Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Determinants of the Productivity of Teff in Ethiopia

  • Published:
The European Journal of Development Research Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

There are considerable variations in the productivity of plots growing teff across Ethiopia. The major drivers for productivity differences appear to be the levels of input use, the management practices employed, the age of the operator, the ease of access to markets, and the level of engagement in extension efforts. The findings lead to a number of policy implications. First, there are high rates of return to investments in the development of better seed varieties. Second, the payoff to investments in extension efforts is also high. Third, targeting efforts to increase women’s access to teff plots will improve incomes for women. Fourth, reducing the costs of remoteness through the construction of rural roads and increasing distribution outlets of modern inputs is likely to have a positive impact on teff productivity. Finally, innovations that reduce labour requirements for growing teff might satisfy the increasing demands for teff at an affordable price.

Il existe des variations considérables dans la productivité des terrains cultivant du tef à travers l’Ethiopie. Les conducteurs principaux pour ces différences semblent être les niveaux d’intrants utilisés, les pratiques de gestion employées, l’âge des opérateurs, la facilité d’accès aux marchés et les niveaux d’engagement dans les efforts de vulgarisation. Les résultats conduisent à un nombre d’implications politiques. Premièrement, les taux des rendements des investissements dans le développement de meilleures variétés de semences sont élevés. Deuxièmement, la rentabilité des investissements dans les efforts de vulgarisation est également élevée. Troisièmement, cibler les efforts visant à faciliter l’accès des femmes aux parcelles de tef permettra de faire augmenter leurs revenus. Quatrièmement, la réduction des surcoûts d’éloignement à travers la construction de routes rurales et l’augmentation des nombres de points de distribution d’intrants modernes pourraient être susceptible d’avoir un impact positif sur la productivité du tef. Enfin, les innovations qui font réduire les besoins de main-d’œuvre sa cultivation pourraient satisfaire les demandes croissantes pour le tef à un prix abordable.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
Figure 4

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Abate, G.T., Francesconi, G.N. and Getnet, K. (2014) Impact of agricultural cooperatives on Smallholders’ technical efficiency: Empirical Evidence from Ethiopia. Annals of Public and Cooperative Economics 85(2): 257–286.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Alene, A.D. and Hassan, R.M. (2006) The efficiency of traditional and hybrid maize production in Eastern Ethiopia: An extended efficiency decomposition approach. Journal of African Economy 15: 91–116.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Alene, A.D. and Hassan, R.M. (2008) Efficiency of food production under old and new technology: The case of farmers within and outside the extension package program in Ethiopia. Journal of Developing Areas 41: 233–249.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Alene, A.D. and Manyong, V.M. (2006) Farmer to farmer technology diffusion and yield variation among adopters: The case of improved cowpea in northern Nigeria. Agricultural Economics 35: 203–211.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ali, M. and Byerlee, D. (1991) Economic efficiency of small farmers in a changing world: A survey of recent evidence, Journal of International Development 3(1): 1–27.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Assefa, A., Aliye, S., Belay, G., Metaferiaa, G., Teferab, H. and Sorrellscd, M.E. (2011) Quncho: The first popular tef variety in Ethiopia. International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability 9(1): 25–34.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Assefa, K., Chanyalew, S. and Tadele, Z. (2013) Achievements and prospects of tef improvement, EIAR and Universitat Bern.

  • Assunção, J.J. and Braido, B.H.L. (2004) Testing among competing explanations for the inverse productivity puzzle. Unpublished paper. ftp://139.82.198.57/pdf/seminario/2004/inverse.pdf, accessed 25 October 2016.

  • Assunção, J.J. and Ghatak, M. (2003) Can Unobserved Heterogeneity in Farmer Ability Explain the Inverse Relationship between Farm Size and Productivity? Economics Letters 80(2): 189–94.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • ATA (Agricultural Transformation Agency) (2013) “Results of 2012 New Tef Technologies Demonstration Trials Draft Report”. Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

