A Survey of Agriculture in Ethiopia

Excerpts from the report Summary: Subsistence farming is likely to dominate Ethiopian agriculture for many years, but the foundation for modernization is being laid in several areas by the Government. Financial and technical aid, primarily from the United States but also from the United Nations and other sources, is contributing significantly to the Government's programs to expand, diversify, and modernize farm production. These programs include: • Establishment of agricultural research institutions and of an extension service. • Formation of farm cooperatives. • Promotion of cultivation of cash crops by small farmers and of large-scale commercial farming. • Improvement of livestock management. Coffee accounts for 50 to 60 percent of Ethiopia's total exports, and the United States--Ethiopia' s leading foreign agricultural market--imports 65 to 75 percent of the coffee. The main grains grown are teff, sorghum, barley, and corn. Other crops, also grown mainly for domestic consumption, include sugarcane, cotton, and chat (a mild stimulant). Cotton output is expanding rapidly, but Ethiopia must still import lint for its mills.