AMU Journal System (Arba Minch University)
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Education and State Building in Early Ethiopian Thought: The Cases of Gebre-Hiwot Baykedagn and Eguale Gebre-Yohannes
Get PDFThe role of education in state-building and the interaction between the indigenous and modern education systems are among the most researched problems. Despite their potential to illuminate this complex relationship, the works of early Ethiopian intellectuals remain largely overlooked. In light of this gap, this study comparatively analyzes the works of Gebre-Hiwot Baykedagn (1886-1919) and Eguale Gebre-Yohannes (1931-1991), with particular attention to their interpretations of the meaning and purpose of education, the interaction between indigenous and modern educational systems, and the role of education in state-building. The study employed a qualitative research method with an interpretative comparative research design using the works of the two intellectuals as primary sources. A close textual, content, and discourse analysis is used to uncover the common and divergent positions of the two intellectuals, founded on a historical contextualization of their works and lives. The study concludes that while both Baykedagn and Gebre-Yohannes understood education aligned with the Enlightenment notion of rationality and science, Baykedagn was more inclined to craft comprehensive modernization reforms that deny agency for indigenous education. On the other hand, Gebre-Yohannes believed the two systems of education can be tailored together without losing their particular essences. Both intellectuals agree on the vitality of embracing European-modelled education as part of the quest for a modern and capable state that can successfully transcend domestic and foreign challenges.
Keywords: Gebre-Hiwot Baykedagn, Eguale Gebre-Yohannes, Ethiopia, education, state-building, early intellectua
Institutional Barriers to Formalization of the Informal Economy of Addis Ababa
Get PDFThe informal economy remains a cornerstone of urban livelihoods in Addis Ababa, being a source of the 40% of the employment opportunities, yet formalization efforts have yielded minimal success despite policy initiatives such as Regulation No. 88/2017. This mixed-methods study investigates the institutional barriers shaping informal traders’ decisions to formalize, drawing on survey data from 384 traders, 18 key informant interviews, three focus group discussions, and document analysis. Findings reveal that while 96.9% of respondents recognize potential benefits, including access to finance (65%) and business opportunities (60.6%), only 8.6% intend to formalize, due to pervasive institutional distrust, complex bureaucratic procedures, high compliance costs, and inconsistent enforcement. Gender disparities are pronounced, with women facing lower awareness and heightened exposure to arbitrary evictions. The study demonstrates that formalization is mediated by regulative, normative, and cognitive dimensions, where parallel informal institutions often function more reliably than formal ones. Institutional failure is not merely administrative but deeply normative: state actions are perceived as predatory rather than protective, eroding legitimacy and fostering reliance on informal networks for survival. The study concluded that sustainable formalization requires a paradigm shift, from top-down regulation to co-governance that centers trust, equity, and participatory design.
Keywords: informal economy, formalization, institutional barriers, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, gender, governanc
Morphological Characterization of Konso Goat under Community-Based Breeding Program in South Ethiopia
No full textThis study was aimed on the morphological characterization of 362 indigenous Konso goats involved in a community-based breeding program across three villages: Baide, Arfayde, and Jarso. About five qualitative and nine quantitative traits were used to analyze the fixed effect of village, sex, and age based on dentition by using SPSS version 20. Significant differences (p < 0.05) were found in qualitative features such as coat color, coat pattern, wattle and ruff presence, and horn orientation, emphasizing notable diversity across locations. Quantitative traits were measured using ANOVA and Duncan's Multiple Range Test. The findings, revealed that sex, village, and dentition class significantly affected most measurements. Older goats showed larger body measurement values with males having longer horns and greater wither height while females were slightly heavier. Chest girth showed the strongest correlation with body weight (r = 0.86) followed by body length (r = 0.76) and wither height (r = 0.64). A stepwise regression model identified chest girth, body length, and wither height as key predictors of live weight, resulting in the equation: BW = -37.27 + 0.518CG + 0.246BL + 0.172WH (R² = 0.81). These results indicate the phenotypic diversity of Konso goats and offer practical tools for selection and field-based weight estimation which points important steps for improving management and genetic gains in this valuable local breed
