Factors Affecting Livelihood Diversification Decision: The Case of Kuormuk and Homosha Districts of Assosa Zone, Beneshangul Gumuz Regional State, Ethiopia

Amente Negussa Bayata; Tewodros Adane Nega

doi:doi:10.11648/j.ajpb.20200503.16

| Peer-Reviewed

Factors Affecting Livelihood Diversification Decision: The Case of Kuormuk and Homosha Districts of Assosa Zone, Beneshangul Gumuz Regional State, Ethiopia

Amente Negussa Bayata, Tewodros Adane Nega

Published in American Journal of Plant Biology (Volume 5, Issue 3)

Received: 4 September 2020 Accepted: 19 September 2020 Published: 23 November 2020

Views: Downloads:

Download PDF

Share This Article

Twitter
Linked In
Facebook

Abstract

Ethiopia’s agricultural productivity is considered low despite the presence of various agricultural policies. These policies focus mainly on on-farm agricultural development to the neglect of rich opportunities for non-agricultural livelihood diversification activities. Livelihood diversification is a strategy that can boost farmers’ income and promote sustainable land management practices. This study was conducted to assess the various factors that affect households’ decisions on livelihood diversifications the case of Kuormuk and Homosha districts of Assosa zone, Beneshangul Gumuz regional state, western Ethiopia. Data was gathered by household survey from 376 sample households of 13 randomly selected rural kebeles of the Homosha and Kuormuk Districts through structural questionnaires. The alternative livelihood strategies that were used by the study households were agriculture only, and agriculture plus other activities (off-farm and non-farm activities). Binary Logit model was employed in identifying the determinants of rural livelihood diversification decision. From 13 hypothesized explanatory variables, 5 variables were found to have significant effect in determining diversification of household livelihood decisions. Accordingly, age of the household head, access to credit, receiving remittance and land size have negative association with livelihood diversification strategy. Whereas, getting training has a positively influence on households choice of livelihood diversification. Therefore, the findings of this imply that rural households’ development policies should consider off-farm and non-farm livelihood activities in addition to agriculture.

Published in	American Journal of Plant Biology (Volume 5, Issue 3)
DOI	10.11648/j.ajpb.20200503.16
Page(s)	68-76
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Livelihood, Diversification, Binary Logit Regression, Ethiopia

