million (National Bank of Ethiopia 1999) with a growth rate of about 3.3%. At the present growth rate the population is expected to increase to about 129.1 million by the year 2030.

Small-scale farmers who are dependent on low input and low output rainfed mixed farming with traditional technologies dominate the agricultural sector. The present government of Ethiopia has given top priority to this sector and has taken steps to increase its productivity. However, various problems are holding this back. Some causes of poor crop production are declining farm size; subsistence farming because of population growth; land degradation due to inappropriate use of land, such as cultivation of steep slopes; overcultivation and overgrazing; and inappropriate polices. Other causes are tenure insecurity; weak agricultural research and extension services; lack of agricultural marketing; an inadequate transport network; low use of fertilizers, improved seeds and pesticides; and the use of traditional farm implements. However, the major causes of underproduction are drought, which often causes famine, and floods. These climate related disasters make the nation dependent on food aid.

The trends of the contribution of agriculture to total GDP of the country clearly explain the relationship between the performance of agriculture, climate and the total economy. As can be seen in Figure 1, years of drought and famine (1984/1985, 1994/1995, 2000/2001) are associated with very low contributions, whereas years of good climate (1982/83, 1990/91) are associated with better contributions.

# **_2.1 Crop production_**

Rainfed crop production is the basis of all subsistence farming in most parts of Ethiopia and accounts for more than 95% of the land area cultivated annually. In general farming is mixed: both animal and crop production are important. A typical farming household in the semi-arid areas owns just a small portion of land (generally less than one hectare) on which crops are produced and which also partly supports variable numbers of cattle, goats, donkeys, and sheep.

The country’s diverse agro-ecological conditions enable it to grow a large variety of crops. Most of these are cereals (teff, maize, sorghum, wheat, barley, millet, oats, etc.), pulses (horse beans, field peas, lentils, chickpeas, haricot beans, vetch, etc.), oil seeds (linseed, niger seed, fenugreek, rapeseed, sunflower, castor bean, groundnuts, safflower, etc.), and herbs and spices (pepper, garlic, ginger, mustard, etc). Stimulants (coffee, tea, chat, tobacco, etc.) are the major cash crops. Fruits (banana, orange, grape, papaya, lemon, mandarin, apple, pineapple, mango, avocado, etc.) sugar cane, fibers (cotton, sisal, etc.), vegetables (onion, tomato, carrot, cabbage, etc.), roots and tubers (potato, sweet potato, beets, yams, etc.) are the other crops grown.

A wide range of both biotic and abiotic stresses constrains field crop production. The main biotic constraints are weeds, insects and disease, and the main abiotic ones are drought, low soil fertility, waterlogging, and low level of technology.

The production of crops is dominated by small-scale subsistence farmers (about eight million peasant households). These small-scale farmers account on average for 95% of the total area under crops and for more than 90% of the total agricultural output. Most of the food crops (94%) and coffee (98%) are produced by small-scale farmers, while the remaining 6% of food crops and 2% of coffee is generated by commercial farms (state and private). Most farmers still use traditional farming methods, i.e. plowing the land with ox-drawn wooden ploughs with steel pikes, minimal application of fertilizer and pesticides, and low use of improved seeds.

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