Unlocking the potential of smallholder dairy farm: Evidence from the central highland of Ethiopia
Sustainable livestock farming practices have the potential to improve productivity and high income, reduce greenhouse gases, and improve household food security. Despite previous efforts to disseminate these technologies, the rate of adoption has remained very low in Ethiopia. In this study, we inve...
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Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2023-03-01
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Series: | Journal of Agriculture and Food Research |
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Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666154322002009 |
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author | Abraham Abera Feyissa Feyera Senbeta Adugna Tolera Dawit Diriba Guta |
author_facet | Abraham Abera Feyissa Feyera Senbeta Adugna Tolera Dawit Diriba Guta |
author_sort | Abraham Abera Feyissa |
collection | DOAJ |
description | Sustainable livestock farming practices have the potential to improve productivity and high income, reduce greenhouse gases, and improve household food security. Despite previous efforts to disseminate these technologies, the rate of adoption has remained very low in Ethiopia. In this study, we investigate the determinants of adoption and the impact of improved dairy farming practices (IDFP), which include improved breed, improved feed, and improved feeding conditions, on household food security in the central highland of Ethiopia. Methods: A multi-stage stratified random sampling technique was used to select 480 smallholder farmers from four districts. The study employed principal component analysis (PCA) to group IDFPs, and the endogenous switching regression model (MESR) was used to examine household food security status. Results: Our findings showed that IDFP adoption had a significant and positive impact on per capita food consumption and increases the likelihood of smallholder farmers being food secure compared to non-adopters. The adoption of integrated IDFP had a greater impact on household food security when smallholder farmers used a package that incorporates improved breeds, feeds, and feeding systems (B1F1S1). The implementation of this package increased food security by 31% in terms of household food consumption score (HFCS) and 26% in terms of household diet diversity score (HDDS). Additionally, the size of livestock holdings, off-farm income, extension services, and milk collection centers all influenced the adoption decision of this package. Conclusions: It has been confirmed that improving dairy farming practices for sustainable development can significantly contribute to the food security of smallholder farmers when used in combination. Interventions that address access to farm resources, the supply chain for technological inputs and services, and output markets may assist in the adoption of dairy technologies. |
first_indexed | 2024-04-10T07:14:29Z |
format | Article |
id | doaj.art-d27a17e824dd499e9c7c69bb45fa980b |
institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
issn | 2666-1543 |
language | English |
last_indexed | 2024-04-10T07:14:29Z |
publishDate | 2023-03-01 |
publisher | Elsevier |
record_format | Article |
series | Journal of Agriculture and Food Research |
spelling | doaj.art-d27a17e824dd499e9c7c69bb45fa980b2023-02-26T04:27:57ZengElsevierJournal of Agriculture and Food Research2666-15432023-03-0111100467Unlocking the potential of smallholder dairy farm: Evidence from the central highland of EthiopiaAbraham Abera Feyissa0Feyera Senbeta1Adugna Tolera2Dawit Diriba Guta3College of Development Studies, Center for Environment and Development, Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia; Corresponding author.Addis Ababa, P.O .box 1176, Ethiopia.College of Development Studies, Center for Environment and Development, Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia; Department of Biological Sciences Faculty of Sciences, University of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Gaborone, BotswanaSchool of Animal and Range Sciences, Hawassa University, Hawassa, EthiopiaCollege of Development Studies, Center for Environment and Development, Addis Ababa University, EthiopiaSustainable livestock farming practices have the potential to improve productivity and high income, reduce greenhouse gases, and improve household food security. Despite previous efforts to disseminate these technologies, the rate of adoption has remained very low in Ethiopia. In this study, we investigate the determinants of adoption and the impact of improved dairy farming practices (IDFP), which include improved breed, improved feed, and improved feeding conditions, on household food security in the central highland of Ethiopia. Methods: A multi-stage stratified random sampling technique was used to select 480 smallholder farmers from four districts. The study employed principal component analysis (PCA) to group IDFPs, and the endogenous switching regression model (MESR) was used to examine household food security status. Results: Our findings showed that IDFP adoption had a significant and positive impact on per capita food consumption and increases the likelihood of smallholder farmers being food secure compared to non-adopters. The adoption of integrated IDFP had a greater impact on household food security when smallholder farmers used a package that incorporates improved breeds, feeds, and feeding systems (B1F1S1). The implementation of this package increased food security by 31% in terms of household food consumption score (HFCS) and 26% in terms of household diet diversity score (HDDS). Additionally, the size of livestock holdings, off-farm income, extension services, and milk collection centers all influenced the adoption decision of this package. Conclusions: It has been confirmed that improving dairy farming practices for sustainable development can significantly contribute to the food security of smallholder farmers when used in combination. Interventions that address access to farm resources, the supply chain for technological inputs and services, and output markets may assist in the adoption of dairy technologies.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666154322002009AdoptionDairy farmingFood securityLivestockSmallholder farmersTechnology |
spellingShingle | Abraham Abera Feyissa Feyera Senbeta Adugna Tolera Dawit Diriba Guta Unlocking the potential of smallholder dairy farm: Evidence from the central highland of Ethiopia Journal of Agriculture and Food Research Adoption Dairy farming Food security Livestock Smallholder farmers Technology |
title | Unlocking the potential of smallholder dairy farm: Evidence from the central highland of Ethiopia |
title_full | Unlocking the potential of smallholder dairy farm: Evidence from the central highland of Ethiopia |
title_fullStr | Unlocking the potential of smallholder dairy farm: Evidence from the central highland of Ethiopia |
title_full_unstemmed | Unlocking the potential of smallholder dairy farm: Evidence from the central highland of Ethiopia |
title_short | Unlocking the potential of smallholder dairy farm: Evidence from the central highland of Ethiopia |
title_sort | unlocking the potential of smallholder dairy farm evidence from the central highland of ethiopia |
topic | Adoption Dairy farming Food security Livestock Smallholder farmers Technology |
url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666154322002009 |
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