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The thesis presented the results of an investigation into livelihood strategies of rural households in the Hararghe Highlands in the context of population pressure. The human welfare and resource outcomes of rural livelihood strategies were assessed, accounting for the “mediating” factors. The study enriches the current policy debate on how to create an enabling environment to strengthen sustainable rural livelihoods and mitigate adverse welfare and resource consequences of unsustainable rural livelihood strategies. The sustainable livelihood framework for analysing rural livelihoods in the context of population pressure was modified in the thesis to guide the analyses. Primary data was obtained from 197 randomly selected households from three representative sites in the Hararghe Highlands. Whilst verbal description, interpretation and appreciation of facts, and case studies were used for the qualitative data analysis, multivariate techniques and logistic regression were employed to analyse the quantitative data. The study showed that subdivision and fragmentation of agricultural land and re-emergence of landlessness have accompanied the unprecedented population growth in the Hararghe Highlands. The pace of demographic change of the area is so fast that it has caused failure of indigenous countervailing and adaptations. Sufficient effective demand for sustainable intensification of smallholder farms has, however, not been created due to uncertain right to the land and inadequate market incentives. Furthermore, the technology generation and dissemination systems have failed to build the capacity of smallholder farmers to respond to the demographic pressure in a sustainable way. This has generally resulted in negative welfare and resource outcomes. Nonetheless, rural households pursue heterogeneous livelihood strategies due to differential access to livelihood assets, and heterogeneous constraints and incentives. The nature and the extent of welfare and resource outcomes of rural livelihood strategies are different across sites and among different households. A livelihood strategy that integrates cash crop production with high external input-based staple crops production and trade was found to be more successful. Overall, the findings challenge the current untargeted and uniform intervention that implicitly assumes that only farming and the intensification of staple crop production for food self-sufficiency is important to all households. Furthermore, the findings challenge the over simplified generalisations regarding the human welfare and resource effects of rural population growth in Ethiopia as if the interactions between them were taking place in a political, an institutional and an agro-climatic vacuum and as if rural households in a district, a sub-district or a village were a “homogeneous” group. What is thus needed is decentralisation of rural development planning and building of the capacity of local institutions so that they may be able to understand rural livelihoods and design innovative and locally specific integrated interventions to support sustainable rural livelihoods. The specific recommendations include ensuring land tenure security, improving farmers’ access to the market and appropriate technologies, creating conducive environment for commercialisation and livelihood diversification, institutionalised safety net, resettlement and family planning. / Thesis (PhD (Rural Development Planning))--University of Pretoria, 2006. / Agricultural Economics, Extension and Rural Development / unrestricted

Please read the abstract in the section 00front of this document / Dissertation (MSc (Agricultural Extension))--University of Pretoria, 2005. / Agricultural Economics, Extension and Rural Development / unrestricted

This thesis examines the structural and conjunuctural constraints that inhibit the emergence of a civil society and democracy in Ethiopia, 1991-2005. Freedom and democracy are taken as precondition for development and social transformation. It introduces a model of how state and society relationship affects development and social transformation in transitional societies placing freedom as a pivotal link. The thesis establishes a marked continuum in the modalities of state and society relationship throughout the three post-War governments in Ethiopia. It examines the current state/society relationship and highlights lack of freedom as the major constraint. This is examined against the backdrop of what the historical realm for social change in post-War Ethiopia is, namely freedom and democracy. It examines the policies of the current government (EPRDF) on non-state organizations, the 'theoretical' rationales it advanced and how the perceptions that the ruling party held back in 1975 haven't changed. It holds that the government exacerbated the problem of the fragile relationship it had with society. The thesis also examines the government's policy on ethnicity as the 'rationale' that governs the functions of its institutions of governance and deconstructs the concepts of EPRRDF's "revolutionary democracy", the dichotomy between quality and quantity as well as between cadres and experts. It also deconstructs the EPRDF's thesis on the "national question" both in terms of its claims to have proceeded from the positions of the old student movement on the one hand and from the Marxian theoretical perception on the "national question" on the other. The analysis is extended to examine, within the poverty-unfreedom nexus, the development challenges that Ethiopia currently faces. Four major development challenges are advanced for examination: gender, environment, rural development and population. The thesis concludes that the EPRDF has failed to resolve these structural problems. EPRDF's exclusion of the nascent civil society, suppression of freedom and official political opposition are taken as the main factors behind the failure. The case of the 2005 elections is presented as a sequel to the thesis. / Sociology / D.Litt. et Phil. (Sociology)

