My name is Professor Getenet Bekele and I came from USA in order to undergo a certain research together with World Bank, Oakland and Michigan universities which mainly concentrates on researching the environmental condition, since the research that has been so far undertaken through various scientific ways has not included the local residents/merchants. We have been undertaking research at various places by having our major objective being what do the local resident farmers require (i.e. how we improve our area, why is the rain disappears, what is happening to the land, how is the land changed.) Specially I would like to invite your opinion, your existing knowledge and what you have heard.
After acquainting yourselves, I will directly enter into question and response;

1. My name is Mr. Gosaye Kasaye and I was born in this kebele Tulu District and I am leading my life in farming
2. Mr. Tafere Gode who was also born in the same area and leads his life in agriculture
3. Mr. Ejigu Shibru who is 53 years old was born in this area and leads his life in agriculture
4. Mr. Dinberu Mamo Age 43, occupation farming
5. Mr. Abebe Zenab who was born in the same area, Age 32 who was formerly a student and now leads his life in farming
6. Mr. Demisachew Girmay who was born in the same area, Age 33 who was formerly a student and completed his education in 1995 and entered into farming and also working as accountant of cooperatives
7. Mrs. Hiwot Haile who has been an expert and representative of agriculture

Q: Do all of you attending here posses your own farming land?
A: Those of us having no agricultural land work in contractual terms.
Q: Those of you not having farm land can you let me understand?
A:  I was not arrived at the time of land allotment, I was not even born. I have been administered by the Kerte (Traditional Land Measurement) land given to me from father and in addition I form through purchase.
Q: What do you mean when you say "purchase"?
A: I mean through contractual form.
Q: Does the Peasant Association not grant land?
A: There is no more land to allot.
Q: Who else is not having land?
A: We youngsters are the one not having land
Q: What do you think is the future of those youngsters not having land? What is the hope of youths, should they look for other work or what other opportunity do they have?
A: There is no hope as to getting land in the future rather than engaging in other works by organized into cooperatives because the land will no more be expanding but will be narrowed. They will find better work in poultry and similar works.
Q: Is there anyone having additional opinion on this?
A: There is possibility to work alike those organized youths who now days work in sand production around river and there is also possibility to work on quarries as well as they can be administered in poultry farming which now days getting incentive by the government.
Q: So the sole hope for the youngsters is to engaging in other works than farming?
A:  The big thing is there is no land measurement since the time of Derg and it is still in its previous condition as fragmented and a farmer is having a maximum of a hectare up to 3 hectares.
Q:  Is there no anyone having in excess of 3 hectares?
A: There is not any and thus the father gives a hectare from his 3 hectares of land and uses it by contracting with the other and those having no land work in cooperatives as we have explained before that the government arranges condition.
Q:  How much is a Kirte (The traditional land Measurement)?
A: 50m x 50m
Q: You have raised comments about the division of land. Let us discuss about the division of land started in the regime of Derg and we also discuss what existed before. Do you say the Derg’s division of land by the peasant association is good? Or is it said to be not good? Please give your opinion of there is better alternative?
A: Before the coming into Derg the land was under the control of the few and the rest remain peasant and exploited. When Derg come land was given to everyone which gave the way for extensive production and the have-nots were organized in production of sand through contract but had it not been for the coming of Derg only the few had the chance to work while the rest work for meager pay.
Q: You say that the few hold the land, who are they?
A: They have already passed away
Q: Do you mean the other farmer serves as peasant? Can you name some of the survivors?
A: Mimire Desta is called  “Melkegna” of Tsehafi Tizaz
Q: Who are the “Melkegna”?
A: Those who called Melkegna are those referred as Telila Bidada in this area.
Q: Do they have plenty land?
A: Yes, they do have under the name of a person
Q: Did the Derg divide what was under the control of individual?
A: Yes, what was under the control of an individual is divided to be used by a number of people.
Q: Do you know anything about the pre-Derg regime? In fact some are fragmented as there is land of the land lord?
A: There is no land lord
Q: How much is the type of crop you farm on the land changed? Or you farm similar crop? What is your major crop by now?
A: We now crop selected seed and in the old days we crop the wheat variety called “Yarandato” which is now absolutely lost and we instead farm selected seed.
Q: When was what you call the old time i.e. Derg?
A: It was in the regime of Haileselassie when we crop Yarandata wheat and a little Teff.
Q: Do you crop wheat as your major product?
A: Yes, we mainly produce the wheat variety Yarandato and a small amount of Teff, there was no fertilizer at that time which was introduced after a passage of long time but now we farm selected seed.
Q: Is the selected seed only wheat? Teff and other?
A: There is no Teff but wheat and chickpeas and tell will arrive this year
Q: I talked to people who say they farm on contracted land before; how do you find land from the family? Or from peasant association? You are young by now how do you find?
