EFFECTS OF FARMLAND FRAGMENTATION ON CROP PRODUCTION OF THE SMALLHOLDER FARMERS: EVIDENCE FROM ARSI ZONE, SOUTH EAST ETHIOPIA
Asian Journal of Advances in Research, Volume 17, Issue 4,
Page 134-146
Abstract
Ethiopia has low crop production in the agriculture of smallholder sector where farmland fragmentation is one of the major factors behind this problem. This study aimed at assessing the effects of farmland fragmentation on crop production of smallholder farmers in Arsi zone of South East Ethiopia. Data were generated by using survey questionnaire, focus group discussion, and interviews. Farmland fragmentation was measured by Simpson index and both descriptive and inferential statistics were used for data analysis. Sample sizes of 314 households were selected by using systematic random sampling technique from sampling frames. Simpson index was applied to compute farmland fragmentation. Multiple linear regressions were also employed to test how well fragmentation was able to predict crop production per hectare with relative contribution of each variable in the model. Results indicated that the study area has 3.54 average numbers of plots, 0.55 fragmentation indexes, 0.45 ha mean plot size, and 28 quintals total mean crop production per hectare. The qualitative data results also revealed that land transaction via dividing smaller plots was the major factor for land fragmentation. Multiple regression models established that land fragmentation had negative relationships with crop production per plot. Thus, the study suggested that the local government should curb the need for scarce farmlands by initiating nonfarm livelihood strategies among the farming households.
Keywords:
- Arsi zone
- crop production
- Ethiopia
- farmland fragmentation
- smallholders
How to Cite
LETA, T. B., BERLIE, A. B., & HIRPHA, H. H. (2022). EFFECTS OF FARMLAND FRAGMENTATION ON CROP PRODUCTION OF THE SMALLHOLDER FARMERS: EVIDENCE FROM ARSI ZONE, SOUTH EAST ETHIOPIA. Asian Journal of Advances in Research, 17(4), 134-146. Retrieved from https://www.mbimph.com/index.php/AJOAIR/article/view/3224
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Akkaya AST, Kirmikil M, Gundogdu KS, Arici I. Reallocation model for land consolidation based on landowners’ requests. Land Use Policy. 2018;70:463–470.
Teklu A. Rural land, emerging rental land markets and public policy in Ethiopia. African Development Review. 2004;16 (1):169-202.
Yigremew A. Some queries about the debate on land tenure in Ethiopia. Proceedings of the Tenth Annual Conference on Ethiopian economy. Addis Ababa, Economic Association; 2002.
Hagmann T. Ethiopian political culture strikes back: a rejoinder to J. Abbink. African Affairs. 2006;105(421):605-612.
Jin S, Jayne T. Land rental markets in Kenya: implications for efficiency, equity, household income, and poverty. Land Econ. 2013; 89(2):246–271.
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Ambaye D. Land rights and expropriation in Ethiopia. Master thesis, Addis Ababa University. Springer; 2015.
DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-14639-3_2
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Headey D, Dereje M, Taffesse A. Land Constraints and agricultural intensification in ethiopia: a village-level analysis of high-potential areas. Food Policy. 2014;48:129-141.
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Demetriou D, Stillwell J, See L. A new methodology for measuring land fragmentation. Computers, Environment and Urban Systems. 2013;39:71–80.
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Gudina D. Farmland fragmentation and its impact on food production in highland villages of Seru District, Oromia Regional State, South Eastern Ethiopia; 2011.
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Wickramaarachchi N, Weerahewa J. Land fragmentation and land productivity: Empirical evidence from land distribution schemes of Sri Lanka. Journal of Business and Management. 2016;5(1):11-21.
Reuben M, Kadigi1, Japhet J, Kashaigili, Agnes S, Felix K, Anna S, Winfred M. Land Fragmentation, Agricultural Productivity and Implications for Agricultural Investments in the Southern Agricultural Growth Corridor of Sagcot Region, Tanzania. Journal of Development and Agricultural Economics. 2017;9(2):26-36.
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Shalaby M, Al-Zahrani K, Baig M, Straquadine G, Aldosari F. Threats and challenges to sustainable agriculture and rural development in Egypt: Implications for Linkages: The case of Wolenkomi Town and the Surrounding Rural kebeles. Working papers on Population and Land Use Change in Central Ethiopia, No. 10; 2011.
Iheke O, Amaechi E. Effect of land fragmentation on smallholders’ productivity in Imo State, Nigeria International Journal of Agricultural Science, Research and Technology in Extension and Education Systems. 2015; 5(3):195-201.
