Search

Degraded land is a major danger to agricultural productivity and food security in Ethiopia. Sustainable land management technologies (SLMTs), through targeted interventions, have been applied to address this problem. Notwithstanding some of the known agricultural and environmental benefits connected with the adoption of some SLMTs, the adoption rate remains below expectations. Therefore, this study aims to analyze the relationships and determinants of the adoption of SLMTs in eastern and southern Ethiopia. Data were collected from 384 sampled households selected using multi-stage sampling techniques. Descriptive statistics and multivariate probit (MVP) model were used to analyze data. Estimated results of MVP revealed that the adoption of SLMTs is positively and significantly influenced by education level, livestock, membership in a social group, extension contacts, access to SLM information, training, credit, land tenure, and slope, while age, farm distance, and the number of active family members due to youth migration abroad had negative effects. The widely adopted SLMTs on farmlands were inorganic fertilizer (49.5%), soil bunds (48.4%), bench terraces (47.2%), intercropping (46.1%), and manure (38%). This study concluded that farmers invested a blend of SLMTs, some of which complemented and others substituted for one another. Therefore, policy-makers and planners should focus on fortifying human and local institutions' capacity to implement SLM and consider SLM technology interdependencies before communicating with farmers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Ethiopia is the second most populous country in Africa with a total fertility rate (TFR) of 4.8 children per a woman and contraceptive prevalence rate (CPR) of 29 %. The overall prevalence of modern family planning in a pastoralist community, like Afar region, is low (9.1 %). This study aimed to assess family planning utilization and associated factors among married women of Afar region, Eastern Ethiopia.Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted from January 10-28, 2013 among 602 women. Multistage sampling technique was used to select the study participants. Descriptive and multiple variable logistic regression analyses were done to isolate independent predictors on utilization of family planning using SPSS 20.Results: The overall prevalence of family planning utilization in Afar region was 8.5 % (6.2-10.7). Majority of the women (92.2 %) had used injectable. The most common reasons mentioned in the non-use of family planning methods were religion-related (85.3 %), desire to have more children (75.3 %), and husband's objection (70.1 %). Women who had a positive attitude towards family planning utilization (AOR = 4.7, 95 % CI: 2.1, 10.3), owning radio (AOR = 1.8, 95 % CI: 1.02, 4.18), and literate (AOR = 4.4, 95 % CI: 1.80, 11.08) were more likely to use family planning methods as compared to their counterparts. The increase of monthly income was also associated with the likelihood of family planning methods utilization. The odds of using family planning methods were higher among those with monthly income of $27-$55.5 (AOR = 2. 0, 95 % CI: 1.9, 4.7) and > $55 (AOR = 4. 6, 95 % CI: 1.23-17.19) as compared to women with the lowest category of monthly income ($27 and less).Conclusion: The low coverage of family planning in the region could be due to the influence of husband, religious and clan leader. Attitude of women towards family planning methods, possession of radio, monthly income, and educational status could influence family planning utilization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: According to the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre report on global human displacement, Ethiopia has the highest number of newly displaced people forced to flee their homes. Displaced people have arrived in other regions, sometimes leading to conflict. Several regions in Ethiopia experience on-going ethnic tensions and violence between tribes, which leaves smallholder farmers suspicious of any outside activities in their locale, assuming other ethnic groups may harm them. Changes in the central Ethiopian government have also led to suspicion of non-local agencies. The Campylobacter Genomics and Enteric Dysfunction (CAGED) research project's objective is to improve the incomes, livelihoods and nutrition of smallholder farmers and was conducted during this period of increasing violence. The project aims to assess the impact of reducing exposure to chicken excreta on young children's gut health and growth. This paper does not report empirical findings from CAGED, but is part of a series that aims to identify challenges in humanitarian research and reports on mitigation strategies during this research. Discussion: This research is important to determine whether Campylobacter infection in chicken's contributes to illness and stunting in children. However, violence against other researchers in different parts of Ethiopia led to mistrust and lack of engagement by the community with the researchers. Some reactions were so hostile that the team was fearful about returning to some households. As a result, the team designed strategies to respond, including establishing two types of community advisory boards. One used pre-existing village elder structures and another was composed of village youth. Data collection team members received training in principles of ethics, consent, and crisis management, and were provided on-going support from local and international principal investigators and the study's ethics advisor. Conclusion: The hostility and mistrust led to fear among the data collectors. These and the resulting strategies to address them resulted in delays for the research. However, the interventions taken resulted in successful completion of the field activities. Moreover, the lessons learned from this project are already being implemented with other projects being conducted in various parts of Ethiopia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]