The paper presents the results of analysis conducted to empirically establish the role of social network in smallholder farmers’ decision to join seed producer cooperative, in Hararghe, Oromia, Ethiopia. We used a ‘random matching within sample’ technique to generate data on social links and resources shared like information among their links. Average treatment effects were used to limit ‘non-awareness’ or ‘selection bias’ on participation rate. An econometric strategy was employed to isolate endogenous effect from correlated and contextual social network effects and analyzed by Probit model. Rainfall data was obtained from NMA for 1986–2018 years and analyzed by coefficient of variation (CV) and standardized anomalies index (Z). The result CV and Z shows intra- and inter seasonal variability of rainfall and, the severity and frequency of drought have increase which works against a single optimum seed source. Rate of membership to FBSc was 75% for exposed sub-sample against 70% for the full sample. This shows the existence of exposure bias. The size of social network, linkage with relatives and extension agents influence farmers’ decision to join FBSc and thus, the presence of endogenous effects of social networks. Thus, participation decision is more likely to be affected by characters and structure of social network. Access to off-farm income and perception on profit influences farmer participation decision where weather-indexed seed insurance can service as an effective strategy to ensure sustained membership. Therefore, any intervention in promotion of FBSc should consider the characters’ and structure of social network and emphasis on indexed-based seed insurance and climate information services as strategy to promote seed producers cooperatives.

Climate change adversely affects the economy of Ethiopia through declining crop production, livestock productivity, and beekeeping, which also affects the livelihood of smallholder farmers. Several actions have been recommended to decrease the exposure of smallholder farmers, who have been the most affected by climate change. One of such interventions is climate-smart agricultural Practices (CSAP) as a climate change impact solution. This study was conducted in Adami Tullu Jido Kombolcha district of East Shoa zone, Oromia, Ethiopia, to evaluate the impact of the adoption of CSA practices on smallholder farmers’ income. Primary data was collected from 363 randomly selected households, of which 198 households were adopters of CSA practices, while 165 households were in the control group. Descriptive statistics were employed to analyze demographic, socioeconomic, and institutional characteristics of households, while a propensity score matching (PSM) model was used to evaluate the impact of the adoption of CSA practices on smallholder farmers’ income. The result of discriptive statistics showed that, access to credit services, access to extension services, education level, land size, and livestock holding significantly and positively related with the adoption of CSA practices, while the age of household, farming experience, and distance from the nearest market were significantly and negatively related with the adoption of CSA practices in the study area. The result from propensity score matching revealed that the average gross income of adopters was higher than the average gross income of non-adopters, which was 91749.74 birr for adopters and 47701.67 birr for non-adopters. Overall, the findings of the study showed that the adoption of CSA practices has a positive impact on the income of smallholder farmers. Thus, it is recommended that the government, policymakers, and other stakeholders should enhance the adoption of CSA practices by supplying access to credit, improving extension services, supplying seeds and fertilizer, and improving access to the market.

Background: Intercropping is the practice of growing two or more crops nearby: in the same row or bed, or rows or strips near enough to allow biological interactions. Advantages of inter cropping include: improving soil’s nutrients to better support crops' growth and development thus improving yields; it improves soil-water retention and diversifies the farmers' incomes in case of failure for one crop. It is one of the natural methods for management of crop pests and diseases. Inter cropping maize and beans is one of the climate-smart agricultural approaches used to boost crop production across the globe. However, some smallholder farmers have a negative attitude toward it due to limited knowledge regarding its benefits. The study aimed at establishment of the effect of intercropping maize and beans on the maize yields in Isingiro District, South Western Uganda. Methods: The experiment was conducted in two seasons (March-May 2020 and August- November 2021). Standard agronomical practices were followed from planting to harvesting, after which the dry weight of maize was measured and recorded. Data analysis was done using ONEWAY ANOVA in R Software Version 4.2.2. Result: Results show that intercropping maize and beans in season one significantly increased maize yields (p less than 0.001) more than it did in season two (p=0.0211). The main effect of Season is statistically significant and large (p less than .001). The main effect of Treatment is statistically significant and large (p less than .001). The study concluded that reduced rainfall negatively affects maize yields and intercropping Longe5 with NABE16 increases maize yields. Early planting and good agronomic practices were recommended to improve maize productivity.