Tef, Khat, and Community Resilience: A Mixed Methods Examination of Smallholder Adoption of Sustainable Intensification Practices. _______________________________________ A Dissertation presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School at the University of Missouri-Columbia _______________________________________________________ In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy _____________________________________________________ by ANNE CAFER Dr. James Rikoon, Dissertation Supervisor JULY 2016 © Copyright by Anne M. Cafer 2016 All Rights Reserved The undersigned, appointed by the dean of the Graduate School, have examined the dissertation entitled Tef, Khat, and Community Resilience: A Mixed Methods Examination of Smallholder Adoption of Sustainable Intensification Practices. presented by Anne M. Cafer, a candidate for the degree of doctor of philosophy of Rural Sociology, and hereby certify that, in their opinion, it is worthy of acceptance. Dr. James Rikoon, Chair Dr. Jere Gilles Dr. Hua Qin Dr. William Meyers ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to acknowledge the mentorship and assistance of my major advisor, Dr. Sandy Rikoon for insightful suggestions and critique throughout the research process and my time here at Mizzou. I would also like to thank the members of my committee, Jere Gilles, William Meyers, and Hua Qin, who provided much needed feedback during the writing process. Additionally, I would like to thank the University of Missouri’s College of Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources International Programs Office for their assistance during data collection and mentorship, particularly Christy Copeland and Ken Schneeberger. I would also like to acknowledge the friendship and collegiality of my fellow graduate students. Finally, I would like to acknowledge the Borlaug Fellowship in Global Food Security Program, which funded this research. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS................................................................................ii ABSTRACT ......................................................................................................iv INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................. 1 METHODS ………………………………………………................................ 8 Chapter 1. TEF, KHAT, AND THE SMALLHOLDER DILEMMA: A MIXED- METHODS ANALYSIS OF INNOVATION ADOPTION IN THE ETHIOPIAN HIGHLANDS………………………………………….……….15 2. LAND FRAGMENTATION AND COMPULSORY AGRICULTURAL MODERNIZATION: THE POLITICAL ECOLOGY OF AGRICULTURAL INPUT PACKAGES IN SOUTH WOLLO, ETHIOPIA……………………..47 3. KHAT: ADPATIVE COMMUNITY RESILIENCE STRATEGY OR SHORT-SIGHTED MONEY MAKER……………………………………….76 VITA .............................................................................................................. 107 iii ACADEMIC ABSTRACT Climate induced rain variability, extensification into marginal lands, an inability to penetrate the agricultural knowledge information system (AKIS), and limited access to credit all hinder Ethiopian farmers’ ability to be effective producers, which consequently reduces their ability to achieve food security (Dar and Twomlow 2007; Davis et al. 2012; Hounkonnou et al. 2012; Rosell and Homer 2007). Currently, the Government of Ethiopia, in an effort to improve food security and provide essential agricultural on-farm educational services, has greatly expanded its extension program. This expansion is intended to promote access to the AKIS in the hopes that farmers will achieve food security through sustainable (cereal) intensification with the implementation of new technologies and improved management practices. This is critical to greater food availability and improved access which to this point has been universally unrealized in Ethiopia (Feed the Future 2013; ATA 2013; FAO 2003). However, to-date, despite the expansion of extension services, adoption rates of new technologies and improved management practices remain low. Understanding how farmers come to the decision to adopt or not adopt a particular technology or management practice is essential to successfully changing behaviors around agricultural production. Additionally, understanding how farmers incorporate both socio-cultural and bio-physical systems into a unified reality necessitates an understanding of that system in order to develop appropriate practices and technologies; an oversight that crippled Green Revolution efforts to increase smallholder production in Africa. This study will address some of these deficiencies and endeavor to examine variables affecting adoption or non-adoption of a particular management practice related to tef (Eragrostis tef)—among these variables are access to capital, access to the AKIS, and competition with cash crops. This study iv will also examine the impact that at least one of the critical factors, khat production, has on household food insecurity. This dissertation consists of three separate but related pieces which demonstrate the complexity of on-farm decision making. Relationships with extension and access to AKIS were important factors in non-adoption, but were not the most critical. Access to capital was essential for adoption, but nature of capital in facilitating adoption is complicated. This capital, often in the form of income generated from khat, comes at the cost of community and environmental health, and also, continues to undermine cereal production in the region. v INTRODUCTION The nature and impact of food insecurity are severe in Ethiopia. More than 38 percent of Ethiopians live below the international poverty level ($1.25/day) and families, particularly in the highlands, are often marginally food secure at best, as even with good harvests, they face consistently poor production (Awulachew 2007; Central Statistical Agency [CSA] 2012a; Croppenstedt and Muller 2000; Makombe et al. 2007; Devereaux 2000; FAO 2002, 2003; World Bank Group 2013; WFP 2011). Because of chronic food insecurity nearly half of families in Ethiopia are malnourished, despite a clear majority (85%) of the population engaging in food production (Central Statistical Agency [CSA] 2012a; Croppenstedt and Muller 2000; Makombe et al. 2007; FAO 2002, 2003; World Bank Group 2013).The acute negative consequences of persistent malnutrition, such as stunting and wasting, underwritten by chronic states of poverty and food insecurity, often result in more devastating costs. One in eleven Ethiopian children dies before their fifth birthday, often as a result of malnutrition weakening autoimmune responses to conditions such as anemia, acute respiratory infections, and diarrheal disease, all of which disproportionately impact rural populations (Wenhold et al. 2007; CSA 2012b). In recognition of such dire circumstance, Ethiopia received more than $3.8 billion in official development assistance (ODA) in 2013, the third only to Afghanistan and Viet Nam (Global Humanitarian Assistance 2016). However, the USAID Initiative, Feed the Future, (2013) estimates that seven to eight million Ethiopians remain chronically hungry. As the national population size continues to increase at an annual rate of 2.9 percent, the demands on food resources are likely to continue to overwhelm current domestic production capacity (Feed the Future 2013). 1 Climate induced rain variability, extensification into marginal lands, an inability to penetrate the agricultural knowledge information system (AKIS), and limited access to credit all hinder Ethiopian farmers’ ability to be effective producers, which consequently reduces their ability to achieve food security (Dar and Twomlow 2007; Davis et al. 2012; Hounkonnou et al. 2012; Rosell and Homer 2007). Currently, the Government of Ethiopia, in an effort to improve food security and provide essential agricultural on-farm educational services, has greatly expanded its extension program. This expansion is intended to promote access to the AKIS in the hopes that farmers will achieve food security through sustainable (cereal) intensification with the implementation of new technologies and improved management practices. This is critical to greater food availability and improved access which to this point has been universally unrealized in Ethiopia (Feed the Future 2013; ATA 2013; FAO 2003). However, to-date, despite the expansion of extension services, adoption rates of new technologies and improved management practices remain low. Understanding how farmers come to the decision to adopt or not adopt a particular technology or management practice is essential to successfully changing behaviors around agricultural production. Additionally, understanding how farmers incorporate both socio-cultural and bio- physical systems into a unified reality necessitates an understanding of that system in order to develop appropriate practices and technologies; an oversight that crippled Green Revolution efforts to increase smallholder production in Africa. This study will address some of these deficiencies and endeavor to examine variables affecting adoption or non-adoption of a particular management practice related to tef (Eragrostis tef)— among these variables are access to capital, access to the AKIS, and competition with cash crops. This study will also examine the impact that at least one of the critical factors, khat production, has on household food insecurity. 2 Why Tef? Because of its agricultural, nutritional, and social significance the cereal crop, Eragrostis tef (tef), is a priority for the newly expanded extension program. Its use in the major