2. [25], Poultry farming is widely practiced in Ethiopia; almost every farmstead keeps some poultry for consumption and for cash sale. [13], About 98 percent of the coffee was produced by peasants on smallholdings of less than a hectare, and the remaining 2 percent was produced by state farms. Ministry of Agriculture (1993). [16], Another new source for export revenue is the production of chat, an amphetamine-like stimulant which is consumed both inside Ethiopia and in adjacent countries, and which is considered a drug of abuse that can lead to mild to moderate psychological dependence. Per capita meat consumption was high by developing countries' standards, an estimated thirteen kilograms annually. The majority of these are smallholder farmers practicing subsistence farming on less than one hectare of land. The Awash River basin supports many large-scale commercial farms and several irrigated small farms. For instance, the 1984/85 official procurement price for 100 kilograms of teff was 42 birr at the farm level and 60 birr when the AMC purchased it from wholesalers. In EFY 1974/75, pulses and oilseeds accounted for 34% of export earnings (about 163 million Birr), but this share declined to about 3% (about 30 million Birr) in EFY 1988/89. In the dry lowlands, persistent winds also contribute to soil erosion. It examines socio-political condition of Ethiopia and its effect on agriculture development beginning from the sixteenth century up to the modern times. These programs should also result in Ethiopia getting to middle income status by 2025. (1976). Exports are almost entirely agricultural commodities, and coffee is the largest foreign exchange earner. The process meant not only smaller farms but also the fragmentation of holdings, which were often scattered into small plots to give families land of comparable quality. Chief among these was the development and use of the single-tine ox-plow (i.e., the ard or scratch plow) that integrated endemic annual crops with secondary crop introductions and, in some areas, cultivated or intercropped with perennial crops such as ensete and coffee. [14] In 2006/2007 (the latest year available), exports of oilseeds accounted for 15.78% of export earnings (or million 187.4 Birr) and pulses 5.92% (or 70.3 million Birr). These regions are condemned to the strictly enforced division of labor rules set by the North. However, expansion was constrained by inadequate nutrition, disease, a lack of support services such as extension services, insufficient data with which to plan improved services, and inadequate information on how to improve animal breeding, marketing, and processing. Ethiopia’s rapid adoption of agricultural mechanization, albeit from a low base, has been of particular interest over the last few years. However, the expected level was not achieved. Ministère de l'Agriculture (1882). However, the expected level was not achieved. Ethiopia is also the continent's leading producer and exporter of beeswax and honey. Brighter Green, 2. Like almost all African countries, Ethiopia too exports primary products with no value added to them. Pulses were a particularly important export item before the revolution. Because most of the lowlands lack adequate rainfall, cotton cultivation depends largely on irrigation. The second type consists of brownish-to-gray and black soils with a high clay content. The existence of so many land tenure systems, coupled with the lack of reliable data, made it difficult to give a comprehensive assessment of landownership in Ethiopia, as well as depressed the ability of peasants to improve themselves. It features and analyzes the country’s agricultural progress from 1960s to date, and some future prospects. Though the raising of livestock always has been largely a subsistence activity,[20] intensive, factory farm facilities are gaining in popularity and are present in Addis Ababa and Debre Zeit, run by Ethiopian agribusiness ELFORA. Niger seed is found mostly in the northern and central highlands at elevations between 1,800 and 2,500 meters. Its agriculture sector, economy, and food security status are equally complex. As a result, agriculture continued to grow, albeit below the population growth rate. You could not be signed in, please check and try again. During the last successive regimes, some measures have been taken to improve the Agricultural sector. International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability 11(4): 301-316. depends on the largest and most critical sector of the economy, that is, agriculture, which is vital not only for food production, but also for the livelihood of 80 percent of the working