Limmu (woreda)

Limmu is one of the 180 woredas in the Oromia Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Misraq (East) Welega Zone, Limmu is bordered on the south by an exclave of the Benishangul-Gumuz Region, on the southwest by Sasiga, on the west by the Benishangul-Gumuz Region, on the north by Ibantu, and on the east by Gida Kiremu. The administrative center of the woreda is Gelila.

Economy

The altitude of this woreda ranges from 650 to 2320 meters above sea level; Tullu Sire and Salen are the two prominent peaks. Rivers within the woreda include the Wajja, Keraru, Kuni, Abeyi, Lugo and Weddessa. A survey of the land in this woreda shows that 36% is arable or cultivable (15.2% was under annual crops), 27.4% pasture, 16.4% forest, and the remaining 20.2% is considered swampy, marshy or otherwise unusable. Annual crops are grown on 23,664 hectares of land (mostly teff and corn), yielding a harvest of about 188,953 quintals. [http://oromiagov.org/Socio%20Economic%20Profile/East%20Wellega/East%20Wellega.pdf "Socio-economic profile of the East Wellega Zone"] Government of Oromia Region (last accessed 1 August 2006).] Industry in the woreda includes 10 grain mills; although no detailed survey of the mineral resources of this woreda has been conducted, gold, granite and clay are some of the resources known to be exploited by the local community. There were 25 Farmers Associations with 21,045 members and 13 Farmers Service Cooperatives with 8,642 members. Limmu has 