This study investigates the factors affecting agricultural production of farm households in the National Regional State of Tigray, Ethiopia. The major primary sources of data for the study were farm household surveys, focus group discussions and key informant interviews. The study revealed that the annual average crop production of respondents was found to be below the standard annual food requirement recommended by the international organizations. The proportion of irrigated land to total cultivated land was only 11per cent. The proportion of irrigated land in the two districts is lower than 11.27 per cent at the regional level. The utilization of chemical fertilizers for the majority of the respondents was below the recommended standard for the region. Although the farmers were interested in using improved seeds, the supplied varieties were not based on their preferences. Extension agents were mainly engaged in activities which were not related to their professions. The farm income model result showed that landholding size (p<0.0001), possession of oxen(p<0.0001), amount of fertilizer(p=0.010), improved seeds(p=0.002), irrigation(p=0.028), soil quality(p=0.019), village distance to the district market(p=0.066), average distance of plots from the homestead (p=0.023) and crop rotation(p=0.016) were determinant variables. Farmers were engaged in off-farm activities to fulfill the cash requirements in credit constrained conditions. The laws of the region do not allow farmers to be out of their localities for more than two years and the farmerswere restricted to renting out only half of their land. This discouraged farmers from off-farm participation for fear of land confiscation. In the Probit model, the determinant variables of off-farm participation were: irrigation (p=0.001), age (p=0.007), amount of money borrowed (p=0.078), village distance to the wereda market (p=0.055), fear of land confiscation (p=0.023) and access to electricity (p=0.044). It is recommended that if farmers are to use chemical fertilizers, they should be supplied with High Yielding Varieties (HYV)and enough water through access to irrigation. Furthermore, farmers should be allowed to have long term off-farm employment to augment the farming sector. / Development Studies / D. Litt. et Phil. (Development Studies)

This study investigates the factors affecting agricultural production of farm households in the National Regional State of Tigray, Ethiopia. The major primary sources of data for the study were farm household surveys, focus group discussions and key informant interviews. The study revealed that the annual average crop production of respondents was found to be below the standard annual food requirement recommended by the international organizations. The proportion of irrigated land to total cultivated land was only 11per cent. The proportion of irrigated land in the two districts is lower than 11.27 per cent at the regional level. The utilization of chemical fertilizers for the majority of the respondents was below the recommended standard for the region. Although the farmers were interested in using improved seeds, the supplied varieties were not based on their preferences. Extension agents were mainly engaged in activities which were not related to their professions. The farm income model result showed that landholding size (p<0.0001), possession of oxen(p<0.0001), amount of fertilizer(p=0.010), improved seeds(p=0.002), irrigation(p=0.028), soil quality(p=0.019), village distance to the district market(p=0.066), average distance of plots from the homestead (p=0.023) and crop rotation(p=0.016) were determinant variables. Farmers were engaged in off-farm activities to fulfill the cash requirements in credit constrained conditions. The laws of the region do not allow farmers to be out of their localities for more than two years and the farmerswere restricted to renting out only half of their land. This discouraged farmers from off-farm participation for fear of land confiscation. In the Probit model, the determinant variables of off-farm participation were: irrigation (p=0.001), age (p=0.007), amount of money borrowed (p=0.078), village distance to the wereda market (p=0.055), fear of land confiscation (p=0.023) and access to electricity (p=0.044). It is recommended that if farmers are to use chemical fertilizers, they should be supplied with High Yielding Varieties (HYV)and enough water through access to irrigation. Furthermore, farmers should be allowed to have long term off-farm employment to augment the farming sector. / Development Studies / D. Litt. et Phil. (Development Studies)

The transformation of rural people and land to urban land and culture is a natural discourse and inevitable process. In the process, more than half of the current world population are living in urban centres. The number of urban centres and their population is rapidly increasing while the situation of integrated development of urban centres and rural areas such URELs for sustainable development have given less attention in agricultural based countries (ABCs). Multi-disciplinary (agriculture and agro-industries) integration, multi-spatial (urban centre and its hinterlands) linkages, multiscalar (micromeso and macro) levels, multi-actors and stakeholders involvement are the noteworthy innovations in the field of development studies. This study mainly focused on URELs for agribusiness and value chains under the development themes of governance and development as well as contemporary debates. Policies, institutional settings and practical implementation strategies of integrated and balanced development discourse of basic sectoral and urban-rural economic linkages (URELs) missed in ABCs such as Ethiopia‟s comprehensive development policy ADLI neglecting the rapidly growing urban centres. Owing to this, this study is designed to examine the challenges and problems, status and agribusiness and efficiencies of URELs for exploring theoretical empirical model for virtuous circle URELs. Methodologically, the study used sequential explanatory mixed methods research and cross-sectional survey design. The sequential approach was quantitative method, qualitative method and integrating the two findings on interpretation and discussion. The findings present truncated BPLs and FPLs of agriculture and agroindustries. It was was mainly due to poor and greater ranges of efficiency from TE, AE and EE for both agriculture and agro-industries, form of government as ethnic-federalism and regionalism, violation of the existing institutional frameworks, dejure-defacto discrminatin, government businesses, policy and institutional settings, lack of R&D, many paradoxical acts and poor resources mobilization and utilization. These problems and challenges are taken as potential opportunities for improvement and new lens of developing empirical model. The overall recommendation lies on creating enabling environment for virtuous circle URELs and integrated regional development using regional development approach, avoiding illegal interventions, import-export balance, proper resource mobilization and utilization. / Development Studies / D. Litt. et Phil. (Development Studies)