Kiplimo LB, Ngeno V. Understanding the effect of land fragmentation on farm level efficiency: An application of quantile regression-based thick frontier approach to maize production in Kenya. 2016;310-2016-5374).
Olika T. Ethiopia: Politics of land tenure policies under the three regimes, a carrot and stick rulling strategy in Ethiopian politics. In: Olika Tesfaye (ed.) Ethiopia; 2006.
Kassie M, Zikhali P, Pender J, Köhlin G. Sustainable agricultural practices and agricultural productivity in Ethiopia: does agro-ecology matter?. rapport nr.: Working Papers in Economics. 2009;406.
Imenda S. Is there a conceptual difference between theoretical and conceptual frameworks? Journal of Social Science. 2014; 38(2):185-195.
Ministry of Agriculture (MOA). Agro-Ecological Zones of Ethiopia. Natural Resources Management and Regulatory Department. Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; 1998.
Meteorological Agency of Ethiopian. Kulumsa First Class Meteorological Station; 2017.
Oromia Urban Plan Institute. Shape file GIS data for major features in Oromia region; 2018. Available:https://www.ethyp.com/company/353529/Oromia_Urban_Planning_Institute
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Mesay Y, Tolesa A. Baseline survey in selected wheat producing areas of Ethiopia: the case of Arsi zone, Eastern Africa Agricultural Productivity Program (EAAPP); 2011.
Gibson M, Gurmu E. Rural to urban migration is an unforeseen impact of development intervention in Ethiopia. PLoS One. 2012; 7(11):e48708.
Kothari R. Research methodology, methods and techniques. New Age International PLtd. publishers. New Delhi, India; 2004.
Naing L, Winn T, Rusli B. Practical issues in calculating the sample size for prevalence studies. Archives of Orofacial Sciences. 2006;1:9-14.
Creswell J. Qualitative inquiry and research design choosing among five approaches (3rd Edition). California: Sage Publications; 2013.
Shuhao T. Land fragmentation and rice production: A case study of small farms in Jiangxi Province, P.R. China. PhD thesis, Wageningen University; 2005.
Mesele BT. Rural Non-farm livelihood diversification among farming households in Saharti Samre Woreda, Southeastern Tigray (Dissertation): Addis Ababa University Politics, Policy Making and Rural Development. Addis Ababa: Department of Political & International Relations, Addis Ababa University. 2016;1–25.
Urgessa T. The determinants of agricultural productivity and rural household income in Ethiopia, Master thesis, Addis Ababa University; 2015.
Chowa C, Garforth C, Cardey S. Farmer experience of pluralistic agricultural extension, Malawi. The Journal of Agricultural Education and Extension. 2013;19:147-166.
Abrha B. Factors affecting agricultural production in Tigray region, northern Ethiopia (Doctoral dissertation). University of South Africa; 2015.
Lowder S, Skoet J, Raney T. The number, size, and distribution of farms, smallholder farms, and family farms worldwide. World Development. 2016;87:16-29.
Manjunatha AV, Anik AR, Speelman S, Nuppenau E. Impact of land fragmentation, farm size, land ownership and crop diversity on profit and efficiency of irrigated farms in India. Land Use Policy. 2013;31:397-405.
Ali D, Deininger K. Is There a farm-size productivity relationship in African agriculture? Evidence from Rwanda. Land Economics. 2015;91(2):317–343.
Oromia Region Council. The amended Oromia Region Land Administration and Utilization proclamation. Pro.No.103, Finfinne; 2007.
Accessed 10 Dec 2018
Kakwagh V, Aderonmu J, Ikwuba A. Land fragmentation and Agricultural Development in Tivland of Benue state, Nigeria, Current Research Journal of Social Sciences. 2011; 3(2).
Unal F. Small is beautiful: Evidence of an inverse relationship between farm size and yield in Turkey. Working Paper No. 551, The Levy Economics Institute of Bard College; 2008.
Available:http://www.fao. org/DOCREP/004/X3810E/x3810e04.htm#g]
Bizimana C, Nieuwoudt W, Ferrer S. Farm size, land fragmentation and economic efficiency in Southern Rwanda. Agrekon. 2004;43(2):244–262.
Akkaya AST, Kirmikil M, Gundogdu KS, Arici I. Reallocation model for land consolidation based on landowners’ requests. Land Use Policy. 2018;70:463–470.
Teklu A. Rural land, emerging rental land markets and public policy in Ethiopia. African Development Review. 2004;16 (1):169-202.
