EXPANSION OF FLORICULTURE INDUSTRY AND THE IMPLICATION ON THE LOCAL COMMUNITY:THE CASE OF BISHOFTU TOWN, EAST SHOA ZONE, ORO- MIA REGIONAL STATE, ETHIOPIA.

Abstract

Floriculture is an agriculture sector, the most dominant sector, which plays a role contrbution to GDP of Ethiopian economy, export earnings and source of employment. This study, entitled with the implication of floriculture industry expansion on local community is therefore, aimed at examining the implications of the floriculture industry expansion on local communities in Bishoftu town, Ethiopia. Data were collected using questionnaire, focus group discussions, key informant interviews and field observations. cross sectional research design was employed to collect primary and secondary data from randomly selected displaced and controlled farm head household of 102 and temporary and permanent employees 80 respondents. Both qualitative and quantitative which is said to be mixed research approach was used in order to collect

data from the sample drawn. Analysis was done on Sufficiency of employment created job opportunity, working conditions in the flower industry, determinants of employees wage level and

impacts of wage income on the livelihoods of employees, perception of employees on implication of floriculture industry expansion, employees knowledge and awareness level on the PPE

in FCI, health impacts of floriculture industry, gender based differences of the farm, impacts of

flower farm on the livelihoods of local people and environmental pollution were analysed using

descriptive statistics, binary logistic regression model and triangulated with thematic analysis. The result indicated that, though the created job opportunity was not sufficient, the majority of the employees were temporarily hired and even most of the permanent does not have contractual agreement. Their wage remains insufficient and was vulnerable to different chemical exposures due to the unaffordability of PPE and lack of awareness on the impacts of the chemicals. Most of the workers are females. Head households were not aware of FCI emergence in their surrounding during the land dispossession, they have limited knowledge about FCI and its impacts as a result the milking cows feed the chemical discharged flower residuals and also the weeds and stalks of the flower that causes indirect or direct health impact

on milk or meat consumer of the area. The study further found out that the yield product, livestock and bee product was decreased compared to the earlier following the dispossessed land.

Majority of the local communities use different adaptation strategies (share cropping, tenant

farming, occupation changing and migration) in their local area in order to rehabilitate their

dispossessed

land and other livelihoods. The study further documented that the investment couldn‟t intervene in most of local community‟s improvement program as per its promise of its infancy age. It also demonstrating that the linkage between the floriculture industry and dealing with local community was found to be weak. The study recommends that the level

of employment

opportunity should be excessive in order to decrease the countries unemployment rate by the investment, preparing enough protective wears, ensuring workers use them every time, improve enforcement of labour and occupational health and safety legislation, grant non-permanent worker‟s protection in all labour legislation