References

[1]	Adugna, E. (2005). Livelihood strategies and food security in Wolayta, Southern Ethiopia: The case of Boloso Sore district. A Thesis is submitted to the School of Graduate Studies, Haramaya University.
[2]	Adugna Lemi, (2005). The Dynamics of Livelihood Diversification in Ethiopia Revisited: Evidence from Panel Data, Department of Economics University of Massachusetts, Boston.
[3]	Cochran, W. G. (1977). Sampling Techniques, 2nd Ed., New York: John Wiley and Sons, Inc.
[4]	CSA (Central Statistical Authority). (2007). population and housing census of Ethiopia.
[5]	CSA (Central Statistical Agency), 2018. Key Findings of the 2017/2018: Agricultural Sample Surveys.
[6]	Canagarajah, S., Newman, C. and Bhattamishra, R. 2001. Non-Farm Income, Gender and Inequality: Evidence from Rural Ghana and Uganda. Food Policy 26 (4) 405-420.
[7]	DFID (Department for International Development), 2000. Sustainable Rural Livelihoods Guidance Sheet, London, UK.
[8]	Destaw Berhanu, 2003. Non-farm Employment and Farm Production of small holder Farmers: A Study in Edja District of Ethiopia. A Thesis Submitted to the School of Graduate Studies Alemaya University.
[9]	Ellis, F. 1999. Rural Livelihood diversity in Developing Countries: Evidence and Policy Implications. Overseas Development Institute.
[10]	Ellis, F. (2000). Rural Livelihoods and Diversity in Developing Countries. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
[11]	Ellis, F. (1998). Household strategies and rural livelihood diversification. Journal of Development Studies, 35, 1–38. doi: 10.1080/00220389808422553.
[12]	IIRR. 2004. Food Security in Pastoralist Areas of Ethiopia. International Institute of Rural Reconstruction. Nairobi, Kenya.
[13]	Loison, S. A., & Loison, S. A. (2016). Rural livelihood diversification in Sub-Saharan Africa: A literature review. The Journal of Development Studies, 51, 1125–1138. doi: 10.1080/00220388.2015.1046445.
[14]	Nyambara, P. S., 2003. Rural Landlords, Rural Tenants, and the Sharecropping Complex in Gokwe, Northwestern Zimbabwe, 1980– 2002. University of Zimbabwe, Centre for Applied Social Sciences. Obasi, G. O. P., 1994. WMO’s role in the international decade for natural disaster reduction. Bull. Am. Meteorol. Soc. 75 (9), 1655–1661.
[15]	Readon, T. (1997). Using evidence of household of income diversification to inform study of rural non-farm labor market in African: World Development, vol 25, No: 735-47.
[16]	Reardon, T., Delgado, C. and Malton, P. (1998). Determinants and Effects of Income Diversification amongstFarm Households in Burkina Faso. Journal of Development Studies, Vol. 28 (2).
[17]	Smith, D. R., Gordon., A, Meadows., K, Zwick., K. (2001). Livelihood diversification in Uganda: patterns and determinants of change across Mtwo rural districts, Food Policy 26.
[18]	Saha, B., & Bahal, R. (2012). Constraints impeding livelihood diversification of farmers in West Bengal. Indian Research Journal of Extension Education, 12, 59–63.
[19]	Tesfaye Lemma, 2003. Diversity in livelihoods and farmers strategies in Hararghe highlands, Eastern Ethiopia, University of Pretoria, South Africa.
[20]	Woldehanna, T. & Oskam, A. 2001. Income Diversification and Entry Barriers: Evidence from the Tigray Region of Northern Ethiopia. Food Policy 26 (4): 351-365.
[21]	Wassie Berhanu. 2005. Pastoralism and Livelihood Diversification: A Case Study of the Borana Pastoral System in Ethiopia, A Ph. D. Thesis Submitted for the University of Manchester.

Cite This Article

Plain Text BibTeX RIS

APA Style

Amente Negussa Bayata, Tewodros Adane Nega. (2020). Factors Affecting Livelihood Diversification Decision: The Case of Kuormuk and Homosha Districts of Assosa Zone, Beneshangul Gumuz Regional State, Ethiopia. American Journal of Plant Biology, 5(3), 68-76. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajpb.20200503.16

Copy | Download

ACS Style

Amente Negussa Bayata; Tewodros Adane Nega. Factors Affecting Livelihood Diversification Decision: The Case of Kuormuk and Homosha Districts of Assosa Zone, Beneshangul Gumuz Regional State, Ethiopia. Am. J. Plant Biol. 2020, 5(3), 68-76. doi: 10.11648/j.ajpb.20200503.16

Copy | Download

AMA Style

Amente Negussa Bayata, Tewodros Adane Nega. Factors Affecting Livelihood Diversification Decision: The Case of Kuormuk and Homosha Districts of Assosa Zone, Beneshangul Gumuz Regional State, Ethiopia. Am J Plant Biol. 2020;5(3):68-76. doi: 10.11648/j.ajpb.20200503.16

