Abstract:
In Ethiopia agriculture has paramount share of the economy and the main source of livelihoods.
However, low adoption of alternative crop varieties one of the main reasons for increase in poverty
level in developing country as general and in the study area specifically. This study was aimed to
examine the adoption of yam and its impact on rural household poverty in the case of Boloso
Bombe woreda, Ethiopia. The specific objectives of the study were to determine poverty gap
among household and identify determinants of rural household‟s yam adoption. In addition, the
study examines impact of yam adoption on rural household poverty. A two stage stratified random
sampling was employed to select 305 sample households from four kebeles. The study employed
both primary and secondary sources of data and the data collected through questionnaire and focus
group discussion. To realize the research objectives both descriptive and econometric models were
employed. The descriptive findings showed that 140 (45.9 %) were adopters based on consumption
expenditure poverty measurement approach were poor and 165 (54.1%) were non-adopters. The
logistic regression model result indicates that the variable household head, marital status and credit
access positively affect the household yam root adoption decision and total livestock size, irrigation
access and household saving size negatively affect the household yam root adoption decision. The
results of all Matching methods revealed that on average household decide to adapt yam root on
their farm land had significant impact on the household annual consumption expenditure size.
Propensity score matching model result indicate that adoption of yam have a significant impact in
improving farm households poverty status (annual consumption expenditure). Therefore, the
government should alleviate this problem through providing a special way of credit scheme to the
farmers to purchase inputs with a reasonable amount of interest rate and after production the
government should create linkage and network access to market to easily sale their products with
reasonable price. In addition, in order to achieve the much-desired poverty reduction in Boloso
Bombe Woreda, efforts should be intensified in ensuring that farmers have access to credit to adopt
yam root and to reduce poverty.
