Review on determinants for adoption of improved forages in Ethiopia

This review paper designed to identify determinants that affect farmer’s decision to adopt and utilization of improved forage technology in Ethiopia. The purpose of forage production in Ethiopia was mainly for animal feed. Forages offer a sustainable basis of protein which improves the output of diverse classes of animals such as lactating cows, fattening cattle, pregnant cows and calves. As well as using for feedstuff, better-quality fodder species were used for soil and water preservation, improving bared lands, raises soil nitrogen available for nutrition crops because of their capability to fix nitrogen and green manuring, erosion control, live fencing, as a wind breakdown, and sources of nectar and pollen for honeybees. Besides, multi-purpose browse trees and shrubs increases fuel wood resources available to farming households, declining the requirement to use dung as fuel and increasing the availability of dung for use as fertilizer. Even though improved forages have many roles in the livelihood and environmental management, level of acceptance and consumption of better-quality forage technology is very low. The main factors that affect for acceptance of improved forage by farmers in Ethiopia include land shortage, shortage of input/forage seed and planting materials, shortage of capital, lack of awareness, poor extension services, free grazing and poor coordination among stakeholders. Therefore, incorporation of improved forage with crops, and with soil and water conservation structure, rise availability of forage seed for the farmer and creating awareness were the best ways for increasing and extensive accepting of forage technologies. Moreover, it is likely to speed up the level improved forage adoption by provided that farmers with training sessions and recurrent extension advises to encourage them to adopt forage production and pass on their information to other farmers. Hence, research centers, development agents and other concerned stakeholders should provide on farm extension training to fill knowledge and skill gaps in the adoption of improved forages.