Agricultural development in Ethiopia.

Agricultural is the oldest industry of the country. Since time immemorial the Ethiopian people have been primarily farmers, most of them tilling their small plots of land and some of them herding their livestock. It is an industry that is very deeply rooted in Ethiopian culture. In the songs and sayings it consistently commands respect and esteem. In a society where tradition counts so heavily the blessings of tradition are of great value. Evidently the society understood very clearly that the farmer as food producer must be given at least formal recognition and status.

Methods:

1- Preparation of the Land: The preparation of the land for cultivation involves a very laborious process. First the land has to be cleared of the natural vegetation cover, by cutting the larger trees with axes and by burning the bush and the grass. There are even now areas as in parts of Illubabor, Wellega and Keffa, where burning is still the method of clearing the land for cultivation. The cleared land is ploughed with the help of a pair of oxen and the Maresha. The Ethiopian plough is entirely made of wood with the exception of the Maresha , a steel point or plough-point which breaks the soil to a depth of about 10-15 cm.

2- Irrigation, Drainage and Fertilizers: There are areas, both in highland and lowland Ethiopia, where small scale irrigation works are important. Irrigation practices are not very widespread. It is now becoming more and more important in the lowlands of Ethiopia. On the highlands of Ethiopia it is common to see the slopes or the sides of basins cultivated while the bottoms are left for grazing. There are also areas which are considered unsuitable for summer crops. Such areas are often exclusively used for grazing purposes and sometimes for the production of spring crops or belg, their only disadvantages being poor drainage.

3- Fallowing and Crop rotation: These practices have been substitutes for the direct application of minerals to the soil. It is suitable for non-commercial extensive farming but not for intensive farming. Depending on the thickness and fertility of the soil, the land may be cultivated for one, two or seven years. Then it is left fallow to recuperate and to regain the exhausted minerals. In parts of northern Ethiopia where farmers cultivate the steep slopes, cultivation and fallowing alternate regularly. Similarly the practices of crop rotation depend on the fertility of the soil. After some years of small grains cultivation when the soils begin to show signs of exhaustion and the yields became lower, the fields will be sown with any of the leguminous crops such as chickpeas, lentils and beans. These crops renew the fertility of the soil and consequently the yield of the small grains become remarkably high when sown immediately after the harvest of the leguminous crops.

4- Sowing, Weeding and Protection: In most parts of Ethiopia sowing is exclusively the work of men - including sometimes boys of ten years. After broadcasting, the seeds are covered by another ploughing of the field or sometimes by driving animals over the field or in some cases by just brushing the field with branches of trees. Weeding is done by men, women and children and takes place during the growing season. While the most common practice is to pull out the weeds by hand, sometimes one may see small pick-axes being used to ensure the elimination of the roots of the weeds. During the process of weeding, farmers are very careful not to lose soil compacted around the roots of the weeds. The protection of the growing crops against rats, monkeys, porcupines, and other pests is very important. These animals are the menace to farmers in many parts of the country and there is very little that the poor farmers can do against these pests, which cause considerable damage to crops. During the day children will watch the fields and chase the larger animals and birds with slings or by throwing stones. For the field rats farmers sometimes make many crude traps with slabs of rocks. At night the farmers have to depend entirely on the scarecrows. One has to see the multitudes of monkeys and rats to appreciate the seriousness of these pests.

5- Harvesting, Threshing, Winnowing and Storage: Once the major work of preparing the land, ploughing and sowing is done, and weeding completed, farmers in most cases sit and wait while the crop is growing. Now nature takes its course. If everything goes right and the plants grow to maturity, another busy season of harvesting, threshing and winnowing arrives. Harvesting is done by hand with simple curved sickles, sometimes serrated but always with wooden handles. It may take several days for a farmer to finish cutting the crop during which adverse weather conditions and pests may cause damage.