Usage and Impacts of Technologies and Management Practices in Ethiopian Smallholder Maize Production

Banchayehu Tessema Assefa, Jordan Chamberlin (), Martin K. van Ittersum and Pytrik Reidsma
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Banchayehu Tessema Assefa: Plant Production Systems, Wageningen University, 6700 AK Wageningen, The Netherlands
Martin K. van Ittersum: Plant Production Systems, Wageningen University, 6700 AK Wageningen, The Netherlands
Pytrik Reidsma: Plant Production Systems, Wageningen University, 6700 AK Wageningen, The Netherlands

Agriculture, 2021, vol. 11, issue 10, 1-19

Abstract: Maize yields can be improved through many individual technologies and management practices, but the full realization of potential benefits is generally understood to require integrated use of complementary practices. We employed two years of survey data and alternative econometric models to better understand the use of individual and bundled packages of technologies and management practices in Ethiopian maize production, i.e., fertilizers, improved varieties, herbicides, pesticides, manure, intercropping, erosion control and crop rotation (the last three labeled integrated management ). Although fertilizer and improved varieties were used on 85% of maize fields, with average yields of 3.4 ton/ha, large yield gaps remain. Complementary management practices improved these yields by as much as 22%, although in variable ways. Integrated management contributed to maize yield only when combined with crop protection (herbicides and/or pesticides). Combining manure with fertilizer and improved variety decreased maize yields, possibly due to manure quality and less inorganic fertilizer used on fields that received manure. Packages including crop protection increased labor productivity by 16–70%, while using integrated management decreased labor productivity by almost half. In summary, the combination of management practices did not automatically lead to increased yields, partly related to the conditions under which practices were applied, indicating the need for site-specific research and recommendations for sustainable intensification.

Keywords: crop management; sustainable intensification; maize yield; labor productivity (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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