IMPACT OF IMPROVED TEFF VARIETY (Eragrostis Teff) ADOPTION ON FOOD SECURITY IN LASTA WOREDA, NORTH WOLLO ZONE OF AMHARA NATIONAL REGIONAL STATE, ETHIOPIA

Abstract

Food insecurity is a recurrent phenomenon in Ethiopia. To reverse this phenomena investment on variety development and dissemination of improved teff varieties to farmers have been made by regional and national agricultural research institutes. Even though efforts on disseminating improve teff varieties have been made in the area, there is no empirical evidence those varieties that brings on food security. Moreover, previous studies employ propensity score matching which could not handle self-selection un observed endogenity problem. To handle this problem ESR model was employed. This study was designed to analyze impact of adoption of improved teff variety on food security measured in terms of annual food consumption expenditure and daily calorie intake per adult equivalent in Lasta Woreda, North Wollo Zone, Ethiopia. This study uses cross sectional data which was collected from a total of 225 farm households which were randomly and proportionately selected from 3 teff producer Kebeles in Lasta Woreda using multi-stage sampling technique. To analyze the data descriptive inferential statistics and Endogenous switching regression model were employed for data analysis. The results from probit model shows that family size, off-farm and farm income(log), variety information from research center and development agents, number of seed traders known by respondents and distance from agricultural extension office were factors that significantly determine farmer’s decision to adopt improved teff variety. The outputs from endogenous switching regression model asserts that had the adopter households decided not to adopt, their average daily calorie intake and food consumption expenditure per adult equivalent would have decreased by 417.908 kilocalorie and 1096.509 ETB, respectively which is significant at 1% probability level. On the other hand, if non-adopter households would have adopted improved teff variety, their average daily calorie intake and annual food consumption expenditure per adult equivalent would have increased by 512.581 kilocalorie and 1323.987 ETB, respectively. Thus, facilitating adoption of improved teff varieties and institutional support are recommended to improve food security of smallholder teff growers in the study area.