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Authors
Baylie, Melese Mulu https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2218-335X
Workie, Lamesgin Tebeje https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1538-3249
Mengistu, Yismaw Ayelign https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8777-0627
Amare, Mengistu Negussie https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8677-8686
Bayeh, Alemnew Getnet https://orcid.org/0009-0009-7999-8021
Berhan, Workinesh Asradew
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Article History
Received: 23 April 2026
Accepted: 24 June 2026
First Online: 28 June 2026
Declarations
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: This study was carried out in line with all relevant ethical guidelines and regulations to ensure research ethical considerations. Ethical approval clearance was obtained from the Research, Community Service, Technology Transfer, and Industry Linkage Coordinator office of the College of Business and Economics, Debre Tabor University with approval number DTU/RCC/TT/37/2025. The clearance was granted on 22/05/2025, prior to the distribution of the questionnaire to the smallholder household heads. The approval confirmed that the study was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki and comparable standards of the university. Informed consent was obtained from all the smallholder farmers involved in the study from May 24 to July 27, 2025, immediately before responding to the questions. The trained enumerators carried out the informed consents procedure by explaining about the objectives, procedures, and purposes of the study. The smallholders were informed of their rights to voluntarily respond to the questions, the right to withdraw or refuse not to answer questions at any stage without any consequences of doing so, and assured of the confidentiality of their responses through full anonymization. The enumerators read the informed consent script verbatim for transparency, consistency and respondents gave their oral consent, and the enumerators simultaneously record their response by ticking on the “Yes, I agree” choice. Thus, the smallholders gave their ORAL consent to voluntarily respond to the questions, permit that their data would be used for analysis, publication purpose only, and sharing of the findings to stakeholders and academic community interested in it. All data were maintained confidentially and anonymously throughout the study processes.
: Along with consent to participate, participant smallholders gave their oral consent that their data would be published as along as it is kept confidentially and anonymously.
: The authors declare no competing interests.
