Abstract:
Field level agricultural development agents are crucial for any change in agriculture in Ethiopia. Their
work ethic and motivation are critical to the country's ability to expand its agriculture more quickly. The
study assessed various motivational factors and level of work motivation of development agents working
in Ambo district, West Shoa zone of Oromia National Regional State. In order to meet the purpose of this
research, all the development agents, numbered eighty-three, were considered as target respondents from
which the required empirical data was collected through a structured questionnaire and focus group
discussion checklists. Data analysis was done using a binomial logistic model and descriptive statistics.
To evaluate relationships between relevant variables, the chi-square, the t-test, and Spearman's rho
correlation tests were also conducted. Results of descriptive analysis showed that about 59.04% of the
development agents‟ work motivation is low and need efforts to improve. From different variables
analyzed through a binary logit model, the outputs showed that, at different probability levels, eight
explanatory variables, viz. Age, distance of work location, salary, supervision, promotion opportunities,
work condition, sense of achievement and the work itself were found to be significant in explaining the
variability in work motivation among development agents. Out of the total sampled respondents from both
low and highly motivated DAs, 21.69%, 16.87% and 16.87% of them responded that the major challenges
of work motivation of DAs in this area are Technical, institutional and ICT-related challenges,
respectively. As they responded, socio-cultural, environmental and economic challenges accounted for
15.66%, 15.66% and 13.25% of the total respondents, respectively. In light of this, the study suggested
that in order to improve the motivational strategy of development agents, higher policymakers as well as
management at the grassroots organization (the office of agricultural development in the study area)
concentrate on the factors that were retrieved as significant. Finally, by conducting periodic needs
assessments and addressing the identified factors that impact work motivation, administrators can create
a more conducive and motivating work environment for DAs in Ambo district, ultimately leading to
improved performance and job satisfaction among Development Agents.
