This blog was originally posted on the World Bank's Development Impact blog . Written by World Bank Senior Economist David Evans , co-authored by Lead Economist Markus Goldstein and Research Analyst Anna Popova .

Over the past decade, Ethiopia’s agricultural productivity has exploded, particularly for cereal crops. This expansion in agriculture has led to impressive economic growth, but it’s unclear exactly what is behind the advance in productivity. Additionally, Ethiopian agriculture relies heavily on smallholder farmers, and some researchers are concerned that the recent growth may not be sustainable on the country’s increasingly small landholdings.