Risk, Risk Information and Eventual Learning of Smallholder Farmers in Eastern Ethiopia

摘要

This article explores risk information, determinants of access to it, its reliability and determinants of learning in the farming systems of Eastern Ethiopia. Social learning and cultural theories are used to guide the investigation using a mixed methodology of quantitative analysis and qualitative interpretation of data from formal and informal surveys. Hypotheses that access to information and learning differ according to age, gender, education, religious faith and other characteristics of households are examined. Logit regression analyses are applied to test the hypotheses. Results of the informal survey showed that information is the key to judgment in the context of rural households. It is found in this study that collection and use of early warning information is one of the on-farm risk management strategies in the Eastern Highlands of Ethiopia. Logit functions have mirrored that distance from markets and numbers of plots owned have significant associations with access to information. Differences in gender and marital status of household head, educational level, number of cattle owned and farm size are found to significantly affect self-evaluation of knowledge. It is found also that agro-ecological zone, experience in farming, family size, number of plots owned and access to information is associated with use of externally supplied farm inputs. The implications of these findings are discussed.