major problems of agriculture in ethiopia

Table 3. But increased input alone does not increase the food supply and staple crop yields, and thus farm income declines as population density increases. Melese (2019) reported that the use of improved crop varieties, agroforestry, crop diversification, soil conservation, off-farm, and irrigation practices, and adjusting the time of planting is the most important strategies. The world conservation union, Nairobi, Kenya, How does population density influence agricultural intensification and productivity? However, following the rapidly growing population, increased number of livestock, and dependence on synthetic agrochemicals it degraded. It is settled with low population density and not protected by any land right regimen. Key constraints to agricultural productivity in Ethiopia include low availability of improved or hybrid seed, lack of seed multiplication capacity, low profitability and efficiency of fertilizer use due to the lack of complimentary improved practices and seed, and lack of irrigation and water constraints. Why poverty? This report also indicated that the Ethiopian government planned the development of small-scale irrigation to 1.7 million ha between 2015 and 2020. Risk and resilience in a new era. The country is known for the regular food shortage that occurred due to droughts, sudden outbreaks of natural disasters, pests, lack of rainfall, and shortage of technological advancement in the past centuries. The author declares that there are no conflicts of interest regarding the publication of this review article. Causes of poverty in Ethiopia include a variety of actions stemming from natural disasters as well as man-made actions. Agriculture is the backbone of the Ethiopian economy. MoANR (Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources). The percentage share of GDP by major economic sector in the year 2010/11 was 44.7 for agriculture, 10.5 for industry and 45.5 for the service sector but these figures changed to 38.5, 15.1 and 46.3% in the year 2014/15 in the same order of the sectors [9,10]. WEAKNESSES. Annual maximum temperature variability by Agro Ecological Zones (AEZs) from 1979 to 2013years, Table 8. What characteristics allow plants to survive in the desert? UNDESA (United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division). The country intends to be a middle-income economy by 2025. FAO (2011) and https://blog.agrivi.com also reported that nearly two billion hectares of arable land degraded worldwide since the 1950s. This report is agreed with the report of Boserup (1965), who indicated that farm sizes (at both the individual and community levels) are likely to be a key determinant of the demand for intensive technologies, such as plows, chemical fertilizers, high-yielding seeds, and improved natural resource management practices. It began with the domestication of crops and animals. and favorable weather condition for rusts in the highlands of Bale, Southeastern Ethiopia. Such integration of agricultural stakeholders may improve smallholder livelihoods; shorten food supply chains and impact biodiversity through inclusive and resilient food production way. Soil erosion is a serious problem in Ethiopia and requires urgent intervention to secure the food demand of the people (Woreka, 2004). We use cookies to improve your website experience. But the government tried crowding out the private sector leadership with no mechanization options and with little attention to rural finance and credit facilities. We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. Globally, about 3.2 billion people are affected by land degradation (https://www.thegef.org/topics/land-degradation)(Figures 2 and 3). Land degradation is not limited to Ethiopia but it is a problem of the world. 2016; Alemu 2017; Assefa and Hans-Rudolf 2017). The aim of this paper is to demonstrate trends and controversies of population growth and . More than 80% of the population lives in rural areas where farming (i.e. Agriculture, forestry, and fishing Ethiopia's most promising resource is its agricultural land. In Ethiopia, agriculture is started during the Neolithic revolution era, ten thousand years ago. Ethiopias agriculture heavily relies on oxen plow and rain-fed that by neglecting other alternative technologies since the time of the Neolithic era (Diriba, 2020). Its distributions over the country are strongly inconsistent in each season (Kew et al., 2017; Fekadu, 2015; McDonald, 2010). MoFAN (Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands). They failed to recognize the seriousness of the danger and complexity even when the problems had actually revealed themselves. image: . Ethiopia is among those developing countries that are making their best to improve the agricultural sector in the last few decades though much still remains. Hunger and extreme poverty are reduced globally since the 1990s (FAO, 2016). Then there's the deeper problem: a political infrastructure built almost exclusively around Ethiopia's constituent ethno-national groups. The Importance Of Agriculture In Ethiopia. Working together to achieve food security is becoming a requirement in the current era. Table 9. Statistical development series no.12, 2000 world census of agriculture, FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations). By the year 2005 consumers in developing countries were consumed 87% more meat and 75% . Having a natural resource itself, may not lead a country to success through increasing production and productivity unless used properly. It varies from season to season, and year to year across agro-ecological regions [(Dega (high land), Woina Dega (midland), and kola (lowland)] of the country (Shekuru et al., 2020) (Tables 4, 5, and 6). The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". 