The Interface Between Risks And Farmer Livelihood Diversification of Mount Choke Community: The Case of Sinan District In Amhara Regional State
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Date
2008-06
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Addis Ababauniversity
Abstract
Agriculture is the economic bedrock of most-low income countries like Ethiopia. Its growth
is critical as over 60% of the people (more than 96% ill the study area) who depend on
agriculture for their livelihoods and live on less thall one dollar a day in rural areas. As
evidenced in the highlands of Ethiopia, the trellds of economic activities are threatening
biodiversity and posing significallt risks to livelihoods. This notion of risk as linked to
livelihood diversification ill the highlands of Mt. Choke is the celltre of the study. The study
utilized both qualitative and quantitative methods of data collection and analysis. To
gather data, 100 households were randomly selected from three kebeles of Sillan District in
East Gojam. It was assumed that not only environmental risks such as land degradation,
erosion and diseases affect the killd as well as the degree of livelihood activities but also
the types of activities the HHs carry out result in risks instead of building their asset
portfolio. [11 the process, data reduction for independent variables was done by factor
analysis (principal component extraction method). The analysis shows that the socioeconomic
conditions of the HHs determine the individual as well as community level
exposure to risks and the degree of HHs' engagement in a number of livelihood optiolls.
The results demonstrate that asset endowments, locational settings and the chosen
livelihood strategies influence one another and determine the exposure and occurrence of
risks. In testing, chi-square shows that there is not significant association between
farm/non-jarm activities and various socio-economic characteristics among HHs who face
similar hazards ill the highlands. The analysis also forwards that environmental risks are
the most felt and observed risks that impact the livelihood activities alld the wellbeing of
the HHs as compared to others. When more of social and economic risks are persistenl,
diversification becomes inexistent and seeking external help will be in place. [II this way,
the effect of one 011 the other (risk 011 livelihood diversificmion and livelihood
diversification on risk) is the fUllction of the complex interwoven highland livelihood
system that depends 011 the depleted natural resources which are the only means in the
constrained 1I0n-jarm activities due to poor natural endowments alld poor basic service
provision. The degree differs based on the type of risks (covariate or idiosyncratic) and
activities that persist among different groups of society. What is more, it was found out that
the chronic the risks and the poorer the HHs, the less is the livelihood diversification. The
impetus of the findings is that a sound understanding of the high/and peasants' risk
perceptions of the highland community in relation to livelihood diversification in response
to various types of risks is critical for developing sustainable livelihood practices and
programmes. They also forward the importance of tackling, in all integrated and
sustainable way, the multifaceted problems that the peasants face in a fragile ecosystem on
which the poor smallholders rely based 011 the local level reality.
Keywords: Risk, risk perception, livelihood diversification, sustainable li velihood
smallholder peasants
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Keywords
Risk, risk perception, livelihood diversification, sustainable li velihoodsmallholder peasants