population. However, despite substantial investments and subsidies, State Farms provided only 4.2% of the cereal production in 1988/89. A short history of agriculture in the British colonies. It puts a heavy toll on the resource base and the economy. The major types of taxes that exist in Ethiopia, their meaning, rates and conditions, as provided by the Federal Inland Revenue Authority, are presented as follows: 1. ... difficult to access land for persons who wants to engage in agriculture. Because of drought, which has repeatedly affected the country since the early 1970s, a poor economic base (low productivity, weak infrastructure, and low level of technology), and overpopulation, the agricultural sector has performed poorly. Agriculture in Africa This chapter will attempt to map out the history of agriculture in Africa, partly building it around Charles Darwin’s firm belief that Africa was a continent out of which emanated very important technological inventions and innovations which is rooted in the earliest histories of mankind. [9], The primary motive for the expansion of state farms was the desire to reverse the drop in food production that has continued since the revolution. Another study, of Dejen awraja (subregion) in Gojjam, found that land fragmentation had been exacerbated since the revolution. Common vegetables include onions, peppers, squash, and a cabbage similar to kale. regional bureaus of agriculture. Oilseeds of lesser significance include castor beans, rapeseed, peanuts, and safflower and sunflower seeds. Approximately 25% of Ethiopia's population depended directly or indirectly on coffee for its livelihood. Despite this potential, however, Ethiopian agriculture has remained underdeveloped. Heavy investments in dams and irrigated agriculture also foretell new agricultural landscapes of riverain areas that will need to coexist with the classic highland smallholder farms. "Roles of extension and ethno-religious networks in acceptance of resource-conserving agriculture among Ethiopian farmers." Between 1984/85 and 1986/87, at the height of the drought, Ethiopia received more than 1.7 million tons of grain, about 14 percent of the total food aid for Africa. While by 1988 a total of 3600 Service Cooperatives were serving 4.4 million households and almost 4000 Producer cooperatives comprising 302,600 households had been founded, in that year they represented only 5.5% of national cereal production. Almost all farming tools in Ethiopia are traditional and made from different types of wood. Keywords: Extension, challenge, Role, Agriculture, Ethiopia. According to Ethiopia farming, this ploughing the land to prepare the soil for sow requires around two quarter of a year. Ethiopia is endowed with diverse terrain and agro-ecological climate ranging from temperate in the highlands to tropical in the lowlands. Agricultural patterns existed at the heart of cultural diversities and periods of political conflict and accommodations. Domestically, coffee contributed about 20% of the government's revenue. The Ethiopian Fruit and Vegetable Marketing Enterprise, which handled about 75 percent of Ethiopia's exports of fruits and vegetables in 1984–85, had to receive government subsidies because of losses. The MPP included credit for the purchase of items such as fertilizers, improved seeds, and pesticides; innovative extension services; the establishment of cooperatives; and the provision of infrastructure, mainly water supply and all-weather roads. GDP From Agriculture in Ethiopia averaged 239.16 ETB Billion from 1999 until 2018, reaching an all time high of 624 ETB Billion in 2018 and a record low of 98.30 ETB Billion in 2002. [8], Until the 1974 revolution, Ethiopia had a complex land tenure system, which some have described as feudal. It examines socio-political condition of Ethiopia and its effect on agriculture development beginning from the sixteenth century up to the modern times. Coffee fetches the largest foreign exchange. Although the AMC had agents in all regions, it was particularly active in the major cereal producing regions, namely, Gojjam, Shewa, Arsi, and Gondar. GDP From Agriculture in Ethiopia increased to 624 ETB Billion in 2018 from 600.90 ETB Billion in 2017. Typhus: The Army’s Disease. ", Table D.2. Consequently, Ethiopia became a net importer of grain worth about 243 million Birr annually from 1983/84 to, 1987/88. The History of Epidemics in Ethiopia, 6. The poor performance of agriculture was related to several factors, including drought; a government policy of controlling prices and the free movement of agricultural products from surplus to deficit areas; the unstable political climate; the dislocation of the rural community caused by resettlement, villagization, and conscription of young farmers to meet military obligations; land tenure difficulties and the problem of land fragmentation; the lack of resources such as farm equipment, better seeds, and fertilizers; and the overall low level of technology. 