Browsing by Author "Tefera, Nigussie"

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    The Productivity & Profitability of Wheat and Teff Technologies in Selected Villages of Ethiopia
    (A.A.U, 2001-06) Tefera, Nigussie; Demeke, Mulat (Dr)
    This study examines the productivity and profitability of teff and wheat technologies in selected villages of Ethiopia, namely sribana-Goderi, Eteya, Shashemene and Yetmen using Cobb- Dauglass production function model. The paper indicated improved seed varieties, recommended rate of DAP and Urea, farming management (practices) and environmental factors have a significant positive impact on productivity. In addition, land under new extension system resulted in better yield responses than farmers' practices. The study showed that most farmers did not use improved seed varieties and recommended rate of Urea and DAP which enhance productivity and profitability. High costs of improved seeds and fertilizer, lack of money for down payment, lack of credit and loans etc were reasoned out as the major one. the paper also established that the existing technology package was profitable if land cost was not considered. If land cost was included most of the farmers earned profit less than the market wage rate except Sirbana-Godeti farmers. Thus, hiring-out labor is more preferable than renting-in for landless farmers. This paper concluded that emphasis should be directed towards the transformation of the agricultural sector through application of more productive technologies. agricultural development Unit (CADU, later called Arssi regional development unit, ARDU). It was established in 1967 through a cooperation agreement between Ethiopian government and the swedish international development authority (SIDA). The second was the Wellamo Agricultural Development Unit (WADU) that was .established in 1970 through World Bank assistance. WADU was followed by the Ada district development Project (ADDP), which began operation in 1972 and was assisted by United States Agency for International development (US AID). however, the experience gained from CADU' and to some extent from WADU as early as 1970 proved that the intensive package programs were too costly in terms of manpower and financial resources for large-scale expansion. An alternative strategy, more commensurate with the resources of the nation, had to be Oesigned. This alternative strategy was called the Minimum Package Project (MPP) and was launched in 1971 with technical assistance from SIDA. The MPP was designed to reach a large number of farmers with few "proven" innovations that have been developed or tested by intensive package projects and/or agricultural research institutes of the nation. The proven innovations essentially consisted of fertilizer, improved varieties of cereals, and the accompanying cultural practices i.e. method and rate of application of fertilizer, sowing rate and sowing dates of the improved varieties of seeds. The approach employed in MPP was supposed to be less costly on per farmer bases than CADD, WADU, or ADDP. But evaluation of the project proved that its objectives was not achieved since the expansion of commercial farming seriously constrained the impact of the projects on smallholders agriculture [Mulat, 1989; Dejene 1999].