http://ir.haramaya.edu.et//hru/handle/123456789/264 2026-04-08T15:33:03Z http://ir.haramaya.edu.et//hru/handle/123456789/8292 ROLE OF MICROFINANCE ON SOCIO-ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT OF RURAL WOMEN IN TARMABER DISTRICT, NORTHSHOA ZONE, AMHARA REGIONAL STATE, ETHIOPIA Tizita Tefera; (PhD) Wesagn Berhane; (PhD) Teklemariam Keneni Microfinance institutions considered as an important development program in Ethiopia, focused on reducing the poverty level of the community, especially women are in the mainstream of microfinance programs. This research was conducted to analyze the role of microfinance on rural women's socio-economic empowerment in Tarmaber district, Amhara Regional State, Ethiopia. Multi-stage and purposive sampling techniques were followed to select 248 respondents from the three randomly selected Kebeles of Tarmaber district out of those which 118 were microfinance users and 130 non users. The primary data were collected by using semi-structured interview questionnaire from 248 respondents, six KII and two FGDs in each sample Kebeles. To find out factors affecting rural household’s participation in microfinance, nature of MFI credit utilization and examine impact of microfinance on rural women’s socio-economic empowerment in the district, data were analyzed by using descriptive, inferential statistics and econometric model. In the study, STATA software used to analyze the data. Binary logit model used to examine factors affecting MFI participation. Based on logistic regression those factors, education level, dependency ratio, annual farm income, annual off-farm income, distance from microfinance, saving, loan interest rate, and access to training significantly affected microfinance participation. The PSM used to examine the impact of microfinance participation on the annual income of rural household and women empowerment. The matching algorithm used was radius caliper band width 0.25. Results of ATT shows that microfinance user households have 2205 birr annual income difference than non-user households and there was 0.042 WEAI score difference between two groups. The researcher used WEAI to identify the level of women empowerment in the district and the result was 72%. There was a difference in the level of empowerment between microfinance user and non-user groups. The result from KII and FGD shows that majority of microfinance user households used microfinance loan for intended purpose, while some of them used for personal consumption (ekil, yebet tata,). Based on the findings, the study makes recommendations for microfinance institution in the district to give more training on effective loan utilization, close the gap and making efforts to minimize significant factors that contribute to women's disempowerment in the district. 110p. 2024-12-01T00:00:00Z http://ir.haramaya.edu.et//hru/handle/123456789/8282 IMPACT OF IMPROVED SORGHUM VARIETY(GIRNA-1) ADOPTION ON SMALLHOLDER FARMERS’ FOOD SECURITY IN AMBASEL DISTRICT OF SOUTH WOLLO ZONE, AMHARA REGION, ETHIOPIA MEKONEN FENTAW KEBEDE; Dr.Wesagne Birhane (PhD); Hakim Hashim (Ass. Prof.) Sorghum is one of the dominant crops and is used as a source of food and income in the eastern parts of Amhara region. Several yield-increasing and drought-resistant improved sorghum varieties have been developed and released by research institutions to enhance small holder farmers' food security. However, the adoption of these improved varieties was low and their impact on household food security was not evaluated in the study area. Therefore, this study was conducted to identify the determinants of smallholder farmers' adoption and intensity of adoption of improved sorghum variety and to evaluate its impact on smallholder farmers' food security in the study area. A multistage sampling technique was used to select total of 242 sample households. Primary data was collected through semi-structured interview schedule, focused group discussions and key informant interviews. Secondary data was collected from books, articles and reports. The collected data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics, as well as econometrics models like the double hurdle and endogenous switching regression model. The first hurdle probit model result revealed that age of the household head, educational level of the household head, farming experience, frequency of extension contacts, credit access, cooperative membership and land holding size affected adoption of improved sorghum variety significantly and positively whereas distance from the nearest market center affected it significantly and negatively. The second hurdle truncated regression model estimation result showed that family size, total livestock holding, cooperative membership, credit access and land holding size affected farmers' intensity of adoption significantly and positively. The Endogenous switching regression model estimation result showed that households' caloric intake would have decreased by 277.7 Kcal/day/AE and their dietary diversity score would have decreased by 1.6 if adopters had decided not to adopt. Non-adopter households’ caloric intake and dietary diversity score would have increased by 170.7 Kcal/day/AE and score of 2.2 respectively if they had decided to adopt. As a result, the adoption of improved sorghum variety had a positive impact on household caloric intake and dietary diversity score. Therefore, district governmental organizations and other stakeholders should encourage and promote the adoption of improved sorghum variety to improve smallholder farmers' food security. 