Ethiopian Journal of Development Research

Analysis of Dairy Farm Management Practices and Drivers of Technology Adoption: Insights from Central Highlands of Ethiopia

Abrham Seyoum Tsehay — 2024-11-23

This study is focused on analysing dairy technology adoption and associated factors among rural households in Basona Werana Woreda, North Shewa zone of Amhara Region. The study selected 252 households using multi-stage sampling technique. Both descriptive and econometric analyses were employed to analyse the data collected using structured interview. Multivariate Probit regression model was applied to examine the derivers of dairy technology adoption in the study area. The study showed mixed results in terms of households adopting the different components of dairy technology. Predominant portions of the sample households adopted one or more of the improved housing conditions, improved feed and regular vaccination by 84.86%, 54.76% and 79.28%, respectively. However, in terms of utilization of the technologies, a significant proportion of adopters practiced a low level of utilization in each of the cases. Contrary to the results above, only 44.84% and
24.21% of the sample households adopted improved breeds and Artificial Insemination services, respectively. The multivariate probit regression results showed that livestock asset in TLU, awareness and training about dairy technology, education of the household head, dairy farm experience, and membership to farmers’ cooperatives had positive and significant effects on the adoption of dairy technologies while household size and dependency ratio have negative influence on the adoption of dairy technologies. The study sheds light on the need to develop farmers’ cooperatives, training and education as well as family planning tailored to the context of rural households in order to enhance dairy technology adoption in the study area.

Does women’s employment impact on their agency in the rural Ethiopian context? Empirical evidence from Sebeta Hawas District, Central Oromia, Ethiopia

Aynalem Megersa — 2024-11-23

Women’s empowerment has become a key aspect of global development agenda. Increasing women’s access to resources
including employment opportunities in particular has become central to this agenda. There is both an instrumental and intrinsic rationale for this, at least at a conception level. Nevertheless, the intrinsic aspect of women’s employment often falls out of the frame in conventional development practices and research endeavours in the area. Hence, the paper aims to examine the impact of women’s employment on their agency in rural Ethiopian context taking the case of Sebeta Hawas district in Central Oromia. Mixed research methods were employed. Both quantitative and qualitative data were generated using a combination of survey, interviews and focus group discussions. The quantitative data was analysed using the Propensity
Matching Method (PSM) and the corresponding results were substantiated using qualitative data which were analysed using
thematic analysis. The study draws on Kabeer’s (1999) empowerment model that explicates the nuanced process involved in the translation of women’s access to resources to empowerment outcomes. The findings of the study revealed that women’s wage employment significantly enhanced their self-worth by 6 percentage points,whereas self-employment was found to have minimal impact. This suggests the importance of the type of work that provides women with better financial reward enabling them to meaningfully contribute to their households needs and creates a space allowing them access to new source information beyond their traditional domain in positively impacting women’s self-worth. It also signifies how significant the
cultural meanings associated with the work is in shaping the women’s employment outcomes.

War-induced Challenges and Coping Strategies of Displaced Students in the Primary Schools of Addis Ababa

Enguday Ademe — 2024-11-23

This study aimed at investigating the war-induced challenges and coping strategies of displaced students in the primary schools of Addis Ababa. It was qualitative in its design and an in-depth interview was employed to collect data from 23 purposively selected grade 5 to 8 students (war-displaced) attending in six purposively chosen primary schools. The findings revealed that nearly half of these students neither faced significant psychosocial, economic, and educational challenges nor exhibited severe reactions nor employed extreme coping strategies. Although many factors contributed for this situation, the most important of all is the school meal and materials support program of the City Government of Addis Ababa. Fear of loss of a relative and/or property, language and economic problems, and loss of parental care were the major challenges. Telephone communications, family support and friendships with other displaced students, working in the informal sector, and seeking
school community cooperation were the coping strategies deployed for the four challenges, respectively. It was concluded that not all displaced students face severe challenges, but when they do, they employ different copying mechanisms. Addressing language and economic problems in the short run and dealing with displacing factors and safety issues, as well as planning for federal and regional school meal and materials support programs in the long run, are recommended as the ways forward.

