Major Ethiopian Oilseed Crop Yield Drivers: A Focus on Inputs Farm Management and Climate Adaptation

Abstract The paper investigates the various determinants of oilseed crop productivity in Ethiopia using a dynamic system GMM technique applied to pseudo-panel data drawn from the Ethiopian Annual Agricultural Survey (2003–2021). Empirically, it has been observed that the yields of the previous season strongly determine the present yields, as evidenced by a lagged yield elasticity equal to 0.992, confirming the persistence of production behaviour. The principal inputs and factors that work positively in the production function are land for cultivation (elasticity, 0.812), while yields are positively affected, unlike urea fertiliser, with an elasticity of -0.162, meaning that there is an inefficiency in its use. Productivity is increased by farm management practices of soil conservation by 33.78 percent and crop protection by 47.8 percent. Climate change adaptation measures, mainly through terracing by 18.88 percent and through water catchments by 21.89 percent, also increase yields. Institutional settings mostly impacted through access to credit by 15.06 percent positively influence output. The findings thus paved the path for integrated policies towards promoting the efficient use of inputs with sustainable farm management and climate-proofing to address the oilseed productivity gap in Ethiopia.