Page 1 of 14

Discoveries in Agriculture and Food Sciences - Vol. 10, No. 6

Publication Date: December 25, 2022

DOI:10.14738/dafs.106.13901.

Dube, B., & Abebe, T. (2023). Factors Affecting Maize Productivity: In Case of Bedele District of Buno Bedele Zone, Oromia Regional

State, Ethiopia. Discoveries in Agriculture and Food Sciences, 10(6). 48-61.

Services for Science and Education – United Kingdom

Factors Affecting Maize Productivity: In Case of Bedele District

of Buno Bedele Zone, Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia

Bati Dube

Oromia Agricultural Research Institute,

Bedele Agricultural Research Center, Bedele, Ethiopia.

Tilaye Abebe

Ingibi secondary High school and Bedele town Teachers associate,

Bedele, Ethiopia.

Abstract

Though agriculture remains to be the most important sector of the Ethiopian

economy, its performance has been disappointing and food production has been

lagging behind population growth. This gap between demand for and supply of food

can be reduced by improving crop production and productivity. As maize is a

significant contributor to the Ethiopian economy, increasing production and

productivity in maize production could be taken as an important step in attaining

food security. This study was conducted in Bedele district of Buno Bedele zone of

Oromia National Regional State with the aim of identifying factors affecting the

productivity of maize production. This study used cross sectional data which was

collected from a total of 174 farm households which were randomly and

proportionally selected from 4kebeles of the Woreda using two stage sampling

technique. The primary data were collected through individual interviews of

respondents using semi-structure questionnaire. Secondary data was collected

from different relevant literatures such as district reports, publications, journals

and other documents relevant for the study. Descriptive statistics and Econometric

model were used to assess the collected data. The result of Descriptive statistics

indicated that the mean amount of maize produced by households in quintal per

hectare is about 19.76 quintal. Results of Cobb- Douglas production function

revealed that Variability of weather condition, Extension Contact, Land allocated for

maize, Mode of sowing, Amount of fertilizer used, Farm Income, labor cost, Number

of Oxen, and educational level of household head positively and significantly

affected the productivity of maize production. Whereas Soil fertility, occurrence of

pests and diseases, over cultivation are negatively and significantly affected the

productivity of maize production. Therefore, attention should be given to major

factors that affect the productivity of maize production to increase production and

productivity of maize.

Key words: Maize, Cobb-Douglas, Productivity

INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

Agriculture is the corner-stone of Ethiopian economy that accounts for 36.3% of GDP,

employees 73% of labor force and over 70% of exports earning [1]. It is still believed to remain

Page 2 of 14

49

Dube, B., & Abebe, T. (2023). Factors Affecting Maize Productivity: In Case of Bedele District of Buno Bedele Zone, Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia.

Discoveries in Agriculture and Food Sciences, 10(6). 48-61.

URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.14738/dafs.106.13901

a sector that plays an important role in stimulating the overall economic development of the

country in the years to come. In another word, the projected figure of Ethiopian population for

the year 2019 was 113.85 million [2]. Thus, growing population requires better economic

performance than ever before at least to insure food security. Consequently, in the country,

currently about 8.13 million people were food insecure and need of food assistance [3]. Hence,

being an agriculturally dependent country with a food deficit, enhancing crop production and

productivity are decisive [4].

Maize is a cereal crop grown in various agro-ecological zones, as a single crop or in mixed

cropping. It is the third most important cereal in the world, next to rice and wheat and with

highest production potentia l among the cereals [5]. It is the second most widely cultivated crop

in Ethiopia and is grown under diverse agro-ecologies and socio- economic conditions typically

under rain-fed production [6]. It occupies the largest share next to teff in terms of total

production, acreage and the number of farms holding and it is used as food, feed and fodder [7].

It is also; maize is considered as a crop where huge productivity can be obtained to boost

domestic production and there is huge demand by farmers, and all public and private seed

companies are engaged in its multiplication creating competition among these actors [8]. The

increases in maize production in Ethiopia resulted more from increases in productivity rather

than area expansion - i.e., the yield grew faster than the area [6]. There is evidence that the

increased productivity and production of maize is also having a significant positive impact on

poverty reduction [9]. The expansion and productivity change in maize production in Ethiopia

is attributable to multiple factors; Such as increased availability of modern varieties, increased

commitment to enhance farmer access to and use of modern inputs through better research- extension linkages, wider adaptability of the crop and modern varieties, better production

conditions and low production risks and growing consumption demand and market access for

producers to support market based production to absorb surplus supply[6]. This rapid increase

in population in Ethiopia is raising demand for agricultural product. It is also the most

important sector of the Ethiopian economy in which its performance has been unsatisfactory

and unable to fulfill the requirement of the ever-increasing number of mouths with all

development endeavors. This is mainly attributed to the poor use of modern inputs such as

fertilizers, improved seeds and extension services which partly explain the less productivity of

the sector [10;11]. According to FAO report of the national average maize yield in Ethiopia in

2016 is 3.6 t ha-1; which is by far below the world average of 5.6 t ha-1. This low yield is

attributed to physical, institutional and socio-economic factors such as; Weed disease, poor soil

quality, and lack of input of production. Therefore: the general objective of the study was to

assess the major determinants of the productivity of maize production and to examine factor

affecting the productivity of maize in the case of Bedele district of Bunno Bedele Zone.

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Descriptions of the Study Area

Location and Population:

This study was conducted in Buno Bedele zone, Bedele district, Oromia National Regional State

of Ethiopia. The district is Geographical located at 483 km far from the south west of Addis

Ababa. The district is located between 8°14'30''N to 8°37'53''N and 36°13'17''E to 36°35'05''E

It is covers 74497.425 hectares of which 47,986, 9477, and 10,120 hectares are cultivated,

Page 3 of 14

50

Discoveries in Agriculture and Food Sciences (DAFS) Vol 10, Issue 6, December- 2022

Services for Science and Education – United Kingdom

forest and grazing land, respectively (Bedele District Agricultural Office, 2019) Fifteen-year

(2006-2020) weather data ion collected at Bedele Meteorology Station show that Bedele has a

uni-modal rainfall pattern and mean annual rainfall of 1942.1 mm. The rainy season extends

from April to October and the maximum rain is received in the months of May, June, July, August,

September and October with the mean monthly rainfall exceeding 315mm. The annual average,

mean minimum and mean maximum air temperatures are 19.5, 13 and 26°C, respectively. The

area has an altitude ranging from 1013 to 2390 meters above sea level with a humid agro- ecology.

Figure 2. Map of Bedele Woreda

Source: Buno Bedele zone administrative boundaries (2017)

Research Design (Types of research)

The major focus of the study is description of information related to maize productivity by

collecting cross sectional data from the study area. So, the research method will use for the

study is mixed research design to answer research questions. Moreover, Cobb- Douglas

production function model will apply for independent or explanatory variables which show a

significant effect on the maize productivity of the farmers.

Target Population

Target population is the population that the researcher wishes to generalize the result of the

study. [12] define target population as the entire group a researcher is interesting in about

which the researcher wants to draw conclusion. According to the records from the district’s

agricultural office, the four selected District has a population of 4594 household farmers of

2300 males and 2294 females by the year 2019(AOD, 2019). The target population for this

study is 4594 Households maize farmers.