    Google Scholar 

  • Backman, S., Zahidul Islam, K.M. and Sumelius, J. (2011) Determinants of Technical Efficiency of Rice Farms in North-Central and North-Western Regions in Bangladesh. Journal of Developing Areas 45: 73–94.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barrett, C.B. (1996) On Price Risk and the Inverse Farm Size-Productivity Relationship. Journal of Development Economics 51(2): 193–215.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Benjamin, D. and Brandt, L. (2002) Property rights, labour markets, and efficiency in a transition economy: The case of rural China. Canadian Journal of Economics/Revue canadienne d'économique 35(4): 689–716.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Blundell, R., Dearden, L., Goodman, A. and Reed, H. (2000) The returns to higher education in Britain: Evidence from a British cohort. Economic Journal 110: F82–F89.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Blundell, R., Dearden, L. and Sianesi, B. (2005) Evaluating the effect of education on earnings: Models, methods and results from the National Child Development Survey. Journal of the Royal Statistical Society A 168: 473–513.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bravo-Ureta, B.E. and Pinheiro, A.E. (1993) Efficiency analysis of developing country agriculture: A review of the frontier function literature. Agricultural and Resource Economics Review 22(1): 88–101.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bravo-Ureta, B.E., Solis, D., Moreira Lopez, V.H., Maripani, J.F., Thiam, A. and Rivas, T. (2007) Technical efficiency in farming: A meta-regression analysis. Journal of Productivity Analysis 27: 57–72.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • CSA (Central Statistical Agency) (2012) Agricultural Sample Survey 2011/2012: Report on area and production of major crops. Addis Ababa: Central Statistical Agency.

    Google Scholar 

  • CSA (Central Statistical Agency) (2014) Agricultural Sample Survey 2013/2014. Report on area and production of major crops (private peasant holdings, meher season). Addis Ababa: CSA.

  • Davis, K., Swanson, B., Amudavi, D., Mekonnen, D., Flohrs, A., Riese, J., Lamb, C. and Zerfu, E. (2010) In-depth assessment of the public agricultural extension system of Ethiopia and recommendations for impact. IFPRI discussion paper 1041, International Food Policy Research Institute, Washington, DC.

  • Demeke, M. and Di Marcantonio F. (2013) Analysis of incentives and disincentives for teff in Ethiopia. Technical notes series, MAFAP, FAO, Rome.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dercon, S., Gilligan, D.O., Hoddinott, J. and Woldehanna, T. (2009) The impact of agricultural extension and roads on poverty and consumption growth in fifteen Ethiopian villages. American Journal of Agricultural Economics 91(4): 1007–1021.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Djokoto, J.G. and Gidiglo, K.F. (2016) Technical efficiency in Agribusiness: A meta-analysis on Ghana. Agribusiness 32(3): 397–415.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Elias, A., Nohmi, M., Yasunobu, K., Ishida, A., and Alene, A.D. (2014) The effect of agricultural extension service on the technical efficiency of teff (eragrostistef) producers in Ethiopia. American Journal of Applied Sciences 11(2): 223–239.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Evangelista, P., Young, N. and Burnett, J. (2013) How will climate change spatially affect agriculture production in Ethiopia? Case studies of important cereal crops. Climatic Change 119: 855–873.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ferede, S. (2013) Technological change & economic viability in Tef production. In: K. Assefa, S. Chanyalew and Z. Tadele (eds.) Achievements and Prospects of Tef Improvement, pp. 255–274.

  • Flaherty, K., Kelemework, F. and Kelemu, K. (2010) Ethiopia: Recent developments in agricultural research. Washington, DC; Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI); Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research.

  • Gallup, J., Radielet, S. and Warmer, A. (1997) Economic growth and income of the poor. CAER Discussion Paper No.36, Harvard Institute for International Development, Cambridge, MA, USA.

  • Gorfu, D. and Ahmed, E. (undated) Crops and Agro-ecological Zones of Ethiopia, Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research [Accessed: June 11, 2014] http://www.prrp-ethiopia.org/index.php/component/phocadownload/category/1-public-documents?download=51:crops-and-agro-ecological-zones-total-dereje-gorfu.

  • Hailu T. and Seyfu K. (2001) Production and importance of teff in Ethiopian Agriculture. In: Hailu T., G. Belay, and M. Sorrells (eds.) Narrowing the Rift: Teff Research and Development, Proceedings of the International Workshop on Teff Genetics and Improvement, 16-19 October 2000, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. pp. 3–7.