111 2024-06-01T00:00:00Z http://ir.haramaya.edu.et//hru/handle/123456789/8261 THE DETERMINANTS OF WOMEN’S VEGETABLE PRODUCERS ACCESS TO AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION SERVICES IN HARAMAYA DISTRICT, OROMIA REGION, ETHIOPIA Nadiya Abdusalam; Hakim Hashim (Assistant Professor); Teklemariam Keneni (PhD) Evidence shows that agricultural extension is one of the institutional services that have a central role in the transformation process of the agricultural sector. Women account for 50 percent of the population and are the main workforce in most rural Ethiopia where its economy depends on agriculture. However, women have limited access to agricultural extension services in Ethiopia in general and in the East Harghe zone in particular. This study intended to assess the status and determinants of women's participation in accessing agricultural extension services in vegetable production. The study used multi-stage techniques, combining probability and non-probability samplings to select households. The purposively selected Haramaya Woreda has 33 rural kebeles, stratified into 28 irrigable and 5 non-irrigable kebeles among four such as Damota, Maya lemon, kurro, and sharif-kalid were randomly selected from the irrigable ones for this study; 123 sample households were determined by Yamane formula and they are randomly selected based on each kebele’s population proportion to size. Primary data was collected from sample farmers through structured interviews and focused group discussions. The descriptive statistics analysis result shows that about 46.6% of households had access to agricultural extension service (AES) whereas 53.4% didn’t have access to the same. The Chi-square and t-test were employed to analyze the existence of explanatory variables' influence on the dependent variables and the logit econometric model was used to identify determinants of women's access to AES. Its regression result revealed that sampled households’ education level, family size, total annual farm income, participation in community affairs and women's association, and access to credit were positive while only age negatively and significantly affected women’s access to AES in their vegetable production in the study area. Therefore, kebele and district level and relevant public and NGO agricultural institutions should enhance the determinant factors to improve women farm households’ access to agricultural extension services in the study area and the region in general. 82 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z http://ir.haramaya.edu.et//hru/handle/123456789/8120 ACACIA DECURRENS TREE ADOPTION, COMMERCIALIZATION AND ITS IMPACTS ON RURAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME AND FOOD SECURITY IN AWI ZONE, AMHARA REGIONAL STATE, NORTHWEST ETHIOPIA AMELEWORK BIRESAW LULU; Mengistu Ketema (PhD, Professor); Tesfaye Lemma (PhD, Assoc. Professor) This study was aimed to investigate the intensity of adoption of AD tree, level of commercialization and its impacts on rural household income and food security in Awi Zone using cross-sectional data obtained from 385 respondants from three purposely chosen districts in Awi zone. Data were gathered through household survey, focus group discussions, and key informant interviews. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics and econometric models like Two-limit Tobit model, Ordered Logit models, and Generalized Propensity Score (GPS). The result of the study shows that, on average, the intensity of adoption of AD was 0.43 implying thatthe tree covers 43% of the total cropland. Sex (being male), education, access to seedling, experience in growing the tree and extension contact ,age, cropland size, livestock holding size, soil fertility status,rustdisease (romycladium acacia) emergenceand road distance signficanly determine the intensity of AD adoption. Even though, majority (74.29%) of AD producers commercialized, only few respondents (7.53%) fall into high level of commercialization category. Sex, AD farming experience, extension access, AD land allocation, unit price, access to seedling, AD yield, and mobile ownership, AD woodlot distance were influence on the level of commercialization.Considerable size of the sample households (about 36.4%)are living in low food security status. Education, AD farming experience, livestock holding size, market information access, off/non-farm income, AD income, dependency ratio of a household have a significance influence on household’s food security status. AD commercialization has a moderate impact on food security and income. Based on the findings, the results suggest that creating an enabling environment through land tenure security, creating access to seedling, disease management, improving infrastructure, strengthening a market linkages to sustain smallholder farmers’ AD tree commercialization that enable economically impoverished households to improve their income and food security. 190 2024-06-01T00:00:00Z