Yigremew A. Some queries about the debate on land tenure in Ethiopia. Proceedings of the Tenth Annual Conference on Ethiopian economy. Addis Ababa, Economic Association; 2002.
Hagmann T. Ethiopian political culture strikes back: a rejoinder to J. Abbink. African Affairs. 2006;105(421):605-612.
Jin S, Jayne T. Land rental markets in Kenya: implications for efficiency, equity, household income, and poverty. Land Econ. 2013; 89(2):246–271.
Rahmato D. The peasant and the state: Studies in Agrarian change in Ethiopia, 1950s- 2000s. Addis Ababa: Addis Ababa University Press; 2009.
Ambaye D. Land rights and expropriation in Ethiopia. Master thesis, Addis Ababa University. Springer; 2015.
DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-14639-3_2
Deininger K, Jin S, Adnew B, Samuel G, Berhanu N. Tenure security and land related investment: Ethiopia’s proceeding of the first international conference on the Ethiopian economy. Addis Ababa. Ethiopian Economic Association. 2004;II.
Headey D, Dereje M, Taffesse A. Land Constraints and agricultural intensification in ethiopia: a village-level analysis of high-potential areas. Food Policy. 2014;48:129-141.
Paul M, Gĩthĩnji M. Small farms, smaller plots: land size, fragmentation, and productivity in Ethiopia. The Journal of Peasant Studies. 2017;1-19.
Bodurtha P, Caron J, Chemeda J, Shakhmetova D, Vo L. Land Reform in Ethiopia: Recommendations for reform. Document Prepared for Solidarity Movement for a New Ethiopia (SMNE); 2011.
Bezu S, Holden S. Are rural youth in Ethiopia Abandoning agriculture? World Development. 2014a;64: 0:259–72.
Teshome M. Population growth and cultivated land in rural ethiopia: land use dynamics, farm size, and fragmentation. Resources and Environment. 2014;4(3):148-161.
FAO. 2000 world census of agriculture analysis and international comparison of results (1996–2005): FAO statistical development series 13: FAO, Rome; 2013.
Mengistu W. Socioeconomic challenges of smallholder farmers in agricultural practice in robe Woreda, Arsi zone, Oromia region, Master thesis, Addis Ababa University; 2014.
Bimerew H. Rural-Urban migration and its consequence: The case in Hawassa City Southern Ethiopia. Global Journal of Human-Social Science Research. 2015;15(4):17-24.
Demetriou D, Stillwell J, See L. A new methodology for measuring land fragmentation. Computers, Environment and Urban Systems. 2013;39:71–80.
Demetriou D. Land fragmentation in the development of an integrated planning and decision support system. (IPDSS) for Land Consolidation, Springer Theses; 2014.
Gudina D. Farmland fragmentation and its impact on food production in highland villages of Seru District, Oromia Regional State, South Eastern Ethiopia; 2011.
Alemu G, Ayele Z, Berhanu A. Effects of land fragmentation on productivity in Northwestern Ethiopia Hindawi Advances in Agriculture. 2017;Article ID 4509605:1-9
Bentley J. Economic and ecological approaches to land fragmentation: in defense of a much-maligned phenomenon, Annual Review of Anthropology. 1987;16:31–67.
Barbier P. Inverse relationship between farm size and land productivity: A Product of science or imagination? Economic & Political Weekly. 1984;19(51/52):189-198.
Austin O, Ulunma A, Sulaiman J. Exploring the link between land fragmentation and agricultural productivity. Journal of Agriculture and Forestry. 2012;2(1):30-34
Wickramaarachchi N, Weerahewa J. Land fragmentation and land productivity: Empirical evidence from land distribution schemes of Sri Lanka. Journal of Business and Management. 2016;5(1):11-21.
Reuben M, Kadigi1, Japhet J, Kashaigili, Agnes S, Felix K, Anna S, Winfred M. Land Fragmentation, Agricultural Productivity and Implications for Agricultural Investments in the Southern Agricultural Growth Corridor of Sagcot Region, Tanzania. Journal of Development and Agricultural Economics. 2017;9(2):26-36.
King R. Land reform: A world survey. London: G. Bell and Sons; 1977.
Wattanutchariya S, Jitsanguan T. Increasing the scale of small-farm operations in Thailand. Food & Fertilizer Technology Center; 1992.
Jian-Ming Z. A new proposal for land consolidation and expansion in Japan and other economies. European University Institute, Florence, Italy; 1997.
