Farming System Characterization in Selected Zones of SNNPR, Ethiopia

Abstract

In Ethiopia, agriculture has a significant contribution to the GDP and export items of the country. Bearing this in mind, it is important to characterize the farming system to develop climate smart and demand-driven agricultural technology for farmers. Thus, this study was conducted to explore the changes in farming systems over time and identify the factors that contributed to the change across the different agro-ecologies with cross-sectional data of 160 sample respondents. The multi-stage sampling procedure was employed to select 160 sample households. The Major means of livelihood were crop cultivation (98.44%) followed by animal rearing (93.75%) in highland and crop accounts for 94.79% and animal rearing covers 91.67% in midland areas. The major identified farming systems were enset and barley-based mixed farming system, maize-based mixed farming system, coffee-based mixed farming system, agro-pastoral farming system, and chat and enset-based mixed farming systems. The major crops in the study area were maize, common bean, finger millet, teff, potato, coffee, barley, and enset. The major livestock resources were cattle, chickens, sheep, goats, and donkeys. According to the respondents, 48(30%) had physical soil and water conservation structures on their farmland.  The farming system in the study area has shown dynamism due to driving factors related to climate change and variability, land use changes, an association of farmers, and government policies. Responses of the farming systems to existing agriculture-related policy directions include the introduction of mechanization and cluster farming. The major coping mechanisms to climate change include selling livestock, buying food, eating fewer meals in a day, and storing grain for the future.  Major adaptation strategies include adjusting planting dates, changing crop varieties, decreasing livestock owned, and changing crop type. In crop production among other factors, low availability of improved seed takes the upper hand with market information delivery as the prior problem. In the livestock sector, disease occurrence in production and credit unavailability for trading were top problems. In natural resource management, soil fertility among others took the upper place as a problem.  Therefore, improving access to improved varieties and breeds, raising farmers' awareness of the livestock disease and improved crop management practices, working to improve market information, market infrastructure, and pricing strategies, focusing on post-harvest management practices, expanding soil and water conservation, maintaining the already constructed structure and working in improving women’s access to agricultural extension services by focusing on easily participative sub-sectors are recommended.