Info: Zenodo’s user support line is staffed on regular business days between Dec 23 and Jan 5. Response times may be slightly longer than normal.

UKRLOGOS Group
Published October 18, 2022 | Version v1
Book Open

Livelihood Diversification Strategies by Farm Households in Southern Ethiopia

Creators

  • 1. Wolaita Sodo University; Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia

Contributors

Description

The Livelihood Diversification Strategies are one of the sources of income-generating activities in Rural Development. The farmers should not solely depend on agriculture but must be encouraged to engage in Off-farm and Non-farm activities, which are allied agricultural activities. The thorough research was conducted in Boloso Sore District in Southern Ethiopia.  The major objectives of this study were to identify the existing livelihood strategies adopted by rural households and assess factors that determine households’  decision to choose alternative livelihood strategies. For this study, primary data were collected from randomly selected 149 households. Due to severe land scarcity, high population pressure, and recurrent drought, farm households in the study area widely engage in and pursue diverse, productive economic activities as livelihood strategies. The carrying capacity of agriculture to attain food and livelihood security is extremely declining from time to time. Diversifying livelihood strategies at the current time has become a common phenomenon in the study area.  Descriptive statistics were applied to characterize the sample households’ socioeconomic, demographic and institutional factors. The multinomial logistic regression model was applied to identify the factors determining the choices of rural household livelihood strategies on 15 explanatory variables. The rural households in the study area pursued different livelihood strategies such as on-farm alone, 63 (42.3%); on-farm + non-farm, 55 (36.9%); on-farm+ off-farm, 20 (13.4%); and on-farm+ non-farm + off-farm livelihood strategies, 11(7.4%). On-farm livelihood played a leading role by contributing 72% of the total income of the households, whereas Non-farm and Off-farm activities contributed 20% and 8% of the household incomes, respectively. A total of 15 explanatory variables were included in the empirical model, of which 11 were significant. These variables include age, livestock ownership, market proximity, training, total household income, credit use, dependency ratio, Landholding, number of oxen owned, Sex, and cooperative membership, which determines the significant choice of livelihood strategies. This study suggests that development interventions, policies, and supportive services should be designed to suit different groups of farmers' felt needs and circumstances.

Files

Monograph 7 - Temesgen Ayele.pdf

Files (8.8 MB)

Name Size Download all
md5:dfe379a77704c3bd511ae5803bc8485e
8.8 MB Preview Download

