Browsing by Author "Aleine, Gemeda"

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    The Role of Farm Power in Accelerating Agricultural Production in Hetosa Wereda Arsi Zone
    (Addis Ababa University, 1998-06) Aleine, Gemeda; Mulugeta, Solomon (PhD)
    This study examines the role of farm power in accelerating agricultural production. It focuses on farm power sources, their amount, ro le and integration on the one hand and problems constraining their wise and efficient use on the other. The research made use of both secondary and primary data sources. The secondary data are used for macro level analysis while the primary data served the project level evaluation. The primary data sources are 221 households, i.e. 189 smallholder farmers and 32 tractor-hire service owners from 6 PAs and the whole wereda, respectively. The results indicate that there are three sources of farm power (human, animal and mechanical) each of them having the ir own problems and prospects in accelerating agricultural production. Regarding human farm power, the study shows that farm households are sources of agricultural power and labor requirement varies across seasons, type of crop mix, farm implements used and farming systems with labor shortage and surplus periods. Added to these, the mechanism of labor allocation which is based on sex and age appears to be rational. As to animal farm power, the survey reveals that animal traction is creeping towards a deepening crises because of a serious of consequences such as rapid population growth, need for more production, lateral expansion of agricultural land by swallowing grazing lands, animal feed scarcity in quantity and quality, emaciation of animals and low animal performance, coming one after another. The end results of these phenomena have been low farm power input and production output. With regard to mechanical farm power, theresearch indicates that there is a need for adoption in the face of efficient resources use, declining traction power and the des ire to get agriculture moving. However, the environment for adoption of mechanization has not sufficiently matured. Finally, the study concludes by suggesting the need for active family planning systems and affordable services, rational livestock management and efficient use, and creation of enabling environment for gradual adoption and development of mechanization