Evolution of alternative rural development strategies in Ethiopia : implications for employment and income distribution

THESE "PACKAGE" OR DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS WERE AIMED AT RAISING THE REAL INCOMES OF SMALL FARM HOUSEHOLDS; ELICITING THE PARTICIPATION OF SMALL FARMERS AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS IN THESE EFFORTS; CONTROLLING ADVERSE EFFECTS OF EMPLOYMENT AND GENERATING NEW EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES; RESOLVING INCOME DISPARITIES AMONG FARMERS; SEARCHING FOR FURTHER METHODS OF DEVELOPMENT; AND PROVIDING DATA FOR FUTURE PROJECTS. IT WAS CONCLUDED THAT THE SO-CALLED "INTENSIVE" PACKAGE RURAL DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS, ALTHOUGH SUCCESSFUL IN YIELD-INCREASING INNOVATIONS AND IN DEMONSTRATING SMALL-FARMER DEVELOPMENT, WERE TOO COSTLY FINANCIALLY AND IN TRAINED MANPOWER TO BE EXPANDED ON A NATIONAL SCALE. THUS, IN 1971 THE "MINIMUM" PACKAGE APPROACH WAS ADOPTED, AND IT MADE MAJOR ACHIEVEMENTS BY CONCENTRATING ON PROVEN INNOVATIONS AND TECHNIQUES THAT ARE WIDELY APPLICABLE. TO CONTINUE THIS SUCCESS, ALBEIT ON A SMALLER AND MORE GRADUAL SCALE, AN EFFECTIVE NATIONAL RESEARCH SYSTEM IS NEEDED TO CONTINUE DEVELOPING INNOVATIONS AND MAKING RECOMMENDATIONS ADAPTED TO ETHIOPIA"S VARIOUS ECOLOGICAL ZONES, AND TO CONTINUE ANALYZING THEM AS PROGRESS IS MADE.