Gomma (woreda)
Encyclopedia
Gomma is one of the 180 woreda
s in the Oromia Region
of Ethiopia
. It is named after the former Kingdom of Gomma
, whose territory was roughly the same as the modern woreda. Part of the Jimma Zone
, Gomma is bordered on the south by Seka Chekorsa
, on the southwest by Gera
, on the northwest by Setema
, on the north by the Didessa River
which separates it from the Illubabor Zone
, on the northeast by Limmu Kosa
, and on the east by Mana
. The administrative center of this woreda is Agaro
; other towns include Beshasha
, Choche, Ghembe, Limmu Shaye, and Toba.
es and spices are important cash crops.
Coffee
is also an important cash crop in Gomma; over 50 square kilometers are planted with this crop. Coffee is grown in this woreda under shade trees; while the dominant species are Albizia gummifera, which can shade as many as 150 coffee trees, and Millettia ferruginea, other species are also used as shade trees.
Industry in the woreda includes 118 grain mills, 35 coffee hulling and 33 coffee pulping mills
, one sawmill
, an office and furniture factory, and one edible oil mill. There were 45 Farmers Associations with 45,226 members and 21 Farmers Service Cooperatives with 43,088 members. One micro-finance institution operates in this woreda: the Oromiyaa Credit and Saving SC (OCS), established in 1997; its branch in Gomma was one of the first the OCS opened. While mismanagement forced the OCS to close that branch within the year, it was reopened in 2001 and serves customers in Agaro and 17 of the 39 kebele
s. Gomma has 55 kilometers of dry-weather and 89 all-weather road, for an average of road density of 117 kilometers per 1,000 square kilometers. About 41% of the urban and 15.9% of the rural population has access to drinking water
.
in 2005, this woreda has an estimated total population of 350,882, of whom 172,888 are men and 177,994 are women; 71,018 or 20.24% of its population are urban dwellers, which is greater than the Zone average of 12.3%. With an estimated area of 1,230.16 square kilometers, Gomma has an estimated population density of 285.2 people per square kilometer, which is greater than the Zone average of 150.6.
The 1994 national census reported a total population for this woreda of 243,376, of whom 123,354 were men and 120,022 women; 39,663 or 16.3% of its population were urban dwellers at the time. The five largest ethnic groups reported in Gomma were the Oromo
(79.11%), the Amhara
(7.28%), the Kullo (4.2%), the Silt'e
(2.6%), and the Kafficho (2.04%); all other ethnic groups made up 4.77% of the population. Oromiffa
was spoken as a first language by 78.78%, 14.22% spoke Amharic
, 2.43% Kullo, 1.14% Silt'e
, and 1.12% spoke Kafa
; the remaining 2.31% spoke all other primary languages reported. The majority of the inhabitants were Muslim
, with 80.15% of the population having reported they practiced that belief, while 19.03% of the population said they professed Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity.
Woreda
Woreda is an administrative division of Ethiopia , equivalent to a district . Woredas are composed of a number of Kebele, or neighborhood associations, which are the smallest unit of local government in Ethiopia...
s in the Oromia Region
Oromia Region
Oromia is one of the nine ethnic divisions of Ethiopia...
of Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
. It is named after the former Kingdom of Gomma
Kingdom of Gomma
The Kingdom of Gomma was one of the kingdoms in the Gibe region of Ethiopia that emerged in the 18th century. It shared its northern border with Limmu-Ennarea, its western border with Gumma, its southern border with Gera, and its eastern border with Jimma...
, whose territory was roughly the same as the modern woreda. Part of the Jimma Zone
Jimma Zone
Jimma is one of the 17 Zones of the Ethiopian Region of Oromia. Jimma is named for the former Kingdom of Jimma, which was absorbed into the former province of Kaffa in 1932...
, Gomma is bordered on the south by Seka Chekorsa
Seka Chekorsa (woreda)
Seka Chekorsa is one of the 180 woredas in the Oromia Region of Ethiopia. It is named after the administrative center, Seka Chekorsa. Part of the Jimma Zone, Seka Chekorsa is bordered on the south by the Gojeb River which separates it from the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Region, on...
