A critical review of rural development policy of Ethiopia: access, utilization and coverage

Abstract

According to Roling [4], rural development policies and programmes are usually developed to suit the condition of progressive farmers. [...]the cost of modern technologies is so prohibitive that few farmers in limited areas of the country are so far reached. [...]it is high time to explore possibilities for identifying approaches that could complement existing strategies of growth [5]. According to Dejene Aredo [5], agriculture was also discriminated against by sectoral policies. Distorted macroeconomic policies, political unrest and massive villagization and settlement programmes undermined the contribution that the rural development policies could have made. [...]concerns shifted by large towards increasing productivity of smallholders to attain food self-sufficiency at national level through research-generated information and technologies, increasing the supply of industrial and export crops and ensuring the rehabilitation and conservation of natural resource base.