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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Main Authors: Abraham Abera Feyissa, Feyera Senbeta, Adugna Tolera, Dawit Diriba Guta
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2023-03-01
Series:Journal of Agriculture and Food Research
Subjects:
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.
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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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