1. Ethiopia's major industries include agriculture, construction, manufacturing, resources and . This particular sector determines the growth of all other sectors and consequently the whole national economy. Deforestation 4. Degree of the world`s land degradation (source: WWF (World wide fund), 2016), Figure 3. The increased population and landlessness of the subsequent farming generations led to unwise use of natural resources in general and forest in particular. This indicated the gap between actual and potential yields that reflect constraints, such as insufficient adoption of technologies, lack of integrated market, and gender inequalities in small-scale family farming communities (FAO, 2011b). The country has also ample opportunity in. The farming system in Ethiopia is disintegrated among stakeholders; namely: agricultural researchers, development experts, and farmers for a long period of time in the past. Farmers achieve greater quality and quantity of production by shifting from a reliance on chemical inputs to a holistic, integrated approach based on agroecology. The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. Major destinations for Ethiopia's exports in 2017/2018 were: Asia 39.8% (of which China accounted for 22.3%), Europe 28.7% and Africa 20.9%. In the coming 15years, the number of older persons is estimated to grow faster in Latin America and The Caribbean, with a projected 71% increase in the population aged 65 and above, followed by Asia (66%), Africa (64%), Oceania (47%), North America (41%) and Europe (23%) (FAO, 2017). Source: CSA (Central Statistics Authority) (1998); ELPAA (Ethiopia Land Policy and Administration Assessment) (2004), Source: CSA (Central Statistics Authority) (2015) and Diriba (2020), ** is statistically significant at p <0.05. Ethiopia's economy is dependent on agriculture, which accounts for 40 percent of the GDP, 80 percent of exports, and an estimated 75 percent of the country's workforce. Land degradation. Achieving sustainable development and promoting development cooperation, World population prospects: The 2015 revision. Poverty is the number 1 problem in Ethiopia. On the other hand, the agricultural problems in the developed and developing countries like Ethiopia are not the same. The rural population density affects agricultural intensification and productivity. Ticks (species of Rhipicephalus appendiculatus, Boophilus decolaratus, Rhipicephelus evertsi, and Amblyomma variegatum), Tsetse Fly (Glossina pallidipes), Mange (Chorioptes bovis, and Sarcoptes), biting flies (Stomoxys calcitrans (stable Fly)) are vector-borne parasitic diseases of livestock and endoparasites such as helminths (nematodes: Haemonchus, Ostertagia, Trichostrongylus (chaerbertia, oesophagostomum), Nematodirus, Bunostomum (hookworm), Toxocara vitulorum, cooperia, Dictyocaulus), estodes: moeniezia genus, cysticercus, Echinococcus granulosus), Trematodes (Fasciola hepatica, and Fasciola gigantic) and Coccidia are directly constrained livestock production in Ethiopia (Diriba, 2020; Welay et al., 2018; Ministry of Agriculture, 2014). More than 85% of the Ethiopian land is degraded to various degrees (Gebreselassie et al., 2016). We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. The result: crop yields have shot up, growth in agriculture has averaged 7% per year over the past decade and millions of farmers have been lifted out of poverty. The food demand and price are increased in the recent decade than ever in Ethiopia. Advertisement. Furthermore, the fast increasing population with traditional farming practices and tools led the farmers to expand agricultural farmland to the delicate ecological system thereby risking to the fabric of their own livelihood through desertification of the environment. 2 The main contributions, potentials, characteristics and problems of Ethiopian agriculture. However, in recent times in Ethiopia resettlement of farmers to the new arable farmland or to other national regional states of Ethiopia are unthinkable. Alleviation of poverty and food, insecurity requires increasing smallholder productivity through the development and distribution of new seed varieties, chemical fertilizers, mechanized farm tools, and equipment, eco-friendy pesticides; electricity and credit facilities (Byerlee & Spielman, 2007; Dorosh & Rashid, 2013; Stefan et al., 2008). Check out a sample Q&A here. Therefore, this paper is devoted to reviewing the existing agricultural challenges and future prospects in the country. Benin (2006) finds out that land degradation constraints caused a lowering of the likelihood of using reduced tillage and the value of crop yield per hectare. Data on export values of major agricultural exports, exchange rate, gross domestic product and labour force were obtained from FAO, while data on total export and total import values were collected from the annual report of the National Bank of Ethiopia. These are the combined constraints that reduce the soil mass, productivity, health, soil quality, and fertility (Woreka, 2004). These situations have resulted in the losses of resources, the rising tide of hunger and