This thesis examines the structural and conjunuctural constraints that inhibit the emergence of a civil society and democracy in Ethiopia, 1991-2005. Freedom and democracy are taken as precondition for development and social transformation. It introduces a model of how state and society relationship affects development and social transformation in transitional societies placing freedom as a pivotal link. The thesis establishes a marked continuum in the modalities of state and society relationship throughout the three post-War governments in Ethiopia. It examines the current state/society relationship and highlights lack of freedom as the major constraint. This is examined against the backdrop of what the historical realm for social change in post-War Ethiopia is, namely freedom and democracy. It examines the policies of the current government (EPRDF) on non-state organizations, the 'theoretical' rationales it advanced and how the perceptions that the ruling party held back in 1975 haven't changed. It holds that the government exacerbated the problem of the fragile relationship it had with society. The thesis also examines the government's policy on ethnicity as the 'rationale' that governs the functions of its institutions of governance and deconstructs the concepts of EPRRDF's "revolutionary democracy", the dichotomy between quality and quantity as well as between cadres and experts. It also deconstructs the EPRDF's thesis on the "national question" both in terms of its claims to have proceeded from the positions of the old student movement on the one hand and from the Marxian theoretical perception on the "national question" on the other. The analysis is extended to examine, within the poverty-unfreedom nexus, the development challenges that Ethiopia currently faces. Four major development challenges are advanced for examination: gender, environment, rural development and population. The thesis concludes that the EPRDF has failed to resolve these structural problems. EPRDF's exclusion of the nascent civil society, suppression of freedom and official political opposition are taken as the main factors behind the failure. The case of the 2005 elections is presented as a sequel to the thesis. / Sociology / D.Litt. et Phil. (Sociology)

Executive summary: last page (unnumbered) / The Sustainable Livelihood framework approach is a comprehensive method for determination of food insecurity and poverty at household level. The objective of this study was to determine the livelihood strategies and the coping mechanisms used by rural households in Abela Lida PA, Shebedino district, Southern Ethiopia. This study used both qualitative and quantitative methods to estimate the contribution of different resources to total food access and cash income, detailing expenditure patterns, asset holdings and capacity to cope with shocks. Simple random sampling was used for selecting 72 households for the survey. The data was collected during the hunger season using the checklists designed for livelihood and coping strategies. The study showed only 30% households had all the adults as working members, due to poor work skill, low awareness and lack of job opportunities. The main sources of income are sale of cash crops mainly coffee (55.6%) followed by sale of cash crops plus livestock (18%), labour (12.5%), PSNP (8.3%). The average annual income for the households was found to be birr 4,727.92 (~$293.34) and agriculture is the main livelihood strategy. Awareness and access to basic social services has improved and escalated price of staple foods, has negatively affected poor households and safety net beneficiaries who rely on purchase. Seasonality has also affected agricultural activities, prices and employment opportunities. The increase in fuel price was found to be the main shock followed by coffee price fluctuations and failure in purchasing power of money. About (63%) households faced shortage of food or money to buy food, medical expenses, cooking fuel and school fees. / Agriculture, Animal Health and Human Ecology / M.A. (Human Ecology)

Executive summary: last page (unnumbered) / The Sustainable Livelihood framework approach is a comprehensive method for determination of food insecurity and poverty at household level. The objective of this study was to determine the livelihood strategies and the coping mechanisms used by rural households in Abela Lida PA, Shebedino district, Southern Ethiopia. This study used both qualitative and quantitative methods to estimate the contribution of different resources to total food access and cash income, detailing expenditure patterns, asset holdings and capacity to cope with shocks. Simple random sampling was used for selecting 72 households for the survey. The data was collected during the hunger season using the checklists designed for livelihood and coping strategies. The study showed only 30% households had all the adults as working members, due to poor work skill, low awareness and lack of job opportunities. The main sources of income are sale of cash crops mainly coffee (55.6%) followed by sale of cash crops plus livestock (18%), labour (12.5%), PSNP (8.3%). The average annual income for the households was found to be birr 4,727.92 (~$293.34) and agriculture is the main livelihood strategy. Awareness and access to basic social services has improved and escalated price of staple foods, has negatively affected poor households and safety net beneficiaries who rely on purchase. Seasonality has also affected agricultural activities, prices and employment opportunities. The increase in fuel price was found to be the main shock followed by coffee price fluctuations and failure in purchasing power of money. About (63%) households faced shortage of food or money to buy food, medical expenses, cooking fuel and school fees. / Agriculture, Animal Health and Human Ecology / M.A. (Human Ecology)