Maize is one of the major five staple cereal crops in Ethiopia. High productivity and efficacy in its production is critical to improve food security, reduce the level of poverty and achieve or maintain agricultural growth. A multi-stage sampling technique was used to select 385 household heads and interviewed using a structured questionnaire during 2013/2014 production year. The study estimates, technical, allocative and economic efficiency using a parametric stochastic frontier production function (Cobb-Douglas). Inefficiency effects are modeled in a second stage applying a two-limit Tobit regression model. The results show that the mean technical, allocative and economic efficiency score was found to be 62.3, 57.1 and 39%, respectively, indicating a substantial level of inefficiency in maize production. The result depicted that important factors that affected technical, allocative and economic efficiency are a number of family size, level of education, extension service, cooperative membership, farm size, livestock holding and use of mobile. Based on the findings the following recommendations are forwarded. The government should motivate and mobilize the youth in agricultural activities, invest in the provision of basic education and facilitate the necessary materials, strengthen the existing agricultural extension system, organize non-member farmers in cooperative association and due attention should be given to enhance the efficiency of farmers with large land holding size. Further, government and stakeholders should promote the expansion of mobile networking in the study area.

Background Reduction of poverty and income inequality, and ensuring food security is the main goal of the Ethiopian government. In response, declines of national poverty were observed over time, but it is still a worrying concern as a significant proportion of the population remains poor. However, the trends of income inequality are rising substantially over time and thereby might exacerbate the food insecurity status in the country. This study aims to measure, identify determinants, and analyze the effects of poverty and income inequality on food insecurity status of households in Sawla town of southern Ethiopia. Methodology A two-stage sampling technique was used to select 227 sampled households’ heads. This study applied descriptive statistics, Foster Greer Thorbecke approach, binary logistic, and quantile regression models to analyze the data. Results The finds of this study reveals that 34% of households are living below the poverty line with a poverty gap index of 11% and severity index of 5.6%. The average income inequality with Gini coefficient index is found to be 0.447. Both poverty and income inequality result is quite larger than the national average of the country. The sample households are food insecure with 20.7% depth and 13% severity indexes of food insecurity. The levels of poverty and income inequality are more worrisome among the food-insecure households. Moreover, the logistic regression model shows that levels of education, family size, being divorced, the main occupation, savings, and house ownership negatively and significantly affected the household level of poverty. Quantile regression model result shows that age, level of education, income, family size, health, savings, remittances, electric, credit, and house ownership affected households’ level of income of the study area. Conclusion The study suggests strengthening the existing welfare-oriented strategies by undertaking intra-household resource allocations for women, encouraging participation of diversified business activities, promoting the use of family planning methods, strengthening formal education, microfinance institution and housing program by targeting impoverished households in the town.

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Background Reduction of post-harvest loses of crops are crucial tasks in ensuring food and nutrition security. However, a lack of knowledge on the extent of post-harvest losses and its associated impeding factors are posing major challenges to effectiveness of grain post-harvest loss management strategy and to scale up for all other crop types in Ethiopia. The study estimates the magnitude of post-harvest losses of all crops and identifies its determinants. Methodology A national-level agriculture survey data were obtained from the Central Statistical Agency of Ethiopia. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Tobit model analysis techniques. Results The analysis shows 25.81% perceived annual average post-harvest losses of crops were obtained with considerable variation across the crop types. The main factors impeding post-harvest losses of crops were households with larger adult family size, higher levels of education attendance, and wealth status, large landholding size and damage of stored crops by insect pests infestation and/or rodent feeding due to utilization of traditional storage equipments, access to extension support services, cooperative marketing membership, and being far away from both all weathered roads and near local market centers due to a higher transaction costs associated with a lack of market information, contamination, and mechanical injuries. Conclusion Minimization of post-harvest losses of crops could be achieved through a holistic approach by providing short and long-term training on post-harvest management practices, promoting the use of post-harvest technologies, paying special attention to the institutional support systems (agriculture extension and rural credit services), strengthening the support for post-harvest handling technologies, reinforcing the existing farmer cooperative marketing, and improvements of the local market and road networking infrastructures of rural areas should be undertaken by the government in collaboration with non-government organizations.