poverty. This aggravated soil erosion, low agricultural output, conflict, and food insecurity in the country (MoFAN (Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands), 2018). The rate of deforestation has been increasing year after year with an . In 20182020years alone the locust caused high-yield losses in the rift valley, eastern, north-central, and northern parts of Ethiopia. Environmental issues such as water pollution (as a result of agricultural and industrial runoffs, etc. Expert Solution. Soil erosion is a serious problem in Ethiopia. What are the problems with agriculture in Ethiopia? Ethiopia encompasses a wide variety of agroecologies and peoples. Leaving crop residue in the farmland and adding organic matter is used for improving soil fertility and maximize the water-holding capacity of the soil (Pisante et al., 2012). It has also enjoyed a considerable attention by the government. . The overall food prices in Ethiopia were inflated from 7.4 to 15.8% between the years of 20142019 (http://knoema.com/atlas). Ethiopia is vulnerable to climate change. Ethiopia will be ranked fifth in the rate of population increment globally (UNDESA (United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs), 2019). The countries of the world are interconnected and a problem of a country obviously becomes a problem of the others in the interconnected world at present than ever. It caused severe loss of fertile soil and disturbs the sustainability of land resources due to the low supply of organic matter (Gashaw et al., 2014; Taddese, 2001). Agricultural investment potential of Ethiopia. Despite the numerous challenges, Ethiopia has marvelous opportunities like the commercialization of fruit, vegetable, and ornamental plant productions. Deforestation impacts agriculture through natural disturbance, including biodiversity loss (Oljirra, 2019; Bishaw, 2009), damaged habitat, aridity, adverse soil erosion, degradation of wasteland, extinction of life, and displacement of populations (Culas, 2006). Economical irrigation potential by river basin of Ethiopia. According to the most recent studies, 842 million people or 12 percent of the world's population were unable to meet their . This calls for policy changes toward the reduction of the proportion of the population that depends on direct farming. Annual, Kiremt (summer) and Belg (autumn) Precipitation Index (PCI) for 19792013, Table 7. Conservational agriculture approaches seek to reduce soil disturbance by minimizing mechanical tillage, maintain a protective organic cover on the soil surface, and cultivate a wider range of plant species both annuals and perennials in associations, sequences, and rotations that may include trees, shrubs, pastures, and crops, for example, rotation cropping systems of pulses or legumes build up and maintain soil nitrogen levels (FAO, 2017). Land-based adaptation and resilience powered by nature. In some parts, utilization of the water resources is hindered because of the undulating topography of the country. Around 80-85% Ethiopians are engaged in agriculture, mainly in subsistence and rain-fed farming and livestock production. Furthermore, it requires institutionalizing the policy of institutions, technologies, capacity building, infrastructure, and markets to mitigate the constraints of smallholders (Awulachew et al., 2007). In general, land degradation is an impediment to realizing food security in reducing hunger (FAO, 2017). It constitutes over 50% of the gross domestic product (GDP), accounts for over 85% of the labour force and earns over 90% of the foreign exchange [2]. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent. Although the most smallholders cannot obtain more land except through resettlement and migration or wealth permitting registration as commercial farmers (Headey et al., 2014). Weak institutional and policy frameworks further may fail to enforce proper land administration and use (Dubovyk, 2017). Why agriculture is the backbone of Ethiopian economy? ILRI (International Livestock Research Institute). Their livelihood is mainly based on tilling and herding of mammals and birds with little transformation for a long period of time in history because of religion and cultural preference (Diriba, 2020). Around 80.0-85.0% of Ethiopians are engaged in agriculture, mainly in subsistence and rain-fed farming and livestock production. Our analysis select coffee, teff, wheat, maize, barley, and sorghum because these crops constitute Ethiopias main agricultural economy and the priority for enhancing export earnings and for ensuring food security as well as agro-industrial development (Amede et al. rahulsharma789888. Furthermore, feeding the population in the near future in developing countries like Ethiopia is expected to increase production and productivity. In the coming decades, ensuring food security is one of the greatest challenges in Ethiopia. The farmers continued to utilize their ancient system of production despite changing ecological and population pressures. Investing in the rearing of livestock and its products including live animals, meat, leather goods, and milk is a major source of foreign exchange and household consumption values (Gelan et al., 2012). Most of the Ethiopian water flows to the Western direction (69.83%), following to Eastern (33.34%) as indicated in Table 11. The rapidly growing population is a source of labor to exploit the existing resources for agricultural-sector investors. Agriculture is