A: As I have explained before I was very young during the Derg regime beyond my family is weak but there was a collective farm at the time of Derg which I cannot be a member of the then cooperative since there was no one serving the family and the government was nationalizing lands in cases like I end up to be. But I finally managed to get farm by serving my family.
Q; Do the rest of you tell me how you find the land?
A: We can only be given 2 and half Kirte of land after our parents confirm that we attain 18 years of age and half Kirte as I have acquired my plot.
Q: How would you get the allotment?
A: I have find the governments land since our forefathers do not have one and we farm people’s land. Is the land you got by the time was one farmed by someone or barren land
Q: Do you know about the old time like the land system of Emperor Minilik?
A: We have not heard anything
Q: Is there anyone knows about some information telling that in the past animal husbandry was spread out in this area and that there was no such thing as farming?
A: This is true as I myself somehow reached as shepherd you cannot compare the quantity as well as the quality of cattle with the present day. But now there are feathery cattle’s like a fuel wood.
Q: How do you think is this problem originates?
A: Now we have an increasing large family which leads to devastation of forest and reduction of grazing land
Q: If there is an imminent danger for devastation of grazing land, is the only alternative to reduce the number of cattle?
A: We have no any other alternative
Q: Do you exactly reach the time of cattle raising?
A: Yes, I have exactly arrived I was herder at the time of Haileselassie that there was standard quality of cattle which cannot be compared with the present day in no type of measurement. In the old days on offspring of a cattle forms on the age of 3 but in the present day it cannot even form on the age of 10. There is no food to eat despite increasing number of family.
Q: You said that in the old times land was under the control of few investors i.e. as the regime of Haileselassie who are said to bring and farm with their own peasants can you say that the reason they shifted to animal husbandry is for the absence of labor?
A: At that time they refer farming and it is only after the DERG came into existence that things get changed.
Q: How much was the tax paid by peasants?
A: There are both farming for equal share while others get 1/3^rd
Q: Is there anything the Italians did in this area during their invasion? Is there anything you know about the claimed expansion of agriculture during the time period of Italians?
A: We never know anything since we most of us were kids, except we heard that they construct roods and bridges but not faming
Q: Why are you farming?
A: For what I eat
Q: Are you firstly going to your farm land only for what you eat?
A: I always think in my sleeping what should I feed for my kids and I just decide to farm my plot.
Q: Do you firstly farm your plot of land by thinking what you feed the family?
A: Yes that is right.
Q: Do not you think what is sold in the markets of Mojo and Addis Ababa?
A: What the thinks secondarily since the family comes first that we should farm for their sake first and think for the market then. In priority we think for the family clothes and education.
Q: What is the stable cropping in this area? For example, what have you had for lunch?
A: Enjera with Shiro Wet
Q: Is this food the product of your farm but not market?
A: Yes, we do not buy. But we rarely buy from the market. But this year we are prepared to pay for fertilizer from what we have farmed and we also sell cattle for food.
Q: How much of your product is estimated to be sold annually?
A: Most of it .
Q: How much is the estimated sell of a farmer from every 10 quintals?
A: He makes good the debt of fertilizer from the whole sale of its farm fruit and buys the family food from the sell of cattle.
Q: Is your relation with the market said to be higher?
A: Yes for instance we use some of our fruit for ourselves and market.
Q: Where do you sell the majority of the time?
A: We sell it at Mojo Town
Q: Are there merchants who come here to buy your products?
A: We mainly transport our product to the market but some merchant rarely appear to buy our product.
Q: How do you transport your product?
A: On a donkey’s back.
Q: What do you think is the major problem for farmers now-a-days and which of the three or four problems would you choose?
A: Our major problem is fertilizer which we formerly took in credit but now we buy it. Even if we take in credit, we pay from the proceeds of cattle sale and farmed land. Now-a-days we cannot farm Teff since we mainly produce cereals that do not need fertilizer such as Haricot bean, beans and Chickpeas.
Q: Is your problem the higher price of fertilizer or its loss?
A: The major thing is expensiveness of the price beyond the absence of land by the majority of youths in our cooperatives. They have been working by hiring land, and they are forced to sell their hired land for the highly scaling up price of fertilizer.
Q: Do all of you agree with this idea?
A: Yes we agree previously fertilizer was our experience and every farmer is in trouble when told to stop at a time, let alone cropping through purchase of fertilizer, there are some farmers who even come out with a single coffee tree and 5 kilos of crop. In the past selected seed was provided in credit but now everything has stopped despite the arrival of a selected seed variety of wheat but we are not willing to take it since we have no capacity at hand.
Q: Do you take fertilizer in credit?
A: Yes we did in the past but now everything is fully purchased
Q: When did you start to use fertilizer in this area?
A: We started during the regime of Haileselassie, but we started proper use of it in 1977 by organizing into farmers cooperatives.
