Abstract:
Abstract
Agricultural Growth Program is a multifaceted program that has been under implementation since
2011 in the study area, which is aimed at mitigating the agricultural bottlenecks of smallholder
agriculture through provision of different services and then increasing agricultural production. The
current study focuses on the contribution of the Agricultural Growth Program to agricultural
production income in the case of Ankesha Guagusa woreda. It employed a combined research
approach; quantitative and qualitative. The study was based on survey of 114 Agricultural
Growth Program user and 79 non-user representative farm households systematically selected
from a total of 3863 households found on three kebeles of the study area. To achieve the
objectives, household questionnaire surveys, key informant interviews, observations and focus group
discussions were conducted to collect data at household level. Data were analyzed using descriptive
statistics, independent t-test, chi-square test and the multiple regression model. Improving the
extension advisory service, increasing the sufficiency and timely availability of agricultural inputs,
improving the accessibility of irrigation service, bridging the skill gaps of smallholder farmers and
supporting the formation of farmer groups with common interests are the major services of the
program in the study area. The study revealed that the mean annual income for Agricultural Growth
Program users and non-users were Ethiopian Birr 46,339.75 and 20,098.95, respectively. Annual
household incomes of Agricultural Growth Program users were higher than the incomes of non-user
households, and extent of utilizing these services by the target beneficiaries of the program; the better
use of a service, the more to utilize the same. The study also made clear that a host of constraints,
most of which are implementer related, hinders the maximum utilization of Agricultural Growth
Program services by beneficiaries. Apart from these, the survey result confirms that the program
implementation is carried out by different organizations without proper coordination, poor
monitoring and evaluation, inadequate stakeholder participation and low sense of program
ownership. Finally, the study recommended that the program needs to work on rehabilitation and
upgrading of the existing canals and there should be a strong monitoring and follow up while
constructing irrigation schemes, the program coordinators need to establish a strong coordination
among stakeholders and there should be clear criteria for the selection of Common Interest Group
members that help members to have a common interest
Key Words: Agricultural growth program, service utilization, program implementers