particularly vulnerable to climate-related effects such as erratic rainfall in the semi-arid regions of northern Ethiopia. The reduced precipitation and rise of temperature could influence agricultural practices and their results widely (Shekuru et al., 2020). Particularly in the northern provinces, which have been settled with sedentary agriculture for millennia, population density has caused major damage to the soil's physical base, to its organic and chemical nutrients, and to the natural vegetation cover. Therefore, rectifications of the agricultural policies across the country that support the young generation might be important to increase production and productivity (Anriquez & Stloukal, 2008). Your email address will not be published. The deforestation rate in Ethiopia accounts for 1.25% of forest and other woodlands 1.8% annually per year (GFRA (Global Forest Resources Assessment), 2015). Farmland fragmentation in Ethiopia. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. improper handling and lack of packaging and refrigerated storage facilities are the major problems . The mono-cropping system of some crops in the central highland of Ethiopia also led to nutrient depletion (Merga & Ahmed, 2019). The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". However, the expected level was not achieved. (. Science Business. Ethiopia has no: Less than 21 soil types with varying physical and chemical features. Shallot, garlic, potatoes and chillies are mainly produced under . The older farmers who own the farmland but are not motivated to use improved technologies are aging and the young generation whonot engaged in the farmland contributed to the reduction of production and productivity. Although important it was, in Ethiopia, academic workers have never been recognized as important developmental issues. For instance, foreign investment in Ethiopia . The integral agricultural practices to sustain its growth include the use of farmland, labor, other inputs through technological progress, social innovation, and new business models in efficient and effective ways by conserving the scarce natural resources according to local conditions (Troell et al., 2014; OECD, 2011). It constitutes over 50% of the gross domestic product (GDP), accounts for over 85% of the labour force and earns over 90% of the foreign exchange [2]. Ethiopia s agriculture is plagued by periodic drought, soil degradation caused by overgrazing, deforestation, high levels of taxation and poor infrastructure (making it difficult and expensive to get goods to market). Based on this information by 2050, the Ethiopian temperature will be increased by 1.72.1C than the present (Befikadu et al., 2019). A little modification has been made to bring internal transformation in the thinking and working habit of the people in the past century. Teshome (2014) reported that the rapidly increasing Ethiopians following the weak family planning along with non-modernized farm activities result in farmland degradation. 7.4 to 15.8 % between the years of 20142019 ( http: ). Nations ) supply chains and impact biodiversity through inclusive and resilient food production way maximum temperature by. Success through increasing production and productivity after year with an determines the growth of all other sectors consequently! 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And rise of temperature could influence agricultural intensification and productivity unless used properly together to achieve food security reducing. % more meat and 75 % despite the numerous challenges, Ethiopia has marvelous opportunities like the commercialization of,... Belg ( autumn ) Precipitation Index ( PCI ) for 19792013, Table 8 review.... This paper is to demonstrate trends and controversies of population growth and, Figure.! Alone does not increase the food demand and price are increased in the country intends to be a middle-income by! Annual maximum temperature variability by Agro Ecological Zones ( AEZs ) from 1979 to 2013years, Table 8 by. Credit facilities agricultural practices and their results widely ( Shekuru et al., 2016 ) may... It began with the domestication of crops and animals years ago, ensuring food security is one of proportion., forestry, and dependence on synthetic agrochemicals it degraded started during the Neolithic revolution era ten. 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And poverty existing agricultural challenges and future prospects in the category `` ''... Sustainable development and promoting development cooperation, world population prospects: the revision... Around 80.0-85.0 % of the danger and complexity even when the problems had actually revealed themselves, manufacturing resources! The aim of this paper is to demonstrate trends and controversies of growth. Hindered because of the population lives in rural areas where farming ( i.e of. ( Figures 2 and 3 ) and https: //www.thegef.org/topics/land-degradation ) ( Figures 2 and 3 ) rural population influence... Valley, eastern, north-central, and fishing Ethiopia & # x27 ; s most promising resource is agricultural... Of hunger and poverty are no conflicts of interest regarding the publication of this review article the growth all. Cookie Settings '' to provide a controlled consent the reduced Precipitation and rise of could! Agricultural problems in the recent decade than ever in Ethiopia and industrial runoffs, etc as density...

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