Rural Governance in Urban Space: A History of the City Management of Addis Ababa (1991- 2005)

Dechasa Abebe — 2024-11-23

Urban management in its modern form has been introduced very recently in Ethiopian history. The earliest urban centers in the country were managed as garrisons and market centers. This paper is an attempt to analyze the historical experiences of the Ethiopian government in managing Addis Ababa during its early decade to the national election of 2005. For this purpose, the primary data were obtained through in-depth interviews as the major historical sources. Different documents were also consulted for the analysis. The sources indicate that the managements of the city during those decades were not successful and were characterized by failure to recognize that, “cities are engines of development”, “rural biased” government policies, lack of expertise and experiences in urbanism, and labelling some Ethiopian towns as “colonial”.

Determinants of Menstrual Tracking Mobile Application Acceptance Among Adolescent Girls in Lafto Sub City, Addis Ababa

Bernabas Petros Gemecho — 2024-11-23

The world has been passing through the fourth industrial revolution and the traditional health system has been evolving to digital health. The objective of this study is to explore determinants of menstrual tracking mobile application acceptance among adolescent girls in Lafto sub-city, Addis Ababa. We employed cross-sectional design, sequential mixed research approach (Quan ̶>qual) with integrated Health Belief and Technological Acceptance Model to investigate the aim of the study. Additionally, the sample size was estimated using the inverse square root method and we adopted a combination of
stratified and simple random sampling techniques. We also used the self-administered questionnaires using Google form and a total of 161 adolescent girls participated voluntarily. We employed Stata version 17 and R-studio version 4.3 for descriptive and PLS-SEM analysis, respectively. The finding of our research showed that the majority of the indicator error values produced by PLS–out of sample were less than those produced by linear regression model, which depicted that the overall model had a moderate predictive power. Moreover, all latent path coefficients were significant predictors of behavioural
intention to use such apps except perceived threat to teenage pregnancy and menstrual irregularity. But both had significant
indirect effects. Based on the above findings, we recommend health software developers to increase the significant predictors (perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, perceived self-efficacy and cues to action), and decrease perceived barriers which lead to positive attitude to use and self-tracking motivations that ultimately impacts acceptance of such apps among adolescent girls.

Classification and Determinants of Rural Households Participation in Livelihood Diversification Strategies in West Gojjam Zone of Amhara region, northwest Ethiopia

Lijalem Abebaw — 2024-11-23

This study investigates the livelihood diversification strategies of rural households and the factors that determine their engagement in these strategies. The study employed Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA), focus group discussion, and individual in-depth interviews to collect qualitative data. A multistage sampling procedure was used to collect quantitative data from 405 randomly selected rural households. Thematic and narration used for qualitative data analysis.
The quantitative data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and a Multivariate probit model. The findings revealed that purpose was a vital criterion in addition to sector, location, and function in classifying rural households' livelihood diversification strategies. Onfarm wealth-accumulation strategy, non-farm wealth-accumulation strategy, off-farm survival strategy, non-farm survival selfemployment strategy, and non-farm survival wage-employment strategy were categorized. The Multivariate Probit, used for analyzing non-mutually exclusive dependent variables, estimation revealed that male-headed households, commercialization, highland, and midland relative to lowland agro-ecology enhance the rural households' engagement in on-farm wealth- accumulation and nonfarm wealth-accumulation livelihood diversification strategies.
Landholding size, estimated value of farm and non-farm equipment, the estimated value of crop production increase participation in nonfarm wealth-accumulation livelihood diversification strategy while, livestock holding size increased participation in on-farm wealth accumulation livelihood diversification strategy. On the other hand, the higher the estimated value of farm and non-farm equipment, the estimated value of crop produced, livestock holding size, and commercialization are associated with the lower the likelihood of participation in off-farm survival, non-farm survival wageemployment, and non-farm survival self-employment livelihood diversification strategies. The findings imply resource endowment and commercialization increase rural households' involvement in wealth-accumulation livelihood diversification strategies. Therefore, policymakers need to focus on the most suitable ways of supporting classified livelihood diversification strategies, thereby enhancing linking agriculture commercialization and diversification of livelihood strategies that induce economic progress.