የስርዓተ-ፆታ ሚናዎች አገነባብ ትንተና በዶርዜ ማህበረሰብ የጋብቻ ከበራ ልማድ
Get PDFይህ ጥናት “የሥርዓተ-ፆታ ሚናዎች አገነባብ ትንተና በዶርዜ ማኅበረሰብ የጋብቻ ከበራ ልማድ” በሚል ርዕስ የቀረበ ነው፡፡ የጥናቱ ዐቢይ ዓላማ የዶርዜ ማኅበረሰብን የጋብቻ ከበራ ልማድ ከሥርዓተ-ፆታ ሚናዎች አገነባብ አንጻር መመርመር ሲሆን፤ በጋብቻ ሥነ-ስርዓቱ ውስጥ የሴቶችን እና የወንዶችን ተግባራት መለየት፤ እና በጋብቻ ሂደቱ ውስጥ የሚከወኑ ልማዶች እና ትዕምርቶች ለስርዓተ-ፆታ አገነባብ ያላቸውን አንድምታ ማብራራት የሚሉ ዝርዝር ዓላማዎችን አካቷል፡፡ እነዚህን ዝርዝር ዓላማዎች ከግብ ለማድረስ የመስክ መረጃዎች በቃለመጠይቅ፣ በተተኳሪ ቡድን ውይይት እና በምልከታ ዘዴዎች ተሰብስበዋል፡፡ ጥናቱ አይነታዊ የምርምር ሥነዘዴን በመከተል እና ኢትኖግራፊያዊ የምርምር ስልትን በመተግበር የመስክ መረጃዎች በይዘት ተደራጅተዋል፡፡ እነዚህ መረጃዎች በማኅበራዊ ሚና (Social Role Theory) እና በትዕምርታዊ መስተጋብር (Symbolic Interactionism) ንድፈ ሃሳቦችን መሰረት በማድረግ በገላጭ እና በትርጓሜ (Interpretive) ስልት ተተንትነዋል፡፡ በትንታኔው መሰረትም፤ የዶርዜ ማህበረሰብ በሚከውናቸው የጋብቻ ከበራዎች ውስጥ ፆታን መሰረት ባደረጉ ተግባራት እና ትዕምርቶች የታጀቡ ናቸው፡፡በዚህም መሰረት፤ በከበራዎቹ ውስጥ ወንዶች የስርዓት መሪ፣ ፈፃሚ እና አቅራቢ፤ ሴቶች ደግሞ አሰናጅ እና ደጋፊ ሆነው ቀርበዋል ፡፡ በእነዚህ ከበራዎች ውስጥ ጎልተው በታዩ ዘር የመተካት፣ ውሳኔ የመስጠት፣ የታዛዥነት እና አክባሪነት እንዲሁም የመንከባከብ ይዘቶች ውስጥ ወንድነት እና ሴትነት በተለያየ መልክ መታዬታቸውን ጥናቱ አረጋግጧል፡፡ በዚህም በአብዛኛው ወንዶች የመሪነት፣ የውሳኔ ሰጪነት እና የአቅራቢነት ሚናቸው ጎልቶ ሲታይ፣ ሴቶች ደግሞ የተንከባካቢነት እና የደጋፊነት ሚና እንዳላቸው በጥናቱ ለማረጋገጥ ተችሏል፡፡
ቁልፍ ቃላት፡- ስርዓተ-ፆታ፣ የስርዓተ-ፆታ ሚና፣ ጋብቻ፣ ከበራ እና ልማድ፣ ዶር
Prevalence of hamstring muscle injuries and associated factors among soccer players the case of Southern Ethiopia
Get PDFDetermining the hamstring injury and associated factors among soccer players will assist the Youth sports injury prevention and rehabilitation programs and concerned stakeholders to plan good sports injury prevention intervention. The objective of this study was to assess the magnitude of hamstring muscle injuries and associated factors among soccer players in selected three zones of southern Ethiopia. The study design was a cross-sectional study design conducted at soccer clubs at Gammo Goffa, Halaba and Wolayta Zones, from March 11/2019 to May 12/2019 G.C. Simple random sampling technique was applied to select 226 Participants.To Collect relevant data both close and open-ended questions were used and Anthropometry measurement was measured by using standardized techniques and also Inspection and palpation of posterior thigh plus PSLRT was done. Data were entered using the computer program, epi-data version 4.4.3.1 exported into SPSSversion 21 software for analysis. A descriptive summary was used to present the study results. All variables in bivariable logistic regression with p< 0.25 were fitted into multivariable logistic regression. In multivariable logistic regression with backward LR elimination P-value (< 0.05) was used to decide whether the observeddifference is statically significant or not. Out of 226, 88.5% were males and 11.5% were females, the overall magnitude of hamstring strain injury was 17.3% with 95% CI. The number of all other body injuries sustained [AOR=14.4, 95% CI (4.55, 45.67))] and Previous History of posterior thigh pain, [AOR=4.58, 95% CI(1.87, 11.25)] were identified as significant associated factors with HSI in soccer players. One-sixth of the payers sustained HSI and a player who has a previous Hx of posterior thigh pain had 4.58 times risk of developing HSI than a player with no previous Hx of posterior thigh pain this will remind the soccer clubs coaches andmedical team to evaluate and standardize their rehabilitation protocols for decision making on the length of days for rehabilitation
Impact of Small-Scale Irrigation on Rural Households' Food Security in Arba Minch Zuria Woreda, Southern Ethiopia
Get PDFAbstract
This study examined the impact of small-scale irrigation on food security in rural households in Arba Minch Zuria Woreda, southern Ethiopia. Primary data were collected from 379 sample households using the relevant probability sampling techniques. The Foster Greer Thorbecke index showed that 51.45% of the households were food insecure, 15.2% were food insecure, and 6.57% faced severe insecurity. A binary logit model illustrates that education, adult equivalence, and livestock holdings had significant positive effects, whereas age and dependency ratio had significant negative effects on irrigation participation. The endogenous switching regression model results revealed that the significant positive impact of irrigation increased users’ total daily calorie intake per adult equivalent by 2160.063 (121.95%) compared with that of non-users. Therefore, providing educational services, field training, and experience-sharing opportunities are essential for improving and sustaining its benefits.
