3 What is constraints of Ethiopian agriculture? Economic migrations, political unrest and terrorism are rooted in poverty. This report also argued that the farmers are barely able to feed their families and contributed to further environmental deterioration. We use cookies to improve your website experience. According to Infomineo (2016), the key agricultural sectors in Ethiopia are the following: Coffee & tea; Ethiopia has a great potential for coffee production, thanks to the country's abundant rainfall, optimum temperatures, conducive altitude, and fertile soil. It also declines the levels of arable land availability (Campbell, 2011; Pender et al., 2006). 7 How much of Ethiopias land is under cultivation? The majority of insect pests of economic importance in Ethiopia belong to the category of regular based on their occurrence as indicated in Table 9. The rapid population growth and the higher proportion of the youth are the current challenges facing Ethiopia as these younger generations are landless. But increased input alone does not increase the food supply and staple crop yields, and thus farm income declines as population density increases. Agriculture (70% of employment, but 40% of GDP) is not very productive and is sensitive to weather conditions and changes in world commodity prices. Expert Solution. (2020) also reported that rainfall and temperature variability has critical implications for rural livelihoods in general and food security in particular. 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. Improving irrigation technology like water harvesting technology is the best option to reduce water losses and improve water use efficiency from the soil-plant system. Ethiopia seed system development strategy, Water resources and irrigation development in Ethiopia, International Water Management Institute (IWMI), Theoretical and empirical review of Ethiopian water resource potentials, challenges and future development opportunities, Proxy global assessment of land degradation, review article, Challenges and potential of future agricultural development in Jordan: Role of education and entrepreneurship, Climate variability and farmers Perception in Southern Ethiopia, Projecting Ethiopian demographics from 20122050 using the spectrum suite of models, Livelihood options of landless households and land contracts in north-west Ethiopia, Policies and programs affecting land management practices, input use, and productivity in the highlands of Amhara region, Ethiopia, International Food Policy Research Institute, Surface water and groundwater resources of Ethiopia: Potentials and challenges of water resources development, Deforestation and land degradation in the Ethiopian Highlands: A strategy for physical recovery, Deforestation and land degradation in the Ethiopian highlands: A strategy for physical recovery, Policies to promote cereal intensification in Ethiopia: A review of evidence and experience, The Future Prospects for Global Arable Land, CSIRO Plant Industry, CRC Tropical Plant Protection, University of Queensland. 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. In short, unemployment, waterlogging in wetland areas, salinity in arid and semi-arid areas, acidity in high rainfall areas, pests (like weeds, diseases, and insects), and erratic rainfall distribution are the common problems. 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. In addition, the country's agriculture highly depends on rain-fed. One of the keys will be changing the way agriculture is financed and incentivized. Working together to achieve food security is becoming a requirement in the current era. The Government of Ethiopia (GOE) has identified key priority intervention areas to increase productivity of smallholder farms and expand large-scale commercial farms. It is the water towers of East Africa that can be used for irrigation agriculture and more importantly hydroelectric power for East African countries in an attempt to address the problem related to global warming. Within the country, there is a lack of improved seeds, pesticides, fertilizers and irrigation. Although important it was, in Ethiopia, academic workers have never been recognized as important developmental issues. UNCCD (United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification). The rapidly growing population is a source of labor to exploit the existing resources for agricultural-sector investors. Only 2% of smallholder land is irrigated and as little as 3.7% have access to agricultural machinery. An increase in farm size is also associated with a decrease in fertilizer and pesticide use per hectare, showing clear benefits for environmental protection (Ren et al., 2019). Feed shortage was the primary constraint in both areas. They may forceto cut down the tree to make charcoal. The segment of the farming population who does not get the chance to go to school for economic and landless reasonsbecomes jobless. This is because of the rapid increment of population, change of fertile farmland to construction for the urban dwellers, climate change, decline of available natural resources, inflation of basic needs, young unemployment, political turmoil, and civil conflict (Alemu & Mengistu, 2019; FTF (Feed the Future), 2018; Simane et al., 2016). In Ethiopia, the scarcity of arable farmland and landlessness increased than ever in general and very high in the highland areas in particular (Diriba, 2020). These led to soil fertility depletion and crop productivity reduction in the country by different soil degradation agents. This isconstrained by abiotic and biotic factors. The author is not aware of any affiliations, memberships, funding, or financial holdings that might be perceived as affecting the objectivity of this review. A little modification has been made to bring internal transformation in the thinking and working habit of the people in the past century. Issues impacting agriculture identified in the survey include: Supplying the growing global demand for commodities arising from developing economies and world population growth Availability and price of land for expansion New government mandates and regulations Stability, development and fluctuations in global financial markets Examples of major regular insect pests in Ethiopia. However, in recent times in Ethiopia resettlement of farmers to the new arable farmland