This dissertation, titled " The Socioeconomic and Environmental Impacts of Flower Farms in the Sululta District, Oromia,Ethiopia” explores how flower farms activities have resulted in socioeconomic and environmental impacts that remain underexplored in scholarly discussions, despite their adverse impacts on the lives of local smallholder farmers. The study adopted a qualitative research approach, involving data collection through interviews, focus group discussions, non-participant observation, and document analysis. A Grounded Theory research design was employed, and the data were analyzed using grounded theory analysis, which included coding the data into initial concepts, organizing them into subcategories and, categories and identifying main and core categories to uncover key themes, patterns, and relationships. The study identified several factors associated with flower farms that impacted socioeconomic and environmental impacts, including the capture of riverside land, restricted water access, and limited income diversification from irrigated farming. Additionally, flower farms restricted grazing, promoted wildlife encroachment, underutilized land, and imposed access restrictions, further affecting the socioeconomic lives of smallholder farmers. The findings further uncovered how flower farms disrupted agricultural practices that provided social meaning and economic value to farmers. Additionally, the study evaluated the effects of flower farms on smallholder farmers' organizations, their unmet economic potential, and how these farms influenced social structures, including girls' education and women's contributions to smallholder farmers' agricultural activities. The erosion of farmers’ lifestyles created a paradoxical development quagmire in which the contribution of flower farms to foreign exchange undermined smallholders’ socioeconomic and environmental sustainability. The study identified several key environmental issues, such as water scarcity, floods, land degradation, and a reduction in bee populations, which directly harmed the smallholder farmers' economy. As a result, smallholder farmers faced decreased income, increased expenses, and social challenges, including displacement, posing a challenge to their continuity as farmers and adversely affecting their role in the country's food sovereignty. The study further introduced the 'Cyclical Socioeconomic Impact Theory,' which revealed the interconnected nature of the challenges faced by smallholder farmers. These farmers experienced negative impacts from resource control, environmental degradation, economic decline, and the erosion of their identity, which reinforced each other in a continuous loop, making it increasingly difficult for smallholder farmers to escape the socioeconomic and environmental impacts of flower farms in the study areas. This study recommends adopting a socioeconomic and environmental sustainability approach to mitigate the negative impacts of flower farms on smallholder farmers. Inclusive policies should ensure equitable resource distribution, sustainable land management, and social protection for affected farmers. Environmental safeguards, regular impact assessments, and community involvement in resource governance are crucial. Strengthening land security, promoting food sovereignty, and balancing large-scale investments with local needs will enhance sustainable rural development and protect smallholder livelihoods.
Alemnesh Tsehay (Fri,) studied this question.