Copy | Download

@article{10.11648/j.ajpb.20200503.16,
  author = {Amente Negussa Bayata and Tewodros Adane Nega},
  title = {Factors Affecting Livelihood Diversification Decision: The Case of Kuormuk and Homosha Districts of Assosa Zone, Beneshangul Gumuz Regional State, Ethiopia},
  journal = {American Journal of Plant Biology},
  volume = {5},
  number = {3},
  pages = {68-76},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ajpb.20200503.16},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajpb.20200503.16},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ajpb.20200503.16},
  abstract = {Ethiopia’s agricultural productivity is considered low despite the presence of various agricultural policies. These policies focus mainly on on-farm agricultural development to the neglect of rich opportunities for non-agricultural livelihood diversification activities. Livelihood diversification is a strategy that can boost farmers’ income and promote sustainable land management practices. This study was conducted to assess the various factors that affect households’ decisions on livelihood diversifications the case of Kuormuk and Homosha districts of Assosa zone, Beneshangul Gumuz regional state, western Ethiopia. Data was gathered by household survey from 376 sample households of 13 randomly selected rural kebeles of the Homosha and Kuormuk Districts through structural questionnaires. The alternative livelihood strategies that were used by the study households were agriculture only, and agriculture plus other activities (off-farm and non-farm activities). Binary Logit model was employed in identifying the determinants of rural livelihood diversification decision. From 13 hypothesized explanatory variables, 5 variables were found to have significant effect in determining diversification of household livelihood decisions. Accordingly, age of the household head, access to credit, receiving remittance and land size have negative association with livelihood diversification strategy. Whereas, getting training has a positively influence on households choice of livelihood diversification. Therefore, the findings of this imply that rural households’ development policies should consider off-farm and non-farm livelihood activities in addition to agriculture.},
 year = {2020}
}

Copy | Download

TY  - JOUR
T1  - Factors Affecting Livelihood Diversification Decision: The Case of Kuormuk and Homosha Districts of Assosa Zone, Beneshangul Gumuz Regional State, Ethiopia
AU  - Amente Negussa Bayata
AU  - Tewodros Adane Nega
Y1  - 2020/11/23
PY  - 2020
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajpb.20200503.16
DO  - 10.11648/j.ajpb.20200503.16
T2  - American Journal of Plant Biology
JF  - American Journal of Plant Biology
JO  - American Journal of Plant Biology
SP  - 68
EP  - 76
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2578-8337
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajpb.20200503.16
AB  - Ethiopia’s agricultural productivity is considered low despite the presence of various agricultural policies. These policies focus mainly on on-farm agricultural development to the neglect of rich opportunities for non-agricultural livelihood diversification activities. Livelihood diversification is a strategy that can boost farmers’ income and promote sustainable land management practices. This study was conducted to assess the various factors that affect households’ decisions on livelihood diversifications the case of Kuormuk and Homosha districts of Assosa zone, Beneshangul Gumuz regional state, western Ethiopia. Data was gathered by household survey from 376 sample households of 13 randomly selected rural kebeles of the Homosha and Kuormuk Districts through structural questionnaires. The alternative livelihood strategies that were used by the study households were agriculture only, and agriculture plus other activities (off-farm and non-farm activities). Binary Logit model was employed in identifying the determinants of rural livelihood diversification decision. From 13 hypothesized explanatory variables, 5 variables were found to have significant effect in determining diversification of household livelihood decisions. Accordingly, age of the household head, access to credit, receiving remittance and land size have negative association with livelihood diversification strategy. Whereas, getting training has a positively influence on households choice of livelihood diversification. Therefore, the findings of this imply that rural households’ development policies should consider off-farm and non-farm livelihood activities in addition to agriculture.
VL  - 5
IS  - 3
ER  -

Copy | Download

Author Information

Amente Negussa Bayata

Department of Agricultural Economics, Assosa University, Assosa, Ethiopia
Tewodros Adane Nega

Department of Agricultural Economics, Debark University, Gonder, Ethiopia

Download PDF

Sections

Plain Text BibTeX RIS

APA Style

Amente Negussa Bayata, Tewodros Adane Nega. (2020). Factors Affecting Livelihood Diversification Decision: The Case of Kuormuk and Homosha Districts of Assosa Zone, Beneshangul Gumuz Regional State, Ethiopia. American Journal of Plant Biology, 5(3), 68-76. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajpb.20200503.16

Copy | Download

ACS Style

Amente Negussa Bayata; Tewodros Adane Nega. Factors Affecting Livelihood Diversification Decision: The Case of Kuormuk and Homosha Districts of Assosa Zone, Beneshangul Gumuz Regional State, Ethiopia. Am. J. Plant Biol. 2020, 5(3), 68-76. doi: 10.11648/j.ajpb.20200503.16