In pastoral and agro-pastoral areas of Ethiopia, apart from farming engaging on non-farm and/or off-farm income earning activities or diversifying income-earning means lie at the heart of livelihood strategies among pastoral and agropastoral household in southern Ethiopia. This study analyses determinant of the level of income diversification and livelihood strategies of pastoral and agro-pastoral households' in southern Ethiopia. In order to select representative sample a combination of both stratification and random sampling techniques were used and selected 196 household heads. To analyze the data simple descriptive statistics, Multivariate Probit, and Two-limit Tobit models were employed. The result of model reveals that factors influencing the use of livelihood strategies are age, sex, family size, educational level, farm size, market distance to the main market, livestock holding size, cooperative membership, use of credit and access to transport were as sex, family size, educational level, livestock holding size, crop failure, a distance of nearest main market income from farm and share of non & off-farm income influenced income diversification. The government should emphasize strengthening the agricultural production system with due attention to identified factors influencing both diversification of income and livelihood strategies and thereby enhancing the well-being of pastoral and agro-pastoral households of the area.

Enhancement of service delivery quality is crucial for any organization not only to realize the vision and mission but also to remain competitors in any business. To this end, this study aims to assess the effect of service quality on customer satisfaction at the federal attorney general of Ethiopia. In order to achieve this goal, a total of 110 representative customers selected based on a multi-stage sampling procedure. Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, and multiple regression model techniques were applied to analyze the collected primary data using a structured questionnaire. The finding shows that all five service quality dimensions (empathy, assurance, reliability, responsiveness, and tangibility) are highly correlated with customer satisfaction. The result of the model shows that frequency of service delivery, empathy, tangibility, and assurance services have a positive and statistically significant effect on the enhancement of service quality delivery and hence lead to attainments of overall customer satisfaction. Based on the findings of the study, the researcher recommended the attorneys to provide special attention for enhancing empathy, tangibility, and assurance services through designing practical enhancement short and long term plans.

Development of the Ethiopian economy is directly related to the transformation of the agricultural sector which is manifested with low utilization of recommended agronomic practices, improved farm inputs, and dependency on traditional farming and rainfall. As a result, low production and productivity of agriculture were prevalent over the last years. This study aims to identify the factors influencing adoption of recommended agronomic practices of wheat farming. Two-stage sampling method was applied to select 204 smallholder wheat producing farmers. Simple descriptive statistics and econometrics model such as multivariate probit model were used. The result of the model indicates that formal education level, family size, farm size, distance to the input market, use of chemical fertilizers and the use of credit have negatively and statistically significant effect on adoption decision while offfarm income, access of social media, cultivated land size, and attitude towards risk have positively and statistically significant effect on adoption decision of agronomic practices among wheat producing farmers. Moreover, early planting has a negative effect on distance to input market, farm size, and use of chemical fertilizers. The study recommended that government and other concerned body should develop the supply of inputs provision mechanism, credit, land, awareness creation through media.

Lower and/or inappropriate usages of improved agricultural technologies are among the major of causes for decline of production and productivity of wheat as compared to the potential in Ethiopia. This study aims to measure the status and extent of improved wheat technology adoption and identify its determinants among wheat producing smallholder farmers’ in Sekela district of West Gojjam zone of Ethiopia. Multi-stage sampling techniques used to select 204wheat producing farmers. The study primarily used collected primary data for 2017/18 production year using structured questionnaire. In order to analyze the data, both descriptive statistics and econometrics techniques such as double hurdle model are applied. The result shows that family size, availability of oxen and attitude towards risk affected positively adoption status of wheat production. While, farming experience, and off-farm income affected the extent of improved wheat variety adoption. On the other hand, farm size and cultivated farm land affected negatively the extent of improved wheat varieties adoption. Based on the result, the study recommended that the above factors should be considered both at stages in evaluating strategies aimed at promoting wheat production and productivity of the study area.