or to other national regional states of Ethiopia are unthinkable. However, in contrast to this finding, Aragie (2013) reported that in the past four decades the annual temperature increased by 0.37C per decade. Table 11. It accounts for about 33% of the land area (FAO , 2015). Ethiopia. Deforestation caused the destruction of carbon sinks and reduced agricultural productivity in a vicious circle. FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations). Ethiopia has a high-level strategy to pursue agriculture-based industrialisation with a goal of achieving middle income country status by 2025 with no net increase in carbon emissions. Over the centuries, deforestation, overgrazing, and practices such as cultivation of slopes not suited to agriculture have eroded the soil, a situation that worsened considerably during the 1970s and 1980s, especially in Eritrea, Tigray, and parts of Gondar and Wollo. Most of the Ethiopian farmers have farmland that is fragmented into two to three plots or parcels (Table 3). Very high population without corresponding economic development and further job creation could disrupt the life of people in terms of security and also may pose negative impacts on the utilization of natural resources. The already small size farmland of a family is further fragmented into very small pieces of land when the children inherited since it divided among themselves. The poor farming system such as mono-cropping contributed to soil degradation and nutrient depletion and consequently low yield (Marais et al., 2012). The cost is too expensive and sometimes lost half of the farmer's profit. Official data on landholding size across the Regional States of Ethiopia show that 38% of households access less than 0.5hectares of land, 23.65% access between 0.51 and 1.0hectares, 24% between 1 and 2ha, and 14% have more than 2hectares of land (Diriba, 2020) (Tables 1 and 2). Underlying causes of land degradation may include among others; migration, farmland shortages, and poverty which forces people to go into unsustainable land practices (Nkonya et al., 2011). The interaction between human population and agricultural production is complex.Intense debates have been continued on population growth against agricultural development. Soil erosion has been one of the country's major problems. Ethiopia one of the fastest-growing economies in the continent. What is Ethiopia weakness? A rural community settlement has another negative impact on the utilization of farmlands for mechanization. The political unrest was expressed in frequent protests that resulted in the loss of the existing resources of both private and public such as mechanized farm equipment, shelters, floriculture, personal house, shops, materials, other farm equipment, and tools of the researchers institute and campaigns are a real crisis of visions that could bring a total failure of understanding, and unwilling to work devotional following this unrest and harassment especially discouraging private investors in the agricultural sector (FAO, 2019; ILRI (International Livestock Research Institute), 2017; ATA, 2014; ATA, 2013). 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. MoARD (Ministry of Agricultural and Rural Development). 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. Therefore, this paper is devoted to reviewing agricultural challenges and prospects in Ethiopia based on the available literature. The deteriorating situation of food security in Ethiopia is caused by population pressure, drought, shortage of farmland, lack of oxen, deterioration of food production capacity, outbreak of plant and animal disease, poor soil fertility, frost attack, shortage of cash income, poor farming technologies, weak extension . This particular sector determines the growth of all other sectors and consequently the whole national economy. A research report on land tenure and agricultural development in Ethiopia. Following climate change, the small-scale, and landless farmers migrate to the urban to seek other employment opportunities, especially male members of rural households, which is leading, in turn, to the feminization of farming in many parts of the world (FAO, 2017). The country has also a great variety of climate and soil types that enables it to grow a diversity of horticultural crops. This is why they are unable to sustain the demand of rising rural population density as the farm sizes declined (Josephson et al., 2014). About 80% of Ethiopia's people work in agriculture. The population of Sub-Saharan Africa countries projected to be doubled by 2050 (increased by 99%) (UNDESA, 2015). Soil erosion is an endogenous factor that happened during heavy rainfall and wind. Annual minimum temperature variability by AEZs (19792013). How much of Ethiopias land is under cultivation? Coffee is the largest foreign exchange earner. Ethiopia's HIV/AIDS adult prevalence rate hovers around 1.1%. 1. Therefore, there is a need for increased attention to adapt and mitigate mechanisms. Then there's the deeper problem: a political infrastructure built almost exclusively around Ethiopia's constituent ethno-national groups. Weak institutional and policy frameworks further may fail to enforce proper land administration and use (Dubovyk, 2017). Land constraints and agricultural intensification in Ethiopia: A village-level analysis of high-potential areas. Over 60% of Ethiopian coffee is produced as forest coffee, and therefore the use . Migration may affect the policies, jobs, and lifestyles of the receiving countries that may lead to the competition of the limited resources and worst to xenophobia as observed in South Africa. Agriculture is the backbone of the Ethiopian economy. To determine whether farmers consider termites as one of their problems in growing trees and practices they use to manage termites, short semi-structured questionnaires were distributed to farmers selected randomly. Risk and resilience in a new era. AQUASTAT - FAOs global information system on water and agriculture, FAO (Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations). This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Bureaucracy and ill management is another (may be the second biggest) top problem the country is facing. The future of Ethiopian agriculture is bright because of the fact that the country is gifted with a variable climate ranging from tropics (growing tropical crops like citrus fruits) to subtropics (growing crops like apples). But even these 2 ha of land is not enough to produce an adequate supply of food for the average family (Lebeda et al., 2010; IFAD (International Fund for Agricultural Development), 2008; Gebreselassie, 2006). Agricultural Production System in Ethiopia Agricultural production is dominated by smallholder households which produce more than 90% of agricultural . Nevertheless, arable land is an indispensable resource for Ethiopians to secure food and food self-sufficiency. Furthermore, feeding the population in the near future in developing countries like Ethiopia is expected to increase production and productivity. Since Ethiopia's economy depends mostly on agriculture (about 45 to 50% of GDP), natural causes such as drought and sometimes unpredictable flooding put the entire economy of Ethiopia in a very bad shape and leave many starving. See answer. 