2 Ethiopia’s Agriculture Sector Policy and Investment Framework (2010–2020) External Mid-term Review The third most important oilseed is sesame, which grows at elevations from sea level to about 1,500 meters. It contributes the largest amount in national GDP compared to Industrial and service sector. A number of factors could be mentioned. [5], Pulses are the second most important element in the national diet and a principal protein source. [21], However, herding cattle is one of the agricultural activities that resorts to indentured labor and particularly child labor according to the U.S. Department of Labor. It has been one of the oldest civilizations in Africa. has history of 1500 Yrs. The agriculture sector has been at the core of Ethiopia’s development strategy for more than 20 years. Major Types of Taxes in Ethiopia. Pulses, grown widely at all altitudes from sea level to about 3,000 meters, are more prevalent in the northern and central highlands. GETAHUN, A. It has also enjoyed a considerable attention by the government. Production is overwhelmingly of a subsistence nature, and a large part of commodity exports are provided by the small agricultural cash-crop sector. 1,2 In the country, one-third of rural households cannot produce adequate food to meet their subsistence needs as they cultivate less than half hectares of land per capita. In pastoral areas, livestock formed the basis of the economy. There is successive development in agricultural productivity. "Agriculture" (and subsections). Peasant associations often were periodically compelled to redistribute land to accommodate young families or new households moving into their area. Available data on crop production show that land reform and the various government rural programs had a minimal impact on increasing the food supply, as production levels displayed considerable fluctuations and low growth rates at best. In addition, it is hoped that the number of key crops are doubled from 18.1m metric to 39.5m metric tonnes. As a result, vegetable oils are widely used, and oilseed cultivation is an important agricultural activity. State farms sold their output to the AMC. As many as 4.6 million people need food assistance annually. Origin of the Agency Ethiopia is a country of natural contrasts, with waterfalls and volcanic hot spring, dry desert lands and rich fertile soil. USAID/Ethiopia, In-House Committee Report on Haile Sellassie I University, College of Agriculture, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (mimeographed), 50 pp. This has contributed for low We saw this … Moreover, the emperor's inability to implement meaningful land reform perpetuated a system in which aristocrats and the church owned most of the farmland and in which most farmers were tenants who had to provide as much as 50% of their crops as rent. [5], Inaccessibility, water shortages, and infestations of disease-causing insects, mainly mosquitoes, prevented the use of large parcels of potentially productive land. Typhus, though less widespread and devastating than either smallpox or cholera, the two epidemics discussed in previous articles, doubtless accounted for some of Ethiopia’s major early epidemics. The northern parts of … The first, found in areas with relatively good drainage, consists of red-to-reddish-brown clayey loams that hold moisture and are well endowed with needed minerals, with the exception of phosphorus. In some areas of the south (Sidamo), southeast (Harar highlands), and southwest (Jimma), coffee cultivation complemented annual grain cropping. Researchers found however that, since transhumance takes place in summer, during school holidays, the transhumance in itself does not affect schooling. Before the revolution, large-scale commercial cotton plantations were developed in the Awash Valley and the Humera areas. Despite the emphasis on state farms, state farm production accounted for only 6% of total agricultural output in 1987 (although meeting 65% of urban needs), leaving peasant farmers responsible for over 90% of production. Ethiopia, An Ancient Land: Agriculture, History, and Politics provides the historical perspective on agriculture in Ethiopia. Tenant farmers in southern Ethiopia, where the average tenancy was as high as 55% and rural elites exploited farmers, welcomed the land reform. According to the World