This study was conducted to identify the challenges of crop production and marketing in southwest Ethiopia. Primary and secondary sources of data were used. Qualitative and Quantitative data types were collected from 385 respondents through interviews, focus group discussion, key informant interviews, and observations. The collected data were analyzed by using descriptive statistics and econometric models. Crop productivity was analyzed by the Cobb Douglas model and its efficiency and determinants were identified by the stochastic frontier model. The major bottlenecks of crop production were the low attitude of farmers towards improved technology, low supply and usage of improved seed varieties (94.5%), low supply and use of fertilizers (95%), knowledge and skill gap of farmers (80.1%), poor extension service (57.3%), soil acidity (94.8%), diseases and insect pest (77.8%), conflict (84.9%) and the outbreak of human diseases (60%). Marketing challenges were poor infrastructure (87.3%), lack of market linkage (62.5%), and lack of credit services (70.6%). The Cobb Douglas model result revealed that land size, local seed, improved seed, repetition of weeding, and labor force influenced crop productivity. The mean level of crop technical efficiency was 51.3%. Education level, extension service, access to credit, cooperative membership, number of livestock owned, and soil fertility were influenced crop inefficiency negatively and distance to the farm was positively related to technical inefficiency. Improving extension services and skill of farmers through practical based training and building capacity of extension workers and systems to enhance the attitude of farmers towards technology usage and proper management practices, timely provision of farm inputs, improving road and market access, and provision of credit services to producers were some of the recommendations forwarded to alleviate crop production and marketing challenges in the study areas.

The primary aim of this study was to identify factors influencing natural honey production and marketing constraints in Kafa, Sheka, Bench- Sheko, and West Omo zones which covered 23 woredas and 69 kebeles. Primary and secondary sources of data were utilized for this study. Both qualitative and quantitative data types were employed. Data were collected from 94, 134, 118, and 39 respondents that were selected randomly from Bench- Sheko, Kaffa, Sheka, and West-Omo Zones respectively, based on probability proportional to the sample size. The collected data were analyzed by using descriptive statistics and a multiple linear regression model. The dominant honey production practice in the study area was the use of traditional beehives. The productivity of traditional, transitional, and modern beehives was 9, 16, and 22 kg per hive. Major constraints that affect honey production include lack of modern technology (92.5%), absconding (69.5%), pests and predators (46.8%), lack of credit access (28.3%), poor extension service (57.4%), lack of beekeeping equipment's (45.2%) and death of colony (38.05). Similarly, poor market linkage (84.1%), lack of market information (66.2%), poor infrastructure (61.5%), low price of product (60.7%), weak bargaining power of farmers (37.5%), long-distance to market (88.4%), shortage of packing and storage materials (57.6%), presence of illegal traders (53.5%) and absence of branding (60.3%) are factors that influence honey marketing in the study area. The econometric result showed that variable cost, age of the respondent, marital status, experience, and hive number owned influence the level of honey production. The policy should focus on creating access to modern honey bee technologies, providing capacity building for producers, organizing cooperatives, providing credit services, promoting the involvement of private sectors, establishing linkages among honey producers, researchers, and private sectors.

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Kaffa, Sheka, and Bench sheko Zone in the Southwest region of Ethiopia are known for enset farming. The objective of this study was to identify factors constraining market participation of enset producers and marketed surplus. Data were obtained from a sample of 657 enset producers. Heckman's two-stage model was used to identify the determinants of enset products market participation and marketed surplus. Heckman's two-stage selection model results showed that family size, level of education, farming experience, land allocation, livestock ownership, and access to training had significantly influenced market participation decision while family size, level of education, farming experience, livestock ownership, access to transport, quantity enset produced, off-farm income and inverse Mill's ratio (LAMBDA) influenced significantly the extent of marketed surplus. Based on the findings of the study, we suggest that the government and concerned stakeholders should focus on promoting improved enset variety, encouraging the use of labor-saving technology, strengthening the existing social services, promoting farmers' cooperatives, empowering women, improving market linkage, and competitive market should be created.

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