    Google Scholar 

  • Martin, W. (2013) Productivity growth, trade and poverty. In IARTC meeting Seville, 3rd June, 2013.

  • Minten, B., Koru, B. and Stifel, D. (2013) The last mile(s) in modern input distribution: Pricing, profitability, and adoption, Agricultural Economics 44: 1–18.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • OECD (2012) Agricultural Policies for Poverty Reduction. doi:10.1787/9789264112902-en.

  • Ogundari, K. (2014) The paradigm of agricultural efficiency and its implication on food security in Africa: What does meta-analysis reveal? World Development 64: 690–702.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ogundari, K. and Brümmer, B. (2011) Technical efficiency of Nigerian Agriculture: A metaregression analysis. Outlook on Agriculture 40(2): 171–180.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sen, A.K. (1962) An aspect of Indian agriculture. Economic Weekly 14(4–6): 243–246.

    Google Scholar 

  • Seyoum B. and Dejere F. (2001) Potential of teff straw as livestock feed. In: T. Hailu, G. Belay and M. Sorrells (eds.) Narrowing the Rift: Teff research and development, Proceedings of the International Workshop on Teff Genetics and Improvement, 16–19 October 2000, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, pp. 245–254

  • Seyoum, E.T., Battese, G.E. and Fleming, E.M. (1998) Technical efficiency and productivity of maize producers in eastern Ethiopia: A study of farmers within and outside the Sasakawa-Global 2000 project. Agricultural Economics 19(3): 341–348.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shapiro, S.S. and Francia, R.S. (1972) An approximate analysis of variance test for normality. Journal of the American Statistical Association 67: 215–216.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tafere, K., Taffesse, A.S. and Tamru, S. (2010) Food Demand Elasticities in Ethiopia: Estimates Using Household Income Consumption Expenditure (HICE) Survey Data, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tefera, H., Ayele, M. and Assefa, K. (1995) Improved varieties of tef (Eragrostis tef) in Ethiopia. Releases of 1970–1995, Research Bulletin No. 1, Debre Zeit Agricultural Research Centre, Alemya Iniversity of Agriculture, Debre Zeit, Ethiopia.

  • Tefera, H., Assefa, K., Hundera, F., Kefyalew, T., Teklu, Y., Gugsa, L., Ketema, S. and Adnew, T. (2001) Progress of tef breeding research in Ethiopia. In: H. Tefera, G. Belay and M. Sorrells (eds.) Narrowing the Rift. Tef Research and Development Proceedings of the International Workshop on Tef Genetics and Improvement, Debre Zeit, Ethiopia, 16–19 October 2000, pp. 157–163.

  • Thiam, A., Bravo-Ureta, B.E. and Rivas, T. (2001) Technical efficiency in developing country agriculture: A meta-analysis. Agricultural Economics 25: 235–243.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Townsend, R.F., Ceccacci, I., Cooke, S., Constantine, M. and Moses, G. (2013) Implementing agriculture for development: World Bank Group agriculture action plan (2013–2015). Washington DC; World Bank.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wooldridge, J. (2002) Econometric Analysis of Cross Section and Panel Data. Cambridge, MA: Massachusetts Institute of Technologly.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wooldridge, J. (2009) Advanced panel data methods. Introductory econometrics: A modern approach. Mason: South-Western Cengage Learning, p. 489.

  • Wooldridge, J.M. (2015) Control function methods in applied econometrics. Journal of Human Resources 50(2): 420–445.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Author notes

    Authors and Affiliations

    1. Department of Food, Agricultural and Resource Economics, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, N1G 2W1, Canada

      Getu Hailu & Alfons Weersink

    2. International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

      Bart Minten

    Authors
    1. Getu Hailu
      View author publications

      You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

    2. Alfons Weersink
      View author publications

      You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

    3. Bart Minten
      View author publications

      You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

    Corresponding author

    Correspondence to Getu Hailu.

    Rights and permissions

    Reprints and permissions

    About this article

    Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

    Cite this article

    Hailu, G., Weersink, A. & Minten, B. Determinants of the Productivity of Teff in Ethiopia. Eur J Dev Res 29, 866–892 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41287-016-0065-0

    Download citation

    • Published:

    • Issue Date:

    • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/s41287-016-0065-0

    Keywords

    Search

    Navigation