Bank, agricultural production increased at an average annual rate of 2.1 percent between 1965 and 1973, while population increased at an average annual rate of 2.6 percent during the same period. Please update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. Nonetheless, agricultural output rose by an estimated 3 percent in 1990–91, almost certainly in response to the relaxation of government regulation. Agriculture accounted for 46.3% of GDP, 83.9% of exports, and 80% of the labor force in 2006 and 2007, compared to 44.9%, 76.9% and 80% in 2002/2003, and agriculture remains the Ethiopian economy's most important sector. Villagization is a process by which rural households were moved from scattered dwellings into nucleated villages as part of a governmental attempt to modernize rural life and agricultural production patterns. New crops (such as maize), urbanization, and global migration of peoples and commodities (oil seeds, fibers, and grains) brought new seeds, inputs, and pressures to adapt to change, particularly for smallholder farmers and new enterprises. Animal husbandry to sustain animal traction and pastoral livelihoods in regional ecologies was essential, over time, to regional economies and their political ecologies. (1973). Excluding the Afar and Somali Regions, there were approximately 47.5 million cattle, 26.1 million sheep, 21.7 million goats, 2.1 million horses and mules, 5.6 million donkeys, 1 million camels, and 39.6 million poultry. The industry began in 2004, when the government made an aggressive push for foreign investments by establishing a presence at major international floricultural events. In addition to its domestic use, sesame is also the principal export oilseed. [5] In EFY 2007/2008, the CSA reported that 17,827,387.94 quintals of pulses were produced on 1,517,661.93 hectares, an increase from the 15,786,215.3 quintals produced on 1,379,045.77 hectares. The Mengistu regime encouraged fruit and vegetable production. GDP From Agriculture in Ethiopia increased to 624 ETB Billion in 2018 from 600.90 ETB Billion in 2017. whether irrigation was a ke y factor in state formation and . Ethiopia history of land tenure and the present land governance: The case of Oromia region . Corn is grown chiefly between elevations of 1,500 and 2,200 meters and requires large amounts of rainfall to ensure good harvests. The Ethiopian Government set up the Growth and Transformation Plan (GTP) to reach certain goals between 2011 and 2015. 1,2 In the country, one-third of rural households cannot produce adequate food to meet their subsistence needs as they cultivate less than half hectares of land per capita. 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. [5], Wheat stem rust threatens the Ethiopian harvest every year and recently that especially means Ug99. [17][18], Sorghum, millet, and corn are cultivated mostly in warmer areas at lower altitudes along the country's western, southwestern, and eastern peripheries. However, just five percent of land is irrigated and crop yields from small farms are below regional averages. This article is the second in a series that seek to examine the role of agriculture as a developmental opportunity for Africa. The 1977 famine also provided an impetus to promote conservation. [5], The plains and low foothills west of the highlands have sandy and gray-to-black clay soils. A 1979 study showed that around Addis Ababa individual holdings ranged from 1.0 to 1.6 hectares and that about 48 percent of the parcels were less than one-fourth of a hectare in size. [1]. Regular and reliable harvests helped generate stable tax income that led to relatively strong governmental structures that were ultimately the reason that Ethiopia was the only country not to be colonized in the late-nineteenth century ‘Scramble for Africa’ apart from Liberia. Ethiopia’s population is estimated to be 77 million, second only to Nigeria in sub-Saharan Africa (Maddux, 2006). ", Tables D.4 – D.7. Accordingly, state farms received a large share of the country's resources for agriculture; from 1982 to 1990, this totaled about 43% of the government's agricultural investment. During 1983-84 the Ministry of Agriculture used "food for work" projects to raise 65 million tree seedlings, plant 18,000 hectares of land, and terrace 9,500 hectares of land. Among economic sectors ,agriculture hasbeen long history in our economy. He is the author of From Poverty to Famine in Northeast Ethiopia: A Rural History, 1900–1935 and has worked with many international aid and agricultural organizations on issues of agriculture and land use in northeastern Africa. By African, standard rural development programme has