Ethiopian Agriculture: A Dynamic Geographic Perspective

The opportunities and constraints facing Ethiopian agriculture are strongly influenced by geographical location. Ethiopia’s diverse landscape defines certain agricultural production potentials, access to input and output markets, and local population densities, which determine both labor availability and local demand for food. Understanding the geographical expression of Ethiopia’s agricultural and rural development options provides greater information for more locally targeted policy options. These conditions not only vary over space but change over time as well. New and improved roads, greater telecommunications, improved access to electricity, and ongoing urban growth continue to lower transaction costs and improve market access. Evolving production opportunities and technologies continue to provide greater flexibility of livelihood decisions within defined biophysical endowments. As Ethiopia continues to invest in infrastructure and technology, its agricultural landscape continues to be reshaped and redefined into broader areas of opportunity and growth. The objectives of this chapter are twofold. First we provide an overview of the geographical features that constitute a basic reference for understanding production systems and the geography of agricultural production in rural Ethiopia. This characterization is organized around the economic logic of comparative advantage for a variety of generalized production decisions of relevance in Ethiopia. Second we extend this framework to organize evidence for and discussion of important areas of dynamism in Ethiopia’s rural economic landscape, including a discussion of land tenure policy and its effects on the level of investments in the agricultural sector. Thus, this chapter is mainly a descriptive assessment of important production contexts and the manner in which these contexts are evolving.