ANALYZING EFFECTS OF LAND HOLDING SIZE ON SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS OF SMALLHOLDER FARMERS: THE CASE OF HABABOGUDURU WOREDA, HORO GUDURU WOLLEGA ZONE, OROMIA REGIONAL STATE, ETHIOPIA

Abstract

Land is an essential resource for country like Ethiopia whose economy is dependent on agriculture. Socio- economic status of rural households of Ethiopia is influenced by many factors of which land holding is the major one. The major objective of this study was to assess the Effects of land holding size on socio-economic status of rural small holder farmers in the Hababo Guduru Woreda. In this study land holding size of the respondent, Ways of access to land, Housing type, Educational attainment of the family, Migration status, Health status, Land fragmentations and its impact, Households use of agricultural technology, Estimate net income of house hold heads, Average distance of plot of land from respondent’s home were analyzed using descriptive statics. For this study both primary and secondary data were used to generate the required information. The primary data were collected from 260 sample smallholder house hold heads of the three kebele, namely Gudenededu, Lelistuloya and Sirbaloya through household questionnaires and, interview, focus group discussion and direct observation were also employed. Besides, secondary data have also been drawn from various sources to complement the primary data. The study showed some findings: 90% of respondent have family size of ≥5-7, 63% of them have < 1hec.of land, 62% lived in poor congested grass roofed house, 33% sent none of their child to school, 88% cannot regularly visit health center due to economic reason, only 2% used highly modern technology. The recommendation that the investigator suggested was that there should be free and informed discussion to solve the problem by all sectors of the population and government officials. Supporting small holder family by providing functional, practical and productive education and improved agricultural technologies, Review of land policy in line with small holders, Extensive family planning education to rural households, especially small holder family and evaluating the result at local and regional level.