Shalaby M, Al-Zahrani K, Baig M, Straquadine G, Aldosari F. Threats and challenges to sustainable agriculture and rural development in Egypt: Implications for Linkages: The case of Wolenkomi Town and the Surrounding Rural kebeles. Working papers on Population and Land Use Change in Central Ethiopia, No. 10; 2011.
Iheke O, Amaechi E. Effect of land fragmentation on smallholders’ productivity in Imo State, Nigeria International Journal of Agricultural Science, Research and Technology in Extension and Education Systems. 2015; 5(3):195-201.
Kiplimo LB, Ngeno V. Understanding the effect of land fragmentation on farm level efficiency: An application of quantile regression-based thick frontier approach to maize production in Kenya. 2016;310-2016-5374).
Olika T. Ethiopia: Politics of land tenure policies under the three regimes, a carrot and stick rulling strategy in Ethiopian politics. In: Olika Tesfaye (ed.) Ethiopia; 2006.
Kassie M, Zikhali P, Pender J, Köhlin G. Sustainable agricultural practices and agricultural productivity in Ethiopia: does agro-ecology matter?. rapport nr.: Working Papers in Economics. 2009;406.
Imenda S. Is there a conceptual difference between theoretical and conceptual frameworks? Journal of Social Science. 2014; 38(2):185-195.
Ministry of Agriculture (MOA). Agro-Ecological Zones of Ethiopia. Natural Resources Management and Regulatory Department. Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; 1998.
Meteorological Agency of Ethiopian. Kulumsa First Class Meteorological Station; 2017.
Oromia Urban Plan Institute. Shape file GIS data for major features in Oromia region; 2018. Available:https://www.ethyp.com/company/353529/Oromia_Urban_Planning_Institute
Central Statistical Agency of Ethiopia (CSA). Ethiopia Rural Socioeconomic Survey (ERSS ) Survey Report. Ethiopia; 2015.
Mesay Y, Tolesa A. Baseline survey in selected wheat producing areas of Ethiopia: the case of Arsi zone, Eastern Africa Agricultural Productivity Program (EAAPP); 2011.
Gibson M, Gurmu E. Rural to urban migration is an unforeseen impact of development intervention in Ethiopia. PLoS One. 2012; 7(11):e48708.
Kothari R. Research methodology, methods and techniques. New Age International PLtd. publishers. New Delhi, India; 2004.
Naing L, Winn T, Rusli B. Practical issues in calculating the sample size for prevalence studies. Archives of Orofacial Sciences. 2006;1:9-14.
Creswell J. Qualitative inquiry and research design choosing among five approaches (3rd Edition). California: Sage Publications; 2013.
Shuhao T. Land fragmentation and rice production: A case study of small farms in Jiangxi Province, P.R. China. PhD thesis, Wageningen University; 2005.
Mesele BT. Rural Non-farm livelihood diversification among farming households in Saharti Samre Woreda, Southeastern Tigray (Dissertation): Addis Ababa University Politics, Policy Making and Rural Development. Addis Ababa: Department of Political & International Relations, Addis Ababa University. 2016;1–25.
Urgessa T. The determinants of agricultural productivity and rural household income in Ethiopia, Master thesis, Addis Ababa University; 2015.
Chowa C, Garforth C, Cardey S. Farmer experience of pluralistic agricultural extension, Malawi. The Journal of Agricultural Education and Extension. 2013;19:147-166.
Abrha B. Factors affecting agricultural production in Tigray region, northern Ethiopia (Doctoral dissertation). University of South Africa; 2015.
Lowder S, Skoet J, Raney T. The number, size, and distribution of farms, smallholder farms, and family farms worldwide. World Development. 2016;87:16-29.
Manjunatha AV, Anik AR, Speelman S, Nuppenau E. Impact of land fragmentation, farm size, land ownership and crop diversity on profit and efficiency of irrigated farms in India. Land Use Policy. 2013;31:397-405.
Ali D, Deininger K. Is There a farm-size productivity relationship in African agriculture? Evidence from Rwanda. Land Economics. 2015;91(2):317–343.
Oromia Region Council. The amended Oromia Region Land Administration and Utilization proclamation. Pro.No.103, Finfinne; 2007.
Accessed 10 Dec 2018
Kakwagh V, Aderonmu J, Ikwuba A. Land fragmentation and Agricultural Development in Tivland of Benue state, Nigeria, Current Research Journal of Social Sciences. 2011; 3(2).
Unal F. Small is beautiful: Evidence of an inverse relationship between farm size and yield in Turkey. Working Paper No. 551, The Levy Economics Institute of Bard College; 2008.
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