long history in Ethiopia. Typhus: The Army’s Disease. In the highlands, oxen provided draft power in crop production. In 1971 the Ministry of Agriculture introduced the Minimum Package Program (MPP) to bring about economic and social changes. Agriculture and natural resources of Harar (in preparation). [12], The most important cash crop in Ethiopia was coffee. Ethiopia's poverty-stricken economy is based on agriculture, accounting for half of GDP, 60% of exports, and 80% of total employment. Ethiopia is well positioned because highland temperatures make it ideal for horticulture, the average wage rate is US$20 per month (compared to US$60 a month in India), the price of leased land is about US$13 per hectare, and the government has tremendously aided the entry of new businesses into this sector in recent years. Writing in the 1920’s he says, “The Sahara carries more agricultural history than Egypt.” N.I. The food deficit estimate for the 1985/89 period indicated that production averaged about 6 million tons while demand reached about 10 million tons, thus creating an annual deficit of roughly 4 million tons. [15], Although varying from region to region, the role of livestock in the Ethiopian economy was greater than the figures suggest. l-Xl I. COOPER, ST. G. C. (1970). Although agriculture is one of Ethiopia’s most promising resource, the sector has been slowed down by periodic drought, high levels of taxation and poor infrastructure that often make it hard and expensive to get goods to market. Ethiopian farmers plough their land by combining the above tools for such three months to get yearly consumed food. Principal crops include coffee, pulses (e.g., beans), oilseeds, cereals, potatoes, sugarcane, and vegetables. The story of maize in Ethiopia’s agricultural history is emblematic of the struggle between pressures for change and the inertia of tradition felt by farmers. THE POLITICS OF LAND TENURE IN ETHIOPIAN HISTORY: Experience From the South Paper Prepared for XI World Congress of Rural Sociology, Trondheim, Norway, July 25-30, 2004 By:Hussein Jemma, Assistant Professor of Political Science, Research Fellow, Centre for International Environment and Development Studies, Agricultural University of Norway P.O.Box 5003 N-1432 Ås, Norway … potential, Ethiopia has been under the state of widespread and persistent food insecurity since the 1970. INTRODUCTION Eighty-three percent of the population depends directly on agriculture for their livelihoods, while many others depend on agriculture-related cottage industries such as textiles, [21], Ethiopia has great potential for increased livestock production, both for local use and for export. A potential exists for self-sufficiency in grains and for export development in livestock, grains, vegetables, and fruits. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of African History, Early States and State Formation in Africa, Historical Preservation and Cultural Heritage, Reconstructing Seed History in One Case (Ethiopia), 1938–1990, Trends in Cereal Seed/Cropping: Ethiopia, 1963–1990, Discussion of the Literature and Primary Sources, https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780190277734.013.255. In 2006/2007 (the latest year available), exports of chat accounted for 25% of export earnings (or 8oo million Birr). Resultantly there has been significant uptake of resistant wheat varieties among Ethiopian farmers since 2014. [4] Ethiopia has great agricultural potential because of its vast areas of fertile land, diverse climate, generally adequate rainfall, and large labor pool. The high concentration of animals in the highlands, together with the fact that cattle are often kept for status, reduces the economic potential of Ethiopian livestock. Value Added Tax (VAT) This is a sales tax based on the increase in value or price of product at each stage in its manufacture and distribution. History of irrigation in Ethiopia . The plough shaft, beam and ploughshare are made of wood and the sickle, pick axe, plow are made of metal. In Ethiopia, irrigated land is practically insignificant and the entire agriculture is dependent on rainfall. Ethiopia's agriculture is plagued by periodic drought, soil degradation[1] caused by overgrazing, deforestation, high levels of taxation and poor infrastructure (making it difficult and expensive to get goods to market). [5], Imperial government policy permitting investors to import fertilizers, pesticides, tractors and combines, and (until 1973) fuel free of import duties encouraged the rapid expansion of large-scale commercial farming. Matouš, P., Y. Todo, et al. 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