Review of Maize Value Chain Resilience and Sustainability in Ethiopia

Abstract

Maize is Ethiopia’s most important cereal crop both in terms of level of production and area coverage. This review was conducted with the main objective of identify the key negative environmental impacts and externalities of the maize value chain, identify climate change risks in maize value and identify the best practices to overcome these impacts and externalities to make maize value chain  resilient and sustainable in Ethiopia. Review of empirical documents indicated that emission of emission of green house gases, soil infertility and nutrient shortages, land clearing and degradation and subsequent loss of wildlife habitat and biodiversity, soil erosion and nutrient shortages were the major negative impacts and externalities of pre-production, production and post-production phase activities of maize value chain in Ethiopia. In addition to this, review of the impact of climate variability in maize value chain indicated that loss of yield, diseases and pest infestation, drought and rainfall shortage were the major climate change risk in maize value chain in Ethiopia. The review of identification of best practices for sustainability and resilience of maize value chain in Ethiopia has indicated that sustainable intensification of agriculture; off-farm diversification and commercialization, on-farm diversification and climate smart agriculture were the best options. Therefore, policies and programs which promote sustainable production and marketing for resilience of maize value chain to climate variability should be formulated.

Keywords: Climate Smart Agriculture, Maize Value Chain, Resilience and Sustainability