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. In 2019, Ethiopias major goods exports included coffee (28.7%), cut flowers (14.1%), oil seeds (11.5%), chat (10.9%), pulses (7.9%), gold (6.6%), leather and leather products (2.4%). To make a sustainable intensification of crop and animal production, conserving water resources, adoption of ecosystem-based approaches, such as conservation agriculture, applying environmentally safe agricultural inputs, keeping soil healthy, and use of improved genetic material and nutrient management are required to boost Ethiopian agriculture. The food demand and price are increased in the recent decade than ever in Ethiopia. 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%. . 2016; Alemu 2017; Assefa and Hans-Rudolf 2017). It is located in the Horn of Africa, bordering six (6) countries: Djibouti and Somalia to the East, Eritrea to the North and Northeast, Kenya to the South and Sudan and South Sudan to the West. major problems of agriculture in ethiopia The aim of this paper is to demonstrate trends and controversies of population growth and . Worldwide, it expenses more than 18-20 USD trillion USD annually (UNCCD (United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification), 2019). Current challenges facing the global food system. Generally, the landless farmers become at risk in Ethiopia at this moment than the previous feudal systems or before the Derge regime. WEAKNESSES. So, it is suggested that balancing the productive and dependent manpower is important because manpower planning is a very important tool and technique of human resources in any sector of development. Major problems of Ethiopian agriculture; Is agriculture is the backbone of the Ethiopian economy; In Ethiopia, agriculture is accounting for over 50% of gross domestic product and employing over 85% of the labor force. Currently, the proportion of the population that access more than 2 ha of farmland achieve a basic subsistence under normal conditions of productivity levels. IUCN (international union for conservation of nature). (2020) reported that in Ethiopia, land fragmentation resulted in food insecurity and increased the amount of time spent moving from one parcel to another that lowered agricultural output and reduced productivity. 2 The main contributions, potentials, characteristics and problems of Ethiopian agriculture. 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). If critical issues are not addressed the food price inflation creates political instability, disorder, chaos, unemployment, malnutrition, hunger, poverty, imbalance, and inefficient resource distributions among the nations which may lead to migration. Ethiopia's development plan has laid out enhancing agricultural production and productivity as one of the major strategic pillars. By African, standard rural development programme has long history in Ethiopia. Land use and household holding by region, 19971998, Table 2. Agriculture is particularly vulnerable to climate-related effects such as erratic rainfall in the semi-arid regions of northern Ethiopia. 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). Because many family members will be becoming jobless since the land is not enough to engage them as full-time farmers. It reduces yield, flora, fauna, and soil productivity and affects the hydrological balances negatively. Land-based adaptation and resilience powered by nature. This will demand an additional billion tons of cereal grains and 200 million tons of meat to be produced annually (FAO, 2017). The urgency and complexity of the problem of lack of food self-sufficiency, the inefficiency of economic development forced the Ethiopia government to secure food at very high cost (FAO, 2011; USDA (United States Department of Agriculture), 2010). Just clear tips and lifehacks for every day. Today, Ethiopia faces high levels of food insecurity, ranking as one of the hungriest countries in the world, with an estimated 5.2 million people needing food assistance in 2010. There are a number of weed species that are invasive, introduced, into Ethiopia at different times are including parthenium (Parthenium hysterophorus L. (Asteraceae)); water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes (C. Intensive Subsistence Farming (with or without Rice as a dominant crop): , Machinery including computers: US$1.7 billion (11.4% of total imports), Animal/vegetable fats, oils, waxes: $1.4 billion (9.1%), Mineral fuels including oil: $1.1 billion (7.1%), Electrical machinery, equipment: $1 billion (6.6%). It improves the drastic cuts in economy-wide and agricultural fossil fuel use by addressing climate change, prevent emerging transboundary agricultural threats like pests and natural hazards, which affects all ecosystems and every aspect of human life through International collaboration (FAO, 2017). These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. 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. Lack of sustained and intergenerational commitments to transform the legal or constitutional system for millennia made the country liable. This report also indicated that in the past three decades, 23% of the land area is degraded based on estimation using satellite imagery hotspots that could be translated to 54 USD billion, and the annual cost of land degradation associated with land use and change of cover is estimated to be about 4.3 USD billion.