Q: Why do you use fertilizer; the former farmers did not use it?
A:  There were smaller number of population back then but now the number of population has been increased; the Gasha (Traditional Land Measurement) which was owned by six people formerly is now hold by 80 peoples beyond the existence of vast vacant arable land. Therefore, the land did not require fertilizer but now every forest has been deforested for the purpose of farm land beyond the land has lost its fertility. In the past the farmer crop Guaya and Chickpeas but now we are cropping Teff.
Q: Why do you crop Teff more than the past time?
A: We are cropping Teff because it's profitable and we can fulfill all of the necessary things from the proceeds of it. Now-a-days Teff is sold for 1,000 Birr while wheat is sold for 400 or 450 Birr which cannot able to fulfill the necessary thing but with Teff this is seen to be possible.
Q: It is said that there has been weather change. Is there anything you have noticed, i.e. fluctuation of rain, hotness of the air or cooling?
A: Yes. Seven years ago, the rain stopped while the crop started to have flowers and at some of the times after the appearance of dew, a certain red element comes which is traditionally referred as Wag. The weather condition is not good but it is good for cereal and not preferred for Teff. The rain is not satisfactory and if it continues like this it will be unfavorable for Teff.
Q: You responded that your major problem is fertilizer. What about diseases of human, animal as well as crop? Is there any disease or epidemic such as pest in your life time?
A: I did not remember the occurrence in this area but once the Teff harvest of mine was completely destroyed by pest, even though I administered pesticide on it. After that time I do not remember the occurrence. In the majority of times we come across with locust descending during the month of November and December the harvest of Teff.
Q: Do you spend much money on pesticide?
A: Yes. A person buys up to two liters of   pesticide annually which demands 200 Birr per liter
Q: Is this too much expense when compared to the price of fertilizer?
A: Yes it is a must to buy pesticide for killing the pest that devour the blossom of chickpeas, beans, peas, and lentils. The pesticide is bought from private merchants who claim it is good but it in vain without giving any service beyond destructing the crop and causing loss.
Q: Are these pesticides not provided through ministry of agriculture?
A:  We cannot be provided fully and the one we find in the market is better .
Q: What do you say about the forest condition? Is there forest in this area in the past? Or now? Can you state it in general terms?
A:  In the past everything with full of forest and there was no passage with various types of trees and in my age there is no single tree and even we cut a tree from out for fencing our homes but now there is nothing to see.
Q: Do you have any additional idea?
A: When you talk about forest, our people had been administered through animal husbandry in addition to farming crop for human consumption as well as fodder. The forest has been destructed for the purpose of farm land from time to time and now there is no single tree for fuel .
Q:  Therefore we can say that animals and trees destroyed in the same area?
A:  Yes
Q: Do you use animal dung in this area at the time you launch farming?
A: Yes we did but now for the absence of wood, we can’t not use dung for fertilizer any more since we use it for fuel. The farmer cannot produce compost which can easily be made from Atsfaris and Aramucha. It is real that the number of cattle population is in the decrease but it can be made from leaves and the farmer has knowledge about how compost is produced and I even know how to made it by the training I took.
Q: Do farmers know that fertilizer and better harvest is acquired from animal dung?
A: Yes they know but they do not use it and some households in the area are seen to use it
Q:  Do those of you claiming to have land, can you sell, exchange or mortgage your land?
A: We can sublet the land
Q: Do you think that sell of land should be permitted? Or do you think it should be discouraged?
A: Land should not be sold
Q: Why?
A;  If land sell is possible we can make money for the time but when we finish it we would be the one getting hurt since the land can be useful to my family beyond me. The people in the town used to have good land which is estimated to worth about 150,000 but now they do not have any.
Q: Do you have any summery idea?
A: You formerly proposed that you can solve one of our problems, even though you cannot solve our problem of fertilizer which we have been repeatedly requesting. They respond that we should use compost and we have also problem of water. Can you arrange ways of supplying water to our households? I have eight children and eight Kered perhaps they may live from June 30 up to September 02 and the weed arrives after this time while they are on their schooling. The government has also prepared pesticide for protection of pest on our harvest and since this cannot be done by spouses, we request your support for provision of fertilizer
This problem is common to our world but not typical to this country e.g. if we take India a country having greater number of population mainly administered in farming, the experience of fertilizer usage started there and now the increasing price of fertilizer has been exacerbated. The fertilizer has been provided by World Bank which has been now been reminding that it cannot provide fertilizer support any more.
This research has been prepared to identify your problem and bring about possible solutions. Thus, this discussion indicates that we have so far made useful deliberation concerning your problems. You are now requiring fertilizer and in some areas people listened to say that this fertilizer should be avoided since they claim the land has been corrupted. But you are saying that fertilizer is useful to you therefore we should work productive achievement by raising on the points discussed here.
Thank you very much for spending your dear time with me.