Ephrem Tesfaye

Agricultural Intensification and Crop Diversification: Economic Analysis on Smallholder Farmers in North East Ethiopia Ephrem Tesfaye

In Countries where vast majority of the population are smallholder farmers whose livelihood is highly dependent on subsistence farming,increasing agricultural productivity as well as reducing vulnerability to drought and other food security related problems should be given considerable attention. Theses problems are very much persistent in moisture stressed areas such as most parts of North East Ethiopia where this research was conducted. Nonetheless, proper adaptation of agricultural intensification and crop diversification by the smallholder farmers can certainly be of great importance in the effort to curb the problems. Agricultural intensification implies the use of modern agricultural inputs and technologies like application of fertilizers, improved seeds, pesticides, herbicides and small machinery in the farmland and/or the use of irrigation water to produce more than once in one crop calender. while crop diversification means to diversify from one to many and/or from low to high value crops.