The Ethiopian agriculture is characterized by the use of inadequate production technologies that in a variable climate produces important fluctuations in crop yields, insecurities. Consequently, the study has focused to analyze factors affecting adoption of rice improved varieties in Fogera district of Ethiopia. It particularly focused on the determinants of improved varieties. For this study purpose 151 households were randomly drawn from three randomly selected Kebeles in probability proportional to size method. The demographic and socio economic factors that determine the participation in improved varieties were households labor availability, education level of the household head, land holding, distance to the nearest village market, proximity to the main market, distance to access agricultural extension, access to the source of rice seeds, access to new cultivars of rice and off finding ways to strengthen smallholder access to inputs, technology, and information, and improving the incentives for their use and adoption, all within highly heterogeneous agro ecologies is very important.

Transforming the subsistence-oriented production system into a market-oriented production system as a way to increase the smallholder farmer's income and reduce rural poverty has been in the policy spotlight of many developing countries, including Ethiopia. However, there are no adequate studies in Ethiopia, particularly, in study area of West Hararghe zone that focusing on the determinants of smallholder commercialization in horticultural crops. This study has identified household level determinants of the output side commercialization decision and level of commercialization in horticultural crops in Gemechis district, West Hararghe zone, Oromia National Regional State of Ethiopia. The study used cross-sectional data obtained from a sample of 160 smallholder horticultural farmers selected randomly from four peasant associations in the district. A double hurdle model was applied to analyze the determinants of the commercialization decision and level of commercialization. In first hurdle, the result of Probit Regression Model revealed that, gender, distance to the nearest market, and cultivated land played a significant role in smallholder commercialization decision. In the second hurdle, the result of Truncated Regression Model revealed that, household education, household size, access to irrigation, cultivated land, livestock, and distance to the nearest market were the key determinants of the level of commercialization. Synthesis of double hurdle model result showed that farm size and distance to the nearest market were cross-cutting determinants of smallholder horticultural crops commercialization. The study recommends the need for designing appropriate intervention mechanisms focusing on the abovementioned factors so as to improve the performance of horticultural crops commercialization.

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The study was designed to assess the food security status and determine factors influencing food security in Hawi Guddina district. Multi-stage random sampling technique was employed to select sample households randomly from six Kebeles by using probability proportional to size. Both primary and secondary data were used. Data were collected primarily through interview schedule from 140 households. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression were used to analyze the data. Household calorie acquisition was analyzed to measure household food security status. Out of 140 households, 32.9 and 67.1% were food secure and insecure, respectively. The model was fitted with fifteen variables, of which five were found to be significant. Family size, livestock ownership, distance from market center, access to nonfarm activity and cash crop production were significant variables. The econometric result revealed that the probability of being food secure increase with high livestock ownership, access to nonfarm activity and producing cash crops while large family size and far from market center reduce the probability of household to be food secure. The study findings recommends, promotion of family planning program, develop infrastructure, provision of nonfarm activity and agricultural input and training for community should be considered to improve household's food security.

This study analyzed the economic efficiency of smallholder farmers in barley production in the case of Meket district, Amhara National Regional State, Ethiopia. A cross sectional data collected from a sample of 123 barley producers during the 2015/2016 production season was used for the analysis. Two stages random sampling method was used to select sample respondents. The translog functional form was chosen to estimate both production and cost functions and OLS estimation method was applied to identify allocative and economic inefficiencies factors, while technical inefficiency factors were analyzed by using single stage estimation approach. The estimated stochastic production frontier model indicated input variables such as fertilizer, human labor and oxen power as significant variables that increase the quantity of barley output, while barley seed had a negative effect. The estimated mean levels of technical, allocative and economic efficiencies of the sample farmers were about 70.9, 68.6 and 48.8%, respectively which revealed the presence of a room to increase their technical, allocative and economic efficiencies level on average by 29.1, 31.4 and 51.2%, respectively with the existing resources. Among the hypothesized factors expected to affect technical, allocative and economic inefficiencies, extension contact and number of barley plots significantly and negatively affected all inefficiencies level. Besides, distance of residence from the nearest main market was found to have a positive and significant effect on all inefficiencies of sampled farm households. Hence, emphasis should be given to decrease the inefficiency level of those more inefficient farm households via experience sharing among the better of farmers and usage of improved or certified barley seed. Besides this, policies and strategies of the government should be directed towards increasing farmers' education, improve the system of input distributions and institutional facilities.