membership in local institutions and their food consumption. A logit model was employed to identify the role of local institutions in households' food security. The result showed that 45.1 per cent of households were food insecure. Rural households' membership in Iddir, Equib, Debo and Jarsumma strongly helped them escape food insecurity. On the one hand, participation in women's associations and Jiga did not significantly contribute to their food security. On the other hand, Dado was found to reduce their food security. We conclude that the programmes and policies that target food security should provide support to those informal institutions that successfully contributed to hunger reduction.

Exploring Drivers of Livelihood Diversification and Its Effect on Adoption of Sustainable Land Management Practices in the Upper Blue Nile Basin, Ethiopia

Land degradation poses a major threat to agricultural production and food security in Ethiopia, and sustainable land management (SLM) is key in dealing with its adverse impacts. This paper examines the covariates that shape rural livelihood diversification and examines their effects on the intensity of adoption of SLM practices. Household-level data were collected in 2017 from 270 households in three drought-prone watersheds located in northwestern Ethiopia. We used the Herfindahl–Simpson diversity index to explore the extent of livelihood diversification. A stochastic dominance ordering was also employed to identify remunerative livelihood activities. A multivariate probit model was employed to estimate the probability of choosing simultaneous livelihood strategies, and an ordered probit model was estimated to examine the effect of livelihood diversification on the adoption intensity of SLM practices. In addition to mixed cropping and livestock production, the production of emerging cash crops (e.g., Acacia decurrens for charcoal, and khat) dominated the overall income generation of the majority of farmers. Stress/shock experience, extent of agricultural intensification, and agro-ecology significantly affected the probability of choosing certain livelihood strategies. Livelihood diversification at the household level was significantly associated with the dependency ratio, market distance, credit access, extension services, membership in community organizations, level of income, and livestock ownership. A greater extent of livelihood diversification had a significant negative effect on adopting a greater number of SLM practices, whereas it had a positive effect on lower SLM adoption intensity. Overall, we found evidence that having greater livelihood diversification could prompt households not to adopt more SLM practices. Livelihood initiatives that focus on increasing shock resilience, access to financial support mechanisms, improving livestock production, and providing quality extension services, while also considering agro-ecological differences, are needed. In addition, development planners should take into account the livelihood portfolios of rural households when trying to implement SLM policies and programs.

Reservoir Conservation in a Micro-Watershed in Tigray, Ethiopian Highlands

Soil erosion in Ethiopian highlands has caused land deterioration due to moving nutrient-rich top soil to downstream reservoirs while leaving reservoirs dysfunctional due to sedimentation. Micro-watershed management by removing reservoir sediments and using them for reclaiming farmland, while using reservoir water for irrigation, can be a potential solution to simultaneously address soil and water constraints and food security challenges. Still, there is knowledge gap before such a solution can be practically applied. The objective of this paper is to present potential solutions for the reservoir sedimentation problem and specifically highlight the utility of bathymetric survey using an echo-sounder to assess sediment volume. Our results indicated that the estimated reservoir sediment volume was 6400 m3 leading to a reclamation of 3.2 hectares by layering 0.2 m sediment. The sediment used for reclamation depicts neutral pH (7.3), high organic carbon (2.5%), available phosphorus (9.2 mg/kg) and exchangeable potassium (25 cmol(+)/kg). Garlic (Allium sativum) was planted in the reclaiming abandoned farmland and produced 7.1 t/ha of bulb on average. There is a potential of producing 2–3 horticultural crops per year. Thus, developing methods for scaling up potential farmland reclamation using reservoir sediment would contribute to degraded farmland restoration and food security in Ethiopia and beyond.

Comparing the effects of growing conditions on simulated Ethiopian tef and wheat yields

Tef and wheat are staple grains in Ethiopia and are an important part of Ethiopian food security. The DSSAT NWheat and DSSAT Tef models were used to examine the effects of nitrogen fertilizer, planting date, and atmospheric CO2 on tef and wheat grain yields across four locations in Ethiopia and a 30-year time period.Observed wheat yields were consistently higher than observed tef yields, but the models showed that tef could outproduce wheat in some low yielding scenarios. Wheat yields were more responsive to N fertilizer than tef, due to a higher harvest index causing more of the additional biomass to be allocated to grain yields. Frequently, high rainfall increased N leaching, exacerbated N stress, and reduced yields for both crops. Early planting was often detrimental to yields, except for regions and years with terminal drought and heat stress. With continuously increasing atmospheric CO2 concentrations, wheat, as a C3 crop, will further outperform tef, a C4 crop, in the future, as long as N is not limiting. Breeding for lodging resistance and a higher harvest index could significantly improve future tef yields, while higher N applications and the use of split fertilizer applications to avoid leaching would improve both tef and wheat yields. As wheat has a higher N response than tef, is more responsive to future elevated atmospheric CO2 levels, and is generally higher yielding, wheat could add more to food security in Ethiopia. However, under low input, low yielding conditions, growing tef will likely remain the preferred cereal in Ethiopia due to its higher cultural, nutritional and economic value.

