IMPLEMENTATION OF SELECTED INPUTS BY WOMEN FARMERS IN ETHIOPIA

<ns3:p>This study examines the use of three agricultural practices in Ethiopian farm households with an emphasis on women’s ownership or co-ownership of land. Access to land and women’s role in landownership is viewed as essential in food insecurity reduction. Our study uses data from the nationally representative 2021/2022 Ethiopian Rural Socioeconomic Survey to identify and quantify factors linked to the use of three practices: synthetic fertilizer application, crop rotation, and improved maize seed use. Factors affecting implementation of any of the practices are identified by using the logit regression where the explanatory variables, besides landownership indicators, include respondent socio-demographic and economic attributes, household characteristics, land quality and climate features, and regional farm location. Results show that joint male and female landownership positively influences the use of the three practices. Being a male household head, having basic education, having non-farm enterprise and access to markets are also associated with the use of the three practices. High dependency ratio, advancing age, and experiencing drought discourage the use of most of the practices. Promoting joint ownership in land allocation, broadening access to education, creating conditions for non-farm enterprise creation, while directing region-specific programs will reduce the risk of household food insecurity.</ns3:p>