Keywords: Foster Greer Thorbecke Index; Endogenous Switching Regression Model; Small-Scale Irrigation; Food Security; Ethiopi
The Determinants of Cooperative level Performance Variability among Agricultural Cooperatives in Gamo Zone, South Ethiopia Region
No full textThis study was to explore the performance of agricultural cooperatives in South Ethiopia Region. To achieve these objectives the data were collected from sample cooperatives (46) in Gamo Zone through interview schedules, key informant interviews and reviewing audit reports. Descriptive and inferential statistical data analysis methods were employed including Tobit model regression. The result shows that 41.3% of sampled cooperatives had not marketed grain crop and had no profit report last year. Eight variables found to affect financial and grain marketing performance. Age of the chairperson, distance to the cooperative Office, and total assets negatively affect financial performance at less than 5%, 5% and 10% significance levels respectively while the leadership experience of a chairperson, serving only members, union membership, availability of storage, and frequency of audit positively and significantly affect at less than 5% significance level except for union membership which affects at less than 10% significance level. Leadership experience of the chairperson, serving only members, union membership and capital asset positively and significantly affect grain marketing performance. This research is limited to agricultural cooperatives and may lack strength for generalizing to other cooperatives and researchers need to research further. Encouraging primary cooperatives to join unions, frequent audits, serving members with diverse service portfolios and developing storage facility will improve performance. This paper fulfils an identified need to study performance of agricultural cooperatives and ways of improving their performance
Evaluation of Koka Reservoir Operation under Sedimentation: Implications for Irrigation Water Demands in Upper Awash Valley, Awash River Basin
Get PDFWater scarcity has been a major issue in the Awash River Basin of Ethiopia. The Koka Reservoir is the sole water storage source supporting extensive irrigation activities in the Upper Awash Valley, a key part of the basin. However, sedimentation has reduced the reservoir’s active storage capacity, posing serious risks to its ability to meet irrigation demands in the valley. This study aims to evaluate the reservoir’s operational performance by assessing irrigation water demand and analyzing the water supply-demand balance under recent sedimentation conditions. Key datasets include crops, census, digital elevation model, hydro-meteorological, and reservoir operation data. The primary software tools applied were CROPWAT, ArcMap, and HEC-ResSim. Water resource system performance evaluation criteria such as reliability, vulnerability, and resilience were employed. The annual estimated gross irrigation water requirement for the study region was 1,525 Mm³. Reservoir operation has been simulated using three decades of daily inflow from 1985 to 2015 by considering different alternatives of the irrigation water demands. When the model was simulated for Alternative 1, the reservoir met full demand less than half the time (time reliability 42.7%), supplied most of the total demand volume despite shortages (volumetric reliability 73.7%), experienced severe deficits when failures occurred (mean vulnerability 25.4 m3/s, maximum 80.0 m3/s), and had limited ability to recover (resilience 27.7%); even in Alternative 2, reliability and resilience improved and vulnerability was moderate, but full demand was still not consistently met. The results indicate that the reservoir capacity under recent sedimentation conditions is insufficient to store high inflows and meet high demand during rainy and dry seasons, respectively. This study does not account for the potential impacts of land use/land cover and climate change, which could influence the hydrological balance and reservoir performance.
