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Onion is a vital vegetable crop in Ethiopia, with significant economic and health benefits. However, its production trend is not consistent, with periods of increase and decrease; and its productivity in the country falls far below its potential. As a result, farmers are not yet fully benefited from onion production. Thus, this study was initiated to identify the factors influencing onion production in the Raya Kobo District of Amhara Regional State of Ethiopia. Data was collected from 189 onion-producing farmers through household surveys, and both descriptive and econometric techniques were used for analysis. The study found significant variation in onion production among farmers, with lower levels compared to national and international averages. Factors such as gender, education level, experience, labor force, land size, access to extension services, irrigation water, land plough frequency, and fertilizer availability positively impact onion production. However, excessive fertilizer use was found to have a negative effect. The study also identified challenges faced by farmers, including input shortages, high costs, diseases, labor issues, soil infertility, and storage knowledge gaps. The study recommends policymakers and stakeholders to utilize these findings to develop effective policies and interventions that can enhance onion production, benefiting farmers and improving the overall onion production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Food insecurity is one of the most serious problems in developing countries, especially in Ethiopia. Therefore, it is important to understand the barriers to improving the state of food security in the country. Thus, this study aims to investigate the determinants of food security of rural households in the North Shewa zone in the Amhara region, Ethiopia. A sample of 796 farm households was considered. This paper used the calorie intake method per day to measure household food security status and a logit model to investigate the determinants of food security. The results show that family size, age of the household head, educational level of the head, off-farm activities, monthly income of the household, and distance from the market are the major determinants of rural household food security in the North Shewa Zone. The findings suggest that expanding the access to education in farm households, expanding the access to off-farm activities to increase household income, and expanding market access to farm households are important to improve rural food security status in the study area., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Abebaw Hailu Fikire and Mesele Belay Zegeye.)