Priority Crop Commodities

A crop is any plant that is grown in significant quantities to be harvested as food, livestock fodder, or for any other economic purpose. This category includes crop species as well as agricultural techniques related to cropping. On this section, some priority crop commodities of Ethiopia are selected. While resources on specific crop commodities are found in the subsequent pages with relevant documents on production, marketing, business services and capacity building, documents containing general issues and facts on the overall cropping system, policy, and marketing are presented below.

 Grain Price Trends in Different Markets in Ethiopia (July-August 2007 report by RDFS Section of the EC-Delegation to Ethiopia) (247kb,15pp)

 Market Institutions,Transaction Costs, and Social Capital in the Ethiopian Grain Market:This study demonstrates how, in the context of Ethiopia’s weak marketing environment, the brokerage institution minimizes transaction costs and facilitates exchange. However, it also reveals that this institution plays a limited role in that traders continue to rely on personalized trade for a significant share of their transactions, even in distant markets. 2001/(1.05Mb,108pp)

Market Structure, Conduct, And Performance: Constraints on Performance of Ethiopian Grain Markets: The purpose of this report is to assess the efficiency of the Ethiopian grain marketing system and identify some of the constraints on market participants which influence its performance. 1998 (238kb,60pp)

 FAO/WFP Crop And Food Supply Assessment Mission to Ethiopia:The assessment teams obtained planted area and yield data for all major food crops from woreda, zonal, and regional agricultural bureaux, which were cross-checked against information from farmers, traders, NGO and donor project staff and remote sensed data from early warning systems. Crop inspections, spot-check crop cutting, market surveys, livestock condition observations and transect recordings of crops and their conditions were conducted en route to audit the information received. Where necessary, yield forecasts were fine-tuned to take into consideration latest and broader information.Jan.2005/ (396kb.44pp)

 Perspectives on Food Crop Production for Combating Famine in Ethiopia: The traditional and low yielding crop production practices in Ethiopia must give way to modern and high yielding approaches if the ever-increasing population size is going to be fed adequately. What are the components of such a modern and high yield productive system?... (147Kb,16pp)

 Farmers' varieties and seeds: Supporting informal seed supply in Ethiopia: Ethiopia is characterized by an enormous diversity in agro-ecosystems, crops and varieties, with the informal seed systems dominant in seed supply for almost all crops. The book addresses strategies and approaches through which professionals can support informal seed supply, and links these with the conservation and use of the huge genetic resource base of crops and local varieties. The book looks at informal seed supply from a number of different angles, introduces key concepts and strategies, and presents case studies from Ethiopia and other countries.

For all stakeholders in Ethiopian agriculture:-

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