Building Resilient Ecosystem and Diversifying Livelihood to Enhance Food Security in Chiro Woreda, Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia

In Ethiopia, famine is not strange. For the past forty years or so, the country has experienced recurring drought that has wiped out crops across the country. Agricultural activities, which hold the lion share of the economy, takes place in often highly degraded and vulnerable environments where there is substantial loss of vegetation, associated erosion and declining soil fertility. Moreover, huge demand for natural capital including biomass fuels exacerbates environmental degradation and affects food production. Unless inclusive response to the ongoing problem is initiated, there are concerns that the progresses that have been made in protecting the livelihoods of the poorest people in rural areas will be undermine the country’s gains in poverty reduction. To this end, the project “Integrate Landscape Management to Enhance Food Security in Ethiopia” was initiated by UNDP. It is five years project implemented by federal ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate change in six regions and specifically in two woredas of each region. Chiro woreda is one of the areas selected as project sites from Oromia regional state, Ethiopia. From the total kebeles found in woreda five were selected for the project. All relevant woreda and kebeles stockholder were participated to indentify local community problems and decide the specific interventions to enhance the objective of the project. Accordingly, the survey result has identified the potentials of the woreda to enhance food security and environmental benefits.

Food Security in Ethiopia: Review

Food Security in Ethiopia: Review

Knowledge on Improved Practices of Teff by Smallholder Farmers in Ethiopia

Teff is one of the most important crops for farm income and food security in Ethiopia. Despite the importance of teff in Ethiopia, yields are remarkably low mainly due to low adoption of improved agricultural technologies. Technical knowledge is not only valuable as an outcome impact indicator but could also serve as a reasonably reliable predictor of the adoption of management practices, particularly for crops and technologies where there is a relatively long-time lag between adoption and impact. Therefore, this study was carried out during 2016-17 to assess the knowledge of farmers on improved production practices of teff.The study used both quantitative and qualitative research approaches. Cross sectional survey research design was employed to collect data. Chaliya district was purposively selected because this district has only 46 ha under improved practices out of 6815 ha of land under teff cultivation, which is very low when compared with the other 18 districts of West Shoa zone. By using Probability Proportional to Size (PPS) and random sampling technique, 239 respondents were selected from the eight villages. The data were collected using well-structured interview schedule, key informant interviews and focus group discussions. The collected data were analysed using descriptive statistical tests. The findings revealed that majority of the respondents had no knowledge on row planting/sowing, transplanting, stages of application of Urea, optimum depth at which fertilizer is to be applied and quantity of Urea to be applied at each stage. Therefore, it is very much imperative to educate the farmers on row planting, transplanting and urea application. The extension agency must formulate the extension messages on the knowledge component of row planting, transplanting and fertilizer application while transferring the know-how.

Sustainable Tourism Development and Food Security in Ethiopia: Policy-making and Planning

ABSTRACTThe tourism-food security relationship is one of the most critical yet overlooked areas of sustainable tourism development policy, particularly for developing countries. With a view to casting light on the tourism-food security relationship, this paper presents an analysis of Ethiopia’s tourism development, with a focus on tourism policies and strategies that are linked to food security. The paper reveals that while eradicating pervasive food insecurity is a priority development concern of Ethiopia, existing tourism policy does not directly reference food security concerns. Rather, employment, income and poverty reduction are the foci of tourism policy and can be considered as, at best, implicit policy pathways to food security. The paper argues that for more effective food security, the tourism sector needs to be guided by policy prescription and instruments that mainstream food security concerns into practice.

Understanding Agriculture Production and Food Security in Ethiopia from the Perspective of China

Food security and sustainable agricultural development are the hot issues of scientific research, especially after the population affected by hunger surprisingly increased in 2016. Long-lasting and recurrent famines caused by natural disasters and wars have afflicted Ethiopia. Unlike Ethiopia, which is still struggling to achieve food self-sufficiency, China managed to quickly become food self-sufficient at a rapid speed, despite the fact that it also faced the same challenges of famine over the last century. In the backdrop of differing environmental and socio-political challenges the two countries face, comparing the similarities and differences between the two countries will yield important lessons and insights for Ethiopia to follow to achieve food self-sufficiency. Here, the progress towards food security in Ethiopia and China is presented to quantitatively compare the gap of agricultural production between both countries. We found that food production in Ethiopia is heavily constrained by drought, soil degradation, climate change, out-dated agricultural production technologies, and poverty. According to these challenges, we examined corresponding responses in China to propose solutions for achieving food self-sufficiency in Ethiopia, given the realities of its unique national situation.