, on the southwest by Gera
Gera (woreda)
Gera is one of the 180 woredas in the Oromia Region of Ethiopia. It is named after the former Kingdom of Gera, whose territory was approximately the same as the modern woreda...
, on the northwest by Setema
Setema
Setema is one of the 180 woredas in the Oromia Region of Ethiopia. Located in the western part of the Jimma Zone, Setema is bordered on the south by Gera, on the west by Sigmo, on the north by the Illubabor Zone, and on the southeast by Gomma. The administrative center of the woreda is Gatira.-...
, on the north by the Didessa River
Didessa River
The Didessa River is a river in western Ethiopia. A tributary of the Abay River, it rises in the mountains of Gomma, flowing in a northwestern direction to its confluence where the course of the Abay has curved to its southernmost point before turning northwards at about...
which separates it from the Illubabor Zone
Illubabor Zone
Illubabor is one of the 17 zones of the Oromia Region of Ethiopia. Illubabor is named for the former province Illubabor. It is bordered on the south by the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Region, on the southwest by the Gambela Region, on the west by Misraq Welega, on the north by the...
, on the northeast by Limmu Kosa
Limmu Kosa
Limmu Kosa is one of the 180 woredas in the Oromia Region of Ethiopia. It is named in part after the former kingdom of Limmu-Ennarea, whose territories included the area this woreda now covers...
, and on the east by Mana
Mana (woreda)
Mana is one of the 180 woredas in the Oromia Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Jimma Zone, Mana is bordered on the south by Seka Chekorsa, on the west by Gomma, on the north by Limmu Kosa, and on the east by Kersa. The administrative center of this woreda is Yebu....
. The administrative center of this woreda is Agaro
Agaro
Agaro is a town in southwestern Ethiopia, and the administrative center of Gomma woreda. Located in the Jimma Zone of the Oromia Region, it has a latitude and longitude of , and an elevation of 1560 meters above sea level.-Overview:...
; other towns include Beshasha
Beshasha
Beshasha is a town in central Ethiopia. It is located in the Gomma woreda near Agaro, which is a part of the Jimma Zone in the Oromia Region.Based on figures from the Central Statistical Agency in 2005, Beshasha has an estimated total population of 2,624 of whom 1,320 were males and 1,304 were...
, Choche, Ghembe, Limmu Shaye, and Toba.
Overview
The altitude of this woreda ranges from 1,380 to 1,680 meters above sea level; however, some points along the southern and western boundaries have altitudes ranging from 2229 to 2870 meters. A survey of the land in this woreda shows that 60.7% is arable or cultivable (52.7% was under annual crops), 8.1% pasture, 4.6% forest, and the remaining 20.1% is considered swampy, mountainous or otherwise unusable. Land in cultivation included the two state coffee farms. Fruits, avocadoAvocado
The avocado is a tree native to Central Mexico, classified in the flowering plant family Lauraceae along with cinnamon, camphor and bay laurel...
es and spices are important cash crops.
Coffee
Coffee
Coffee is a brewed beverage with a dark,init brooo acidic flavor prepared from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant, colloquially called coffee beans. The beans are found in coffee cherries, which grow on trees cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in equatorial Latin America, Southeast Asia,...
is also an important cash crop in Gomma; over 50 square kilometers are planted with this crop. Coffee is grown in this woreda under shade trees; while the dominant species are Albizia gummifera, which can shade as many as 150 coffee trees, and Millettia ferruginea, other species are also used as shade trees.
Industry in the woreda includes 118 grain mills, 35 coffee hulling and 33 coffee pulping mills
Pulper
In agriculture, a pulper is a machine designed to remove pulp i.e. the soft flesh from agricultural produce. For example, in coffee growing the ripe, red cherries are picked from the coffee bushes and prior to fermentation and later drying the soft pulp needs to be removed...
, one sawmill
Sawmill
A sawmill is a facility where logs are cut into boards.-Sawmill process:A sawmill's basic operation is much like those of hundreds of years ago; a log enters on one end and dimensional lumber exits on the other end....
