Abstract:
The agriculture sector is the most important segment in the Ethiopian economy. This
is because of its contribution to the national GDP (38.5%) where crop accounted for
27.4%, and provides employment for 72.7% of the total population. Despite efforts
made to commercialize and transform Ethiopian agriculture from subsistence to
production of high value crops, the sector’s performance has been below
expectations. In light of the problems and the research gaps identified, this study seeks
to address and generate information on the important factors influencing crop
productivity, efficiency and commercialization of smallholder farmers in the
highlands of eastern Ethiopia. Field surveys were conducted during 2014/15 cropping
season on a total of 385 sample farm households that were randomly drawn from 8
Kebeles in four Weredas selected through a multi-stage sampling technique. The data
were analyzed using descriptive statistics and econometric models including doublehurdle,
Heckman two-stage selection, Tobit, 2SLS, and DEA models. The doublehurdle
model result pointed out that sex, experience, land allocated to khat and
location dummy negatively and significantly influenced commercial orientation,
whereas, cultivated land size, off/non-farm income, fertilizer, crop diversification and
on-farm income positively and significantly influenced it. On the other hand, results of
the second-hurdle indicated that level of crop market orientation is negatively and
significantly influenced by dependency ratio, social capital, khat land, town and road
distances. Heckman two-stage selection model result indicated that crop output
markets participation are influenced by sex, experience, livestock holding (excluding
ox), cultivated land size, khat land, off/non-farm income, fertilizer, on-farm income,
market distance, crop diversification and location dummy. Moreover, farm
households’ intensity of crop output market participation is found to be influenced by
the proportion of irrigated land, social capital and dependency ratio. Results of 2SLS
regression indicated that TFP was strongly and positively influenced by the
endogenous commercial orientation index. In addition, oxen holding, market distance,
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extension visits, manure used, labor and location dummy significantly influenced TFP.
The overall average farm households’ TE, AE, and EE scores obtained from DEA
model results were 66, 72 and 46%, respectively. Inefficiency factors estimated using
Tobit model confirmed that TE was significantly influenced by market distance,
distance to FTC, crop diversification, oxen and other livestock holdings. Moreover,
sex, market distance, distance to FTC, oxen and other livestock holdings were
important factors affecting EE. Further, AE of crop growing farm households were
significantly influenced by sex, market distance, khat land, and oxen holdings. The
overall results imply that the major improvements related to smallholder farmers’
crop commercialization and production efficiency would require attention on the
identified significant factors. Generally, there is no single and best (universal)
strategy that can be recommended to solve farm households' problems and factors
limiting their commercial orientation as well as production efficiency. Hence, the
findings of this study unveil the need for implementing differential policies that
separately target and address the specific determinants of farm households’ crop
commercialization and production efficiencies.