Quarterly Journal of International Agriculture No. 3/08
Institutional foundations of agricultural development in Ethiopia: drawing lessons from current practice for agricultural R&D
Laura German
Center for International Forestry Research, Bogor, Indonesia
Shenkut Ayele, Waga Mazengia, Mesfin Tsegaye, Kasahun Abere, Kiflu
Bedane, Endrias Geta
Ethiopian Institute for Agricultural Research, Addis Ababa,
Ethiopia
Tesema Tolera and Hailemichael Taye
Independent Consultants, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Abstract
The historical emphasis on technological innovation as a pathway to
rural development has obscured the institutional foundations of
development – in this case, the role of local and external
organizations in shaping patterns of benefits capture. Agrarian
communities have a host of ways in which they self-organize to buffer
themselves from economic hardship, facilitate access to limited
resources and foster social cohesiveness. Yet these forms of collective
action often remain invisible to development actors. External
agricultural research and development organizations also play an
important role in structuring development pathways and opportunities
for some while marginalizing others. They also tend to create new
social structures at the community level, rather than build upon
existing social capital to channel its potential as a driver of
development. This paper summarizes research on the development and
natural resource management functions of local organizations in the
highlands of Ethiopia, and on the role of local and external
organizations in structuring patterns of opportunity. Three key
findings are highlighted, namely: that wealth tends to beget wealth,
requiring concerted attempts to support resource-poor households; that
local organizations tend to produce more equitable outcomes than
external development organizations; and that local organizations for
natural resource management (NRM) are deficient, despite the prevalence
of local NRM concerns. Implications for agricultural research and
development include the need to build upon the strengths of local
institutions; make the practices of external development organizations
more equitable; minimize the effect of existing wealth on the potential
for wealth creation; and strengthen local organizational capacities to
address commonly felt NRM concerns.
Keywords: local institutions, equity, agricultural development, natural resource management, Ethiopia
JEL: Q100
Vol. 47 (2008), No. 3: 191-216