Copy | Download

AMA Style

Amente Negussa Bayata, Tewodros Adane Nega. Factors Affecting Livelihood Diversification Decision: The Case of Kuormuk and Homosha Districts of Assosa Zone, Beneshangul Gumuz Regional State, Ethiopia. Am J Plant Biol. 2020;5(3):68-76. doi: 10.11648/j.ajpb.20200503.16

Copy | Download

@article{10.11648/j.ajpb.20200503.16,
  author = {Amente Negussa Bayata and Tewodros Adane Nega},
  title = {Factors Affecting Livelihood Diversification Decision: The Case of Kuormuk and Homosha Districts of Assosa Zone, Beneshangul Gumuz Regional State, Ethiopia},
  journal = {American Journal of Plant Biology},
  volume = {5},
  number = {3},
  pages = {68-76},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ajpb.20200503.16},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajpb.20200503.16},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ajpb.20200503.16},
  abstract = {Ethiopia’s agricultural productivity is considered low despite the presence of various agricultural policies. These policies focus mainly on on-farm agricultural development to the neglect of rich opportunities for non-agricultural livelihood diversification activities. Livelihood diversification is a strategy that can boost farmers’ income and promote sustainable land management practices. This study was conducted to assess the various factors that affect households’ decisions on livelihood diversifications the case of Kuormuk and Homosha districts of Assosa zone, Beneshangul Gumuz regional state, western Ethiopia. Data was gathered by household survey from 376 sample households of 13 randomly selected rural kebeles of the Homosha and Kuormuk Districts through structural questionnaires. The alternative livelihood strategies that were used by the study households were agriculture only, and agriculture plus other activities (off-farm and non-farm activities). Binary Logit model was employed in identifying the determinants of rural livelihood diversification decision. From 13 hypothesized explanatory variables, 5 variables were found to have significant effect in determining diversification of household livelihood decisions. Accordingly, age of the household head, access to credit, receiving remittance and land size have negative association with livelihood diversification strategy. Whereas, getting training has a positively influence on households choice of livelihood diversification. Therefore, the findings of this imply that rural households’ development policies should consider off-farm and non-farm livelihood activities in addition to agriculture.},
 year = {2020}
}

Copy | Download

TY  - JOUR
T1  - Factors Affecting Livelihood Diversification Decision: The Case of Kuormuk and Homosha Districts of Assosa Zone, Beneshangul Gumuz Regional State, Ethiopia
AU  - Amente Negussa Bayata
AU  - Tewodros Adane Nega
Y1  - 2020/11/23
PY  - 2020
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajpb.20200503.16
DO  - 10.11648/j.ajpb.20200503.16
T2  - American Journal of Plant Biology
JF  - American Journal of Plant Biology
JO  - American Journal of Plant Biology
SP  - 68
EP  - 76
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2578-8337
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajpb.20200503.16
AB  - Ethiopia’s agricultural productivity is considered low despite the presence of various agricultural policies. These policies focus mainly on on-farm agricultural development to the neglect of rich opportunities for non-agricultural livelihood diversification activities. Livelihood diversification is a strategy that can boost farmers’ income and promote sustainable land management practices. This study was conducted to assess the various factors that affect households’ decisions on livelihood diversifications the case of Kuormuk and Homosha districts of Assosa zone, Beneshangul Gumuz regional state, western Ethiopia. Data was gathered by household survey from 376 sample households of 13 randomly selected rural kebeles of the Homosha and Kuormuk Districts through structural questionnaires. The alternative livelihood strategies that were used by the study households were agriculture only, and agriculture plus other activities (off-farm and non-farm activities). Binary Logit model was employed in identifying the determinants of rural livelihood diversification decision. From 13 hypothesized explanatory variables, 5 variables were found to have significant effect in determining diversification of household livelihood decisions. Accordingly, age of the household head, access to credit, receiving remittance and land size have negative association with livelihood diversification strategy. Whereas, getting training has a positively influence on households choice of livelihood diversification. Therefore, the findings of this imply that rural households’ development policies should consider off-farm and non-farm livelihood activities in addition to agriculture.
VL  - 5
IS  - 3
ER  -

Copy | Download