Bultossa Terefe Willy , AJAR, 2018; 3:22 Research Article AJAR (2018), 3:22 American Journal of Agricultural Research (ISSN:2475-2002) Constraints and Opportunities of Maize, Teff and wheat production: The case of Ambo s and Toke Kuttaye Districts, West Showa Zone, Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia Bultossa Terefe Willy Ambo University College of Agriculture and Veterinary Science Department of Agribusiness And Value Chain Management ABSTRACT In Ethiopia, agriculture accounts for about 85% of the working *Correspondence to Author: forces, 90% of exports and 50% of the total gross domestic prod- Bultossa Terefe Willy uct (GDP). Agriculture is the main stay of the country. The study Ambo University College of Ag- was initiated with the objective of Assessments of constraints and Opportunities of Maize,Teff and wheat production. The study riculture and Veterinary Science used multi stage random sampling techniques. At first stage, Department of Agribusiness And from the existing districts in West Shawa Zone, two districts were Value Chain Management selected based on their relative importance with respect to staple food crop production potential and their accessibility purposively. At the second stage, Six PAs, was selected randomly by random sampling method. At the third stage, probability proportional’s How to cite this article: to size (PPS) were used to select respondents for interview. Ac- Bultossa Terefe Willy. Constraints cordingly a sample of 180 house hold heads was selected for and Opportunities of Maize, Teff interview. The major constraints of the study area were found and wheat production: The case of to be: Crop worm and disease, Price problem, lack of inputs Ambo s and Toke Kuttaye Districts, (chemicals, Fertilizers, Seed, etc.,). Lack of appropriate threshing facilities and storage facilities, high post harvest losses, lack of West Showa Zone, Oromia Region- farming oxen, lack of rural credits, lack of education and lack of al State, Ethiopia. American Journal rural feeder roads. Major opportunities of the study area were of Agricultural Research, 2018,3:22. found to be, availability of irrigable land, availability of fertile land, availability of motivated and hard working farmers, location of the districts for agricultural marketing’s and good weather condition. Policies, plans and programs should target this rural community. The constructionFor of rural feeder roads,Proof either, mechanization of Only the farming sector or provision of sufficient farming oxen is in- eSciPub LLC, Houston, TX USA. dispensible, provision of rural education programs are required, Website: http://escipub.com/ policy makers should focus in provisions of rural credit facilities with reasonable interest rates, crop worms and diseases should be controlled, price for inputs and outputs should be intervened. Keywords: Constraints, Opportunities, Rural households, Rural Credits, Modern Technologies AJAR: http://escipub.com/american-journal-of-agricultural-research/ 0001 Bultossa Terefe Willy , AJAR, 2018; 3:22 1. Background of the study Ethiopia turned from a food exporter into a food importer during the period 1955-1959 (Mesfin, In Ethiopia, agriculture accounts for about 85% 1999). And it was not uncommon in 1960s and of the working forces, 90% of exports and 50% 1970s to speak of Ethiopia as having the of the total gross domestic product (GDP). In potential to be the bread basket of the Middle the 1980s, the sector grew at only 0.1% per East. It took two devastating famines for the annum which is 2.9 percent below the rate of “bread basket” argument to beat a reluctant population growth (USAID, 1995; cited in retreat, and social analysts are now awakening Mohamed, 1996) while rural unemployment to the fact that the periodic disasters that engulf increased, nutrition level declined, and food aid rural Ethiopia are not aberrations but rather imports increased, significantly. dramatic manifestations of a disease that have The series of African food crises in the been afflicting the country for centuries, and seventies and eighties have led to sustained continue to do so at present (Desalegn, 1988). interest in the various factors that influence Ethiopia lies within one of the most food peasant food security. This in turn is due to insecure regions in the world, with a large some critical production and productivity number of its population living at subsistence problems. The roles of crop conditions, levels and dependent on farm production highly government policy and peasant access to vulnerable to severe draughts. The smallholder economic resources have received particular peasant sector is the most important attention (Yared, 1999). agricultural sub sector in the country. Its Deepening food crises in several developing emphasis is on food grain crops where countries specially those in Sub-Saharan Africa considerable improvements of cultivation (SSA), has increasingly become the concern of practices, management and marketing need to many researchers, planners, donors and be realized. The production volume of food international development agencies, who have grain crops as well as the per capita food given high priority to the study of food system production has shown tremendous fluctuations and the critical problem of production, throughout the 1980s thus resulting in sever productivity and food security (Gezahegn, food shortage in the country. The main reasons 1995). Per capita food production in SSA for these are stochastic shocks such as including Ethiopia has been declining over the recurrent draught, lack of incentives for the last three decades. Despite the available small-scale food producers and poor extension resources and the efforts made by services for the small peasant households governments in SSA, Agricultural production (Gezahegn, 1995). and productivity problems and food insecurity The agricultural production, productivity and remained one of the most crucial issues. food insecurity problems of Ethiopia, the The gap between food production and poorest country in the world, should be well consumption in most SSA countries is induced known. Famines have occurred throughout the by the slowdown of the agricultural production country’s history. Moreover, the same source growth rates.For The major causes Proof for the slow further explained thatOnly harvest failure often leads growth rates of agriculture include various to losses of assets and a fall into poverty. When factors such as unfavorable climatic conditions, weather conditions affect food production, the undeveloped infrastructures, inappropriate country’s food situation deteriorates quite agricultural policies and predominantly rapidly entailing emergency external food aid traditional production systems (Mohamed, imports. In the last two decades, this has 1995). happened several times. Over the last fifteen AJAR: http://escipub.com/american-journal-of-agricultural-research/ 0002 Bultossa Terefe Willy , AJAR, 2018; 3:22 years, Ethiopia has imported food aid on regional and country level, disaggregated average 700,000 metric tons per annum to information on the incidence of agricultural cope with the food insecurity in the vulnerable production, agricultural productivity and food region of the country (FDRE, 2001). This shows insecurity is required both for proper policy an increase in vulnerability and food insecurity design and adequately targeted interventions. as well as an increase in the number of people This entails identification of different categories who are failing to enough food from domestic of the agricultural production, agricultural sources. productivity and food insecure at the local and Related to critical problems of production, household level by sector of economic activity, productivity and food insecurity is the level of Occupational characteristics and social status nutritional deprivation, stunting and wasting of by age and gender (Kostas et al., 2001). children less than 5 years of age, which is quite Despite some improvements in agricultural wide-spread in Ethiopia. According to the 2000 production in recent years, overall agricultural Demographic and Health Survey, 52% of growth falls far short of the rapid population children under age 5 are under weight (FDRE, growth and food imports (in the form of aid and 2001). to some extent commercial imports) has Although food self-sufficiency has remained the become an important component of food supply stated goal of the Government of Ethiopia, the in the country contributing on average about problem of food insecurity has continued to 6.4% of national food production between 1996 persist in the country. Many rural households and 2010 (Yesuf, et al, 2012). Ethiopian have already lost their means of livelihood due agriculture is characterized by low productivity to recurrent drought and crop failures (Ayalneh, which is associated with low input usage (such 2002). as improved seed varieties and fertilizer), significant post-harvest loss, population Therefore, what is needed now is to pressure, poor farming practices, and land comprehensively address determine the critical degradation, among others. problem of agricultural production, agricultural productivity and food insecurity and The potential solutions, beside measures that opportunities of staple food production in the would take population pressure off agriculture, country. Hence, a study of this sort in lie in the promotion of agricultural innovations addressing the critical problem has an that would improve- productivity sustainably important