, an office and furniture factory, and one edible oil mill. There were 45 Farmers Associations with 45,226 members and 21 Farmers Service Cooperatives with 43,088 members. One micro-finance institution operates in this woreda: the Oromiyaa Credit and Saving SC (OCS), established in 1997; its branch in Gomma was one of the first the OCS opened. While mismanagement forced the OCS to close that branch within the year, it was reopened in 2001 and serves customers in Agaro and 17 of the 39 kebele
Kebele
A kebele is the smallest administrative unit of Ethiopia similar to ward, a neighbourhood or a localized and delimited group of people...
s. Gomma has 55 kilometers of dry-weather and 89 all-weather road, for an average of road density of 117 kilometers per 1,000 square kilometers. About 41% of the urban and 15.9% of the rural population has access to drinking water
Water supply and sanitation in Ethiopia
Access to water supply and sanitation in Ethiopia is amongst the lowest in Sub-Saharan Africa and the entire world. While access has increased substantially with funding from external aid, much still remains to be done to achieve the Millennium Development Goal of halving the share of people...
.
Demographics
Based on figures published by the Central Statistical AgencyCentral Statistical Agency (Ethiopia)
The Central Statistical Agency is an agency of the government of Ethiopia designated to provide all surveys and censuses for that country used to monitor economic and social growth, as well as to act as an official training center in that field. It is part of the Ethiopian Ministry of Finance and...
in 2005, this woreda has an estimated total population of 350,882, of whom 172,888 are men and 177,994 are women; 71,018 or 20.24% of its population are urban dwellers, which is greater than the Zone average of 12.3%. With an estimated area of 1,230.16 square kilometers, Gomma has an estimated population density of 285.2 people per square kilometer, which is greater than the Zone average of 150.6.
The 1994 national census reported a total population for this woreda of 243,376, of whom 123,354 were men and 120,022 women; 39,663 or 16.3% of its population were urban dwellers at the time. The five largest ethnic groups reported in Gomma were the Oromo
Oromo people
The Oromo are an ethnic group found in Ethiopia, northern Kenya, .and parts of Somalia. With 30 million members, they constitute the single largest ethnic group in Ethiopia and approximately 34.49% of the population according to the 2007 census...
(79.11%), the Amhara
Amhara people
Amhara are a highland people inhabiting the Northwestern highlands of Ethiopia. Numbering about 19.8 million people, they comprise 26% of the country's population, according to the 2007 national census...
(7.28%), the Kullo (4.2%), the Silt'e
Silt'e people
The Silt'e people are an ethnic group in southern Ethiopia. They inhabit today's Silt'e Zone which is part of the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Region. A considerable number of Silt'e live in Addis Ababa, Adama and other cities and smaller urban centres of southern Ethiopia where...
(2.6%), and the Kafficho (2.04%); all other ethnic groups made up 4.77% of the population. Oromiffa
Oromo language
Oromo, also known as Afaan Oromo, Oromiffa, Afan Boran, Afan Orma, and sometimes in other languages by variant spellings of these names , is an Afro-Asiatic language, and the most widely spoken of the Cushitic family. Forms of Oromo are spoken as a first language by more than 25 million Oromo and...
was spoken as a first language by 78.78%, 14.22% spoke Amharic
Amharic language
Amharic is a Semitic language spoken in Ethiopia. It is the second most-spoken Semitic language in the world, after Arabic, and the official working language of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. Thus, it has official status and is used nationwide. Amharic is also the official or working...
, 2.43% Kullo, 1.14% Silt'e
Silt'e language
Silt'e is a Semitic language spoken in central Ethiopia, mainly within the Silte Zone, in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and People's Region and by speakers of the language , who have settled in Ethiopian cities, especially Addis Ababa.-Speakers and dialects:Dialects of the language include:...
, and 1.12% spoke Kafa
Kafa language
Kaffa is an Afroasiatic language spoken in Ethiopia around Bonga in the Keficho Shekicho Zone. The language is also called Kafi nono.- Further reading :...
; the remaining 2.31% spoke all other primary languages reported. The majority of the inhabitants were Muslim
Islam in Ethiopia
According to the latest 2007 national census, Islam is the second most widely practised religion in Ethiopia after Christianity, with over 25 million of Ethiopians adhering to Islam according to the 2007 national census, having arrived in Ethiopia in 615...
, with 80.15% of the population having reported they practiced that belief, while 19.03% of the population said they professed Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity.