Advances in Food Science and Technology

Advances in Food Science and Technology ISSN: 6732-4215 Vol. 6 (10), pp. 001-006, October, 2018. © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Costing on-farm conservation of crop diversity: The case of sorghum and wheat in Ethiopia and implications for policy

Edilegnaw Wale

Discipline of Agricultural Economics, School of Agricultural Sciences and Agribusiness, University of KwaZulu-Natal P. Bag X01 Scottsville 3209, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa. E-mail: [email protected]. Tel: +27 33 260 5410. Fax: +27 33 260 5970.

Accepted 05 August, 2018

Abstract

The purpose of the paper is to estimate on-farm conservation costs based on household-level financial opportunity costs which, in turn, are estimated using sorghum and wheat household survey data from Ethiopia. The results suggest that opportunity costs need to be responsive to agricultural development opportunities, crop types and farmers’ characteristics which will all affect the national level conservation costs. Farmers have to be contextually targeted (for on-farm conservation) and treated based on their attribute profiles. Different levels and types of compensation schemes might be required for different groups. Institutionalizing on-farm conservation and optimizing costs calls for fulfilling farmers’ expectations based on the opportunity costs they forego.

Key words: On-farm conservation, crop diversity, opportunity cost, cost, sorghum, wheat, Ethiopia.