Keywords: Awash River; CROPWAT; HEC-ResSim; Performance Evaluation; Reservoir Operation; Water Scarcity
Experimental and Numerical Approaches: Performance Optimization of a Baffled Solar Cabinet Dryer for Mango Slices
Get PDFDuring peak seasons, postharvest loss of mangoes remains a significant challenge for smallholder farmers in Ethiopia, driven by high production volumes, limited market access, and a lack of preservation methods. The objective of this research was to develop and enhance the performance of a solar cabinet dryer for mango slices through Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations. A solar cabinet dryer incorporating a rectangular baffle solar collector was developed, built, and experimentally validated. The CFD simulation results showed a temperature difference of 4.35% and a relative humidity deviation of 7.8%, indicating good agreement with the experimental data. The model optimized the baffle design and inlet air velocity to maximize outlet temperature and minimize pressure drop. The optimal design was identified using Response Surface Methodology (RSM) in conjunction with ANSYS software. The best-performing configuration featured four baffles with 25% cut openings and an inlet air velocity of 1 m/s. The porous domain of mango slices was incorporated into the model to predict moisture transport with experimental effective diffusivity of (5.224 × 10⁻⁷ m²/s). Results showed that the designed dryer achieved uniform temperature and moisture distribution, with higher drying rates observed near the lower trays. The moisture content in mango slices was reduced from 45942.17 mol/m³ to 2,677 mol/m³ within two hours of drying. The CFD model showed strong predictive accuracy with only minor discrepancies observed in the simulation of temperature, relative humidity, and moisture movement. The developed dryer provides a sustainable and cost-effective solution to reduce postharvest mango losses with an efficient design that enhances food security and farmer livelihoods.
Keywords: CFD Modeling, Heat and Mass Transfer, Mango Slices, Postharvest Loss, Solar Drye
Assessment of Knowledge and Associated Factors towards Congenital Anomalies among Pregnant Women Visiting Antenatal Care Clinic at Arba Minch General Hospital, Gamo Zone, Southern Ethiopia
Get PDFKnowledge of Congenital anomalies (CAs) among the public, especially reproductive age women have a significant role in reducing the incidence. However, there is a dearth of studies conducted on this issue in our country. This study was aimed to assess the pregnant women’s knowledge of CAs at the antenatal care clinic of Arba Minch General Hospital. Institution based cross-sectional study was conducted between December 2017 and September 2018. Semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect the data. Data were cleaned, entered and analysed by using SPSS version- 20 software packages. Besides descriptive statistics, Bi-variate and Multi-variate logistic regression analyses were done to explore the predictors of women’s level of knowledgetoward CAs. P-value < 0.05 was considered as statistically significant. A total of 392 pregnant women had participated in the present study. From total respondents, only 11.0% of the pregnant women have known that many of CAs are of genetic origin, and a significant proportion of the women had believed that CA is a disease acquired by pregnant women (39.0%), and it occurs in a baby due to the sin of families (48.5%). Only 189 (48.2%) women had adequate overall knowledge about CAs. The participants had good knowledge of the risk factors than their specific knowledge of CAs. The level of education and occupation were significantly associated (P<0.05) with the women’s overall knowledge of CAs. In conclusion, the women’s knowledge of CAs in this study was found less. Appropriate strategies should be designed and implemented to improve women’s knowledge of congenital anomalies