Additional details

References

  • Abu Girma, (2013). The Challenges and Policies of Poverty Reduction in Ethiopia, Institute of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Japan. Vol. 5, No. 1 (2013) pp.94-117, Special Issue on the Ethiopian Economy.
  • ADB (African Development Bank), (2007). Accelerating Africa's Development through Diversification by the Economic Commission for Africa. Economic Report on Africa 2007, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
  • Adugna Eneyew, (2008). Livelihood Strategies and food security in Wolaita, Southern Ethiopia: The Case of Boloso Sore District. Unpublished M.Sc. Thesis, October 2008. Haramaya University.
  • Adugna Lemi, (2005). The Dynamics of Livelihood Diversification in Ethiopia Revisited: Evidence from Panel Data. Department of Economics University of Massachusetts, Boston.
  • Ashley, C., (2000). The Impacts of Tourism on Rural Livelihoods: Namibia's Experience. Working Paper 128.
  • Ayele Tessema, (2005). Household livelihood adaptation in a high population density area in Ethiopia: The case of Wolaita Zone. Norwegian University of Life Sciences.
  • Barrett, C.B., Bezuneh, M., Clay, D. and Reardon, T. (2005). Heterogeneous constraints, incentives and income diversification strategies in rural Africa. Quarterly Journal of International Agriculture, 44(1), 37-60.
  • Beyene Tadesse, Assefa Admassie and Andre, C., (2000). The Impact of Agricultural Extension on-farm Productivity. Ethiopian Journal of Agricultural Economics, 4 (1&2): 23-45.
  • Carney, D., M. (1999). Livelihoods Approaches Compared: A Brief Comparison of the Livelihoods Approaches of the UK.
  • Davis, R., (2003). The rural non-farm economy, livelihoods and their diversification: Issues and options. Natural Resource: London.
  • Degefa Tolossa, (2005). Rural livelihoods, poverty and food insecurity in Ethiopia: A case study at Erenssa and Garbi Communities in Oromiya Zone, Amhara National Regional State, Trondheim: Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU).
  • Dercon, S and P. Krishnan, (2005). Income Portfolios in Rural Ethiopia and Tanzania: Choices and constraints. Journal of Development Studies, Vol. 36(2).
  • Devereux, S., (2000). Food Insecurity in Ethiopia: a discussion paper for DFID, IDS Sussex.
  • Dilruba Khatun and B.C. Roy, (2012). Rural livelihood diversification in West Bengal: Determinants and Constraints. Agricultural Economics Research Review Vol. 25(No.1) January-June 2012 pp 115-124.
  • Ellis, F., (2000). Rural Livelihoods and Diversity in Developing Countries. Oxford University Press Inc. New York.
  • Farrington, J., T. Ramasut, J. Walker, (2002). Sustainable Livelihoods Approaches in Urban Areas: General Lessons, with Illustrations from Indian Cases. ODI, London, UK.
  • Fikadu Mitiku Abdissa, (2011). Dynamics of Households On-farm and Off-farm Diversification: The Case of Coffee Producing Farm Households in Southern Ethiopia. M. Sc. Thesis, Wageningen University, the Netherlands.
  • Galab, S., Fenn, B., Jones, N., Raju, D. S. R., Wilson, I., and Reddy M.G., (2002). Livelihood Diversification in Rural Andhra Pradesh: Household Asset Portfolios and Implications for Poverty Reduction. Working Paper No. 34.
  • Hart, G., (1994). The Dynamics of Diversification in an Asian Rice Region. Ch. 2 in Koppel B et al (eds.) Development or Deterioration: Theories, Experiences and Policies. Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press.
  • Judge, G.E., Griffiths. R., Cartry, H., Lutkepoh and Lee, T., (1985). The Theory and Practice of Econometrics. Whiley Series in Probability and Mathematical Statistics. New York. 756-778.
  • Lautzke, S., Aklilu, Y., Raven-Roberts, R., Young, H., Kebede, G. and Learning, J., (2003). Risk and Vulnerability in Ethiopia: Learning from the Past, Responding to the Present, Preparing for the Future. A Report for the US Agency for International Development.
  • Moti Jaleta and Gardebroek, C., (2008). Crop and Market Outlet Choice Interactions at Household Level. Ethiopian Journal of Agricultural Economics, 7 (1): 29-49.
  • Rahman M. H., Firdissa T., Bwalya B., Lund T. and Ghulam R. (2007). Livelihood Diversification in Rural Uganda: Impact of Africa's Development Activities on the Livelihoods of Nyabyumba Community. International Journal of Sustainable Crop Production, 2(6): 36-43.
  • Rao, J., Niehof, A., Price, L., and Moerbeek, H., (2004). Food Security through the Livelihoods Lens: An Integrative Approach (the case of less-favoured areas in the Philippines); / http://www:slswau.nl/mi/response/Rao.pdf./ date accessed, December 2008.
  • Solesbury, W., (2003). Sustainable Livelihoods: A Case Study of the Evolution of DFID Policy, London, UK.
  • Tesfaye Lemma, (2003). Diversity in livelihoods and farmer strategies in Hararghe highlands, Eastern Ethiopia, University of Pretoria, South Africa.
  • Woinishet Asnake, (2010). Participation in off-farm activities in rural Ethiopia: who earns more? MA research Paper submitted to Institute of Social Studies, Hague, The Netherlands.
  • World Food Program, (2011). Ethiopia: Overview. ETHIOPIA EXTN/0, menu PK: 295942~pagePK:141132~piPK:141105~theSitePK:295930,00.html.
  • WZFEDD, (2015). Wolaita Zone Socio-Economic Information. Wolaita Zone Finance and Economic Development Department, May 2015.
  • Yamane, Taro. (1967). Statistics: An Introductory Analysis 2nd Edition. New York: Harper and Row
  • Yishak Gecho, Gezahegn Ayele, Tesfaye Lemma, Dawit Alemu. (2014) Rural Household Livelihood Strategies: Options and Determinants in the Case of Wolaita Zone, Southern Ethiopia. Social Sciences. Vol. 3, No. 3, 2014, pp. 92-104. DOI: 10.11648/j.ss.20140303.15