Preliminary Survey of Gram-Negative Bacterial Pathogens from Commonly Caught Fish Species (Oreochromis niloticus, Cyprinus carpio and Clarias gariepinus) in Lake Hayiq, Ethiopia

A cross-sectional study was conducted from October 2016 to May 2017 on Oreochromis niloticus, Cyprinus carpio and Clarias gariepinus fish species at Lake Hayiq, North East Ethiopia with the objective of isolation and identification of major gram-negative bacterial pathogens of commonly catched fish species from Lake Hayik. A total of 98 live fishes (49 Oreochromis niloticus, 30 Cyprinus carpio and 19 Clarias gariepinus) were collected and transported to the laboratory. From the three fish species a total of 384 organ samples (96 skins, 98 gills, 94 intestines, 33 swim bladders, 19 kidneys, and 44 livers) were taken. A systematic random sampling technique was used to select the fish samples after drawn from the water. Among 384 fish organ samples 116 (30.2%) gram negative bacterial isolates were found: 9 (2.3%) Aeromonas species, 24 (6.3%) Pseudomonas species, 6 (1.6%) Enterobacter species, 29 (7.6%) Escherichia species, 4 (1.6%) Edwardsiella species, 11 (2.9%) Klebsiella species, 5 (1.3%) Proteus species, 8 (2.1%) Vibrio species, 14 (3.6%) Flavobacter species and 6 (1.6%) Salmonella species were found. Isolation among organs: Pseudomonas species, skin (33.3%), intestine (33.3%), and swim bladder (12.5%); Escherichia species: intestine (41.4%), skin (24.2%) and gill (24.2%) and Klebsiella species: liver (27.3%), gills (36.4%) were found. All the isolated bacterial species were gram-negative bacteria. From the three fish species, Oreochromis niloticus was the most affected fish species (48.2%) while Clarias gariepinus species were the least affected species (17.2%). In conclusion, majorities of those pathogens isolated and identified were very important for different fish disease outbreaks and also public health importance. But, very few and disintegrated studies with scanty data have been done whereas, it has been nowadays fishery is one of the main growth transformation plan for food security in Ethiopia. Therefore, it needs further integrated investigation on fish bacterial diseases.

The land management tool: Developing a climate service in Southwest UK

Seasonal climate forecasts (SCFs) have significant potential to support shorter-term agricultural decisions and longer-term climate adaptation plans, but uptake in Europe has to date been low. Under the European Union funded project, European Provision Of Regional Impacts Assessments on Seasonal and Decadal Timescales (EUPORIAS) we have developed the Land Management Tool (LMTool), a prototype seasonal climate service for land managers, working closely in collaboration with two stakeholder organizations, Clinton Devon Estates (CDE) and the National Farmers Union (NFU). LMTool was one of several prototype climate services selected for development within EUPORIAS, including those for the UK transport network, food security in Ethiopia, renewable energy production, hydroelectric energy production in Sweden, and river management in two French basins. The LMTool provides SCFs (1–3months ahead) to farmers in the Southwest UK, alongside 14-day site specific weather forecasts during the winter months when the skill of seasonal forecasts is greatest.We describe the processes through which the LMTool was co-designed and developed with the farmers, its technical development and key features; critically examine the lessons learned and their implications for providing future climate services for land managers; and finally assess the feasibility of delivering an operational winter seasonal climate service for UK land managers.A number of key learning points from developing the prototype may benefit future work in climate services for the land management and agriculture sector; many of these points are also valid for climate services in other sectors. Prototype development strongly benefitted from; working with intermediaries to identify representative, engaged land managers; an iterative and flexible process of co-design with the farmer group; and from an interdisciplinary project team. Further work is needed to develop a better understanding of the role of forecast skill in land management decision making, the potential benefits of downscaling and how seasonal forecasts can help support land managers decision-making processes. The prototype would require considerable work to implement a robust operational forecast system, and a longer period to demonstrate the value of the services provided. Finally, the potential for such services to be applied more widely in Europe is not well understood and would require further stakeholder engagement and forecast development.

REVIEW ON ADOPTION, TREND, POTENTIAL, AND CONSTRAINTS OF RICE PRODUCTION TO LIVELIHOOD IN ETHIOPIA

Cultivation of rice in Ethiopia is generally a recent phenomenon it was started first at Fogera and Gambella Plains in the early 1970’s, which is preceded by its utilization as a food crop. Hence the present review was to review on adoption, Trend, potential, and constraints of rice production to livelihood in Ethiopia. Although rice was introduced to the country very recently, it has proven to be a crop that can assure food security in Ethiopia. It is reported that the potential rice production area in Ethiopia is estimated to be about thirty million hectares. Since 2006, Ethiopian rice production trends show increases in both area and productivity. Considering the importance and potential of the crop, it has been recognized by the Government as “the new millennium crop of Ethiopia” to attain food security. Rice has become a commodity of strategic significance across many parts of Ethiopia for domestic consumption as well as export market for economic development. Due to the introduction of upland and irrigated rice varieties in the country, rice farming has increased from time to time. There has been twelve upland/lowland NERICAs and Sativa-type, and three irrigated rice varieties released in Ethiopia from 1999 up to 2007. However, Ethiopian rice sector still faces remaining challenges such as high competition with imported rice, poor infrastructure, insufficient mechanization and post-harvest processing technologies, lack of skilled manpower and research facilities, poor marketing infrastructure, and channels. Therefore, building the capacity of the research community, experts, smallholder farmers and the private sector is necessary not only to further increase production but also to improve the quality of rice products through better post-harvest handling and processing.

“I started working because I was hungry”: The consequences of food insecurity for children's well-being in rural Ethiopia

Food insecurity, the state of being without reliable access to a sufficient quantity of safe, nutritious food, is a persistent problem in rural Ethiopia. However, little qualitative research has explored how food insecurity affects children over time, from their point of view. What are the effects of economic ‘shocks’ such as illness, death, loss of livestock, drought and inflation on availability of food, and children's well-being? To what extent do social protection schemes (in this case, the Productive Safety Net Programme) mitigate the long-term effects of food insecurity for children? The paper uses a life-course approach, drawing on analysis of four rounds of qualitative longitudinal research conducted in 2007, 2008, 2011 and 2014, with eight case study children, as part of Young Lives, an ongoing cohort study. Children's descriptions of the importance of food and a varied diet (dietary diversity) in everyday life were expressed in a range of qualitative methods, including interviews, group discussions and creative methods. The paper suggests that while the overall picture of food security in Ethiopia has improved in the past decade, for the poorest rural families, food insecurity remains a major factor influencing decisions about a range of matters – children's time allocation, whether to continue in school, whether to migrate for work, and whether they marry. The paper argues that experiences of food insecurity need to be understood holistically, in relation to other aspects of children's lives, at differing stages of the life-course during childhood. The paper concludes that nutritional support beyond early childhood needs to be a focus of policy and programming.

English

This review aims to compile the past, present and future trends of participatory small-scale irrigation schemes (PSSIS) and small-scale rainwater harvesting technology (SSRWHT) development to ensure household food security in Ethiopia. It discusses the Ethiopian PSSIS and SSRWHT development based on the historical backgrounds, current conditions of development and its contributions to the national economy, challenges and opportunities, and future development perspectives. PSSIS and SSRWHT development has been suggested to be a central key part in curbing food scarcity and alleviating poverty not only in water scarce regions of the Ethiopia but also in many other developing countries. Government, donors and NGOs are investing in developing irrigation systems, especially on PSSIS and SSRWHT. Still irrigated land is 5 to 10% of 5.3 million hectares of irrigated potential area of country. This review indicates that, the existing current performance of PSSIS and SSRWHT development in Ethiopia is not significantly contributing to national economy of the country, when compared to rain-fed agriculture. Accordingly, irrigation sub-sector is not contributing its share based on the resources potential of the country. There is no consistent and reliable inventory data, lacks agreed reports in common consensus and well-studied and documented with regards to water and irrigations related potentials and implementations of PSSIS and SSRWHT development in the country. Key words: Eco-efficient schemes practices, irrigation users' cooperative, smallholder farmers.

Impacts of climate variability and food price volatility on household income and food security of farm households in East and West Africa

This paper provides an ex-ante assessment of the impacts of climate and price variability on household income and food security in Ethiopia and Ghana. The study applies an agent-based modelling approach to highlight the role of coping and adaptation strategies under climate and price variability. Our simulation results show that climate and price variability adversely affects income and food security of households in both countries. Self-coping mechanisms are found to be important but insufficient to mitigate the adverse effects of variability, implying the need for policy interventions. Adaptation strategies composed of a portfolio of actions such as the provision of production credit and access to improved seeds are found to be effective in reducing the impacts of climate and price variability in Ethiopia. Similarly, policy interventions aimed at improving the provision of short-term production credit along with the existing irrigation facilities are important in Ghana. Finally, this study highlights the importance of capturing the distributional aspects of adaptation options by highlighting heterogeneous effects of variability and adaptation options.

Effect of Social Networks on Food Security Status: The Case of Maize Producing Farmers in Ethiopia

Social networks are said to play crucial role in improving livelihoods. Farming communities in Ethiopia have strong social networks which provided them a means to exchange information, resources and serve them as a mechanism for ensuring social safety-net. This study was conducted with an objective of investigating whether social network have role in improving food security status of farm households. The study used data collected from 830 households in major maize growing regions of Ethiopia; namely, Oromia, SNNP and Benishangul Gumuz. Six variables that explain social network were included in a multinomial logit model to influence their effect on status of food security. Households were categorized in four food security status category (Food shortage throughout the year, Occasional food shortage, No food shortage but no surplus-self-sufficient and Food surplus). The model estimate indicated two social network variables: No of relatives living within village HH depend on for information and support & No of non-relatives living within village HH depend on for information and support, were found significantly influencing food security indicating that food security play role in improving food security in Ethiopia.

Evaluation of Maize Variety for Ear Rot (Fusarium graminearum) in South Omo Zone of Ethiopia

Maize is a staple food crop which plays a great role in food security in Ethiopia. It is affected by many diseases which reduces yield. Mycotoxin contamination of maize grain (Zea Mays L.) is a global threat to safety both for human food and animal feed. Mycotoxins are secondary metabolites produced by fungi, which may be toxic or have other debilitating effects on living organisms. The major control methods are use of relative resistant or tolerant varieties mean that varieties with tight husk coverage, harvest on the time, proper storage and good crop management. An experiment conducted on experimental field of Jinka Agricultural Research Center to evaluate 12 improved maize varieties and one local check using Randomized Complete Block Design with three replications. The objective of the study was to select maize variety /varieties resistant/tolerant to ear rot. The variety BH660 and BH540 was highly resistant compare to the other tested varieties with the incidence of 19.00% and 14.66% and a grain yield of 3.70kg/plot and 3.79kg/plot respectively. The varieties BH543, Melkassa7 and BH661 were susceptible with the incidence of 64.00%, 50.13%, and 64.33% and their grain yields were of 3.37kg/plot,2.62kg/plot and 3.62kg/plot respectively. On the other hand BHQPY545 and local check were susceptible to ear rot but their yields were 4.05kg/plot and 3.84kg/plot respectively. This indicates that the local check and BHQPY545 were able to tolerate high disease pressure. Therefore, the variety BHQPY545 is recommended for mid land maize production areas of South Omo zone.

English

Maize (Zea mays L.) plays a critical role in smallholder farmers for food security in Ethiopia. So far, maize variety selection was done without much consideration of farmers' interest. However, farmers have indigenous knowledge to select best performing varieties which suit their environments. This study was aimed to identify more number of preferred maize varieties by farmers in a shorter time (than the conventional system), in accelerating their dissemination and increasing cultivar diversity in Pawe and Guangua district. Ten materials including standard check were evaluated using randomized complete block design (RCBD) design with two replication of two row plot on station and non-replicated three row plots on two farmers’ field at Pawe and Guangua district in 2013 cropping season. Both men and women participated in the selection process. At silking, farmers put termite resistance, striga resistance, disease resistance, uniformity, vigorisity, lodging and earliness as criteria during evaluation. In the overall, the top three genotypes were entry 7 (CML395/CML202//CML464), entry 10 (BH547) and entry 4 (DE-78-Z-126-3-2-2-11(g)/CML312//ILOOE-1-9-1-1-1-1-1). The evaluations mean score value for each genotype ranged from 3.6 to 4.9. Entry 7 (4.9) scored the highest value and the lowest was scored by entry 1 (3.6) and 5 (3.6). The genotypes did not show any significant varied stand count at harvest. On the other hand, significant difference was observed among genotypes for plant height, plant aspect, ear aspect, number of cobs and yield. The results revealed that farmers’ preferences in some cases coincide with the breeders’ selection. However, farmers have shown their own skill in selecting a variety for their localities. Hence, it is a paramount importance to include farmers in a variety of selection process. Key words: Maize, participatory, varietal selection.