May 27-28, 2016 Ethiopia, Africa www.wmich.edu/africacenter International research abstracts submitted to the 9th International Conference on African Development hosted by Western Michigan University’s Center for African Development Policy Research and other WMU colleges and departments in collaboration with several universities in Ethiopia and Africa. Determinants of Changes in Cropping Patterns and Land-Use in Ethiopia: Evidence from Seven Rounds (1994-2009) of Survey Data. Adugna Lemi and Michael Denney, University of Massachusetts, Boston, USA. Email: [email protected] ABSTRACT: Climate change and international trade are rapidly changing the world. Both phenomena have day-to-day impacts that reach every corners of the globe. Farming communities in developing countries are not exceptions, as both climate change and dynamics of international trade have significant repercussions on crop yield, food prices, crop choices, and land-use patterns. Of particular importance to these communities is the lack of (or very limited) support they receive from their governments or from international development agencies to cope with the consequences of climate changes and changes in international trade patterns. Changing cropping and land use patterns are just two of the ways that such communities try to adapt to their changing environments. Understanding the inner workings of how climate change and international trade affect such farming communities, and how they have adjusted through changes in cropping pattern and land use, provide important and necessary insight for policy makers and donors interested in assisting these communities. The present study proposes to do such an analysis for farming communities in Ethiopia. Specifically, we will examine how farming communities in Ethiopia have changed their land use and cropping patterns, among other possible adaptations, over the past fifteen years as a result of exposure to climate change and increased international trade. The latter manifests itself through changes in prices, costs of inputs, and types of outputs of farms, whereas the impact of the former manifests itself in the form of changes in amount and timing of rainfall, resulting in changes soil content of farmland, and more. Over the past fifteen years, Ethiopia and the greater Horn of Africa region have been exposed to noticeable changes in the climate conditions. Additionally, Ethiopia has become increasingly integrated into the global market both through trade and investment. As a result such study is not only timely but also warranted. To achieve these objectives, I will use seven rounds of Ethiopian Rural Households Survey (ERHS) datasets collected between 1994 and 2009 with the support of various international organizations. The survey gathers information 1 ranging from demographics to farming activities to anthropometric measures. The dataset includes not only household level information but also plot level information to track and understand the changes in land-use and cropping patterns for each plot of land that a household has owned over time. Although the datasets provide basic and necessary information to do the analysis, to supplement this datasets by factors external to households, I need to gather county or regional level information on the changes in weather condition (i.e. timing and amount or rain) and programs sponsored by governmental or non-governmental organizations. In addition, I also need to collect information on the export prices of major crops to relate changes in land-use and cropping pattern to the international trade dynamics. Once these three datasets (household survey data, weather condition data, and export prices data), I will use appropriate econometric technique to highlight on significant determinants of changes in land-use and cropping pattern over the fifteen years under study (1994-2009). I have used some of the Ethiopian Household Survey datasets in the past, and I have published a couple of journal articles on different but related topics using part of these datasets (only the first four rounds). Since then three more rounds of data have been added (1999, 2004, and 2009) following the same households for fifteen years. By any standard, this is a very rich dataset convenient to do such analysis on issues that take longer time to notice any significant change. Given the richness of the data, one could now ask even deeper questions to highlight on promising findings for policy-makers not only in Ethiopia but also for the Horn of Africa region. Concretize the “functioning and capabilities” paradigm for sustaining development in Africa. Amar Amine, University Mohamed V. Faculty of Sciences, Morrocco. Email: [email protected] ABSTRACT: The “functioning and capabilities” paradigm has become an important approach that has shifted the focus of development from economic growth to human wellbeing. As a result of its theoretical and philosophical attractiveness, many scholars have begun to investigate its application within the realm of education, health, food security, development and many other fields. In the same context, this paper intends to investigate how the “functioning and capabilities” approach can be applied, in regards to sustaining development in Africa; the continent which stands out as the region with some of the worst health and mortality indices and a poorly Human Development Index. Moreover, in spite of the high growth that Africa has experienced in recent years, most African countries are showed to face with worsening poverty and inequalities, indicating lack of inclusion in the development process and its outcome. Thus, poverty dimensions should be integrated in socio-economic decisions to achieve the growth inclusiveness and to assure improved living standards. Therefore, to establish sustainable development in Africa and to address appropriately the challenge of poverty reduction, a holistic approach is highly needed. In the same vein, the proposed paradigm in this paper, can be very useful because it focus on opportunities rather than outcomes and targets both resources and the means to use these resources. The present paper will propose some theoretical and practical applications of the capability approach that form the foundation of some interventions, consecrated to the improvement of situation in the Africa. The aim of such intervention would be identifying the capabilities that citizens have, so that improvement efforts can be designed for their expansion. The Impact of Governance on Food Security: Evidence from Sub- Saharan African Countries using Panel Data Approach. Kokeb G.Giorgis, Lecturer and Ph.D. Candidate in Development Economics, Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia. Email: [email protected] ABSTRACT: This paper looks at the effect of governance on food security in twenty six Sub-Saharan African countries since 1996 to 2011. Based on a cross country panel sample, a fixed-random effect models is employed to test the hypothesis that beyond macroeconomic reforms other exogenous factors could foster food security. This study finds that out of the two governance indicators; control of corruption- has positive 2 and significant effect on food security i.e. a decrease in corruption by 1% enhances food security by 0.0012% at 99 percent level of significance through increasing food supply per capita. However, the second indicator of governance: combined polity score, which measures the level of democratic institutions, is insignificant to affect food security in the sampled countries. Moreover the study also shows that GDP per capita, export and human capital variables have a positive effect on food supply per capita, while inflation is negatively related. This finding seems to agree with many of the studies conducted so far on the effect of governance on food security. Export Barriers and Competitiveness of Developing Economies: The Case of the Ethiopian Leather Footwear Industry. Gebreyohannes Gebreslassie Gebrewahid, Mekelle University, Ethiopia. Email: [email protected] ABSTRACT: Purpose: as export is an essential means of economic development of both developing and developed countries, this study targeted on “Export Barriers and Competitiveness of Developing Economies: The Case of the Ethiopian Leather Footwear Industry.” Research Methodology: A survey of 15 manufacturing firms was conducted in Ethiopia. Out of 100 sampled respondents, 61 properly answered and returned the questionnaire to the researcher. Interview was also conducted with top managers and owners. The survey data was analyzed using factor analysis, MDS and cluster analysis techniques. The factor analysis identified 10 significant barriers. Then, their impact on the export competitiveness of the export firms was analyzed using the factor loadings, factor score coefficients results and the measurement of decision rules adopted by Vichea (2005). Findings: The significant barriers have had different perceived export barriers intensity on the export competitiveness of the firms. The result shows that all the export barriers were significant except the environmental barrier which was partially supported. In the MDS analysis, four clusters of firms were formulated. Cluster I firms (Peacock, Ramsay and Crystal), cluster II (Ara AG, Anbessa and Tikor Abbey), cluster III (New Wing, Fotanya, RasDeshaen, Walia, Kangaroo, Olivet and Wondesen Birhanu) and cluster IV (Ok Jamaica and Modern Zege) are more exposed to competition, logistic, product quality and financial barriers respectively. Finally, the