ABSTRACT
This chapter analyzes peasant farmers' perceptions of the emerging peasant in stitutions, government agencies, and rural development efforts in the Arsi region. It provides valuable insights into the strategies, policies, and research studies that could stimulate peasant agricultural production in Ethiopia. The Agrarian Reform has not made any change in the average landholding of peasant fanners in Ethiopia. The chapter identifies one of the major obstacles to promoting agricultural growth in Ethiopia as a lack of surplus generated by, and invested in, the peasant sector. This surplus is unlikely to be attained through individual farming under a peasant association given the adverse conditions they face currently in Ethiopia. The preference shown by most peasant farmers to remain smallholders is also reported to be common to peasants in other regions of Ethiopia. The Ethiopian government has instituted two major emergency policies to combat hunger and attain food self-sufficiency. These are the resettlement and villagization programs.
