Poverty Alleviation through Integrated Pond Fish Farming with Poultry and Vegetables Production at Small Scale Farmers’ in Dilla Zuria Woreda, Southern Ethiopia

Abstract

This study was conducted on the title " Poverty Alleviation through Integrated Pond Fish Farming with Poultry and Vegetable Production on Small Scale Farmers’ in Dilla Zuria Woreda, Southern Ethiopia" aiming to demonstrate and assess the possibility of reducing poverty at small scale farmers’ level through integrated pond fish farming with poultry and vegetable production, to see the profitability of integrated pond fish farming with poultry and vegetable production in comparing to mono farming at small scale farmers’ level and to identify factors that affect farmers' to implement integrated Pond fish farming with Poultry and Vegetable production at the study area. The primary data were collected by using PRA tools and secondary data from related literatures. The data were analyzed by using both qualitative (tabulation, narration) and quantitative techniques (percentage, frequency and cost-benefit analysis using Net present value (NPV). The results of this study revealed that, integrated pond fish farming with poultry and vegetable production can play a significant role in increasing manifold production, income and nutrition over mono farming for poverty alleviation at small scale producers. In principal a project is accepted if the NPV is non-negative. Accordingly, the NPV of the project at 8.5% of discount rate was found to be Birr 622 per 0.0224ha of land is acceptable. The major factors that affect farmers to implement this integration at the study area were: lack of training and researches on improving farmers’ indigenous knowledge on integration, and lack of improved vegetables seeds and fingerling dissemination center to the farmers in the areas. Based on the results, the following recommendation forwarded: it is imperative that policy makers and local extension planner, agricultural extension implementers and NGOs  pay utmost attention to this integrated farming to reduce poverty at small scale farmers and pay attention to the constraints that affect farmers’ to implement this integration. The issues that need immediate attention include, among others, delivery of training to farmers’ on improving  skill and knowledge on this integration,  and developing fingerling dissemination center to the farmers' in the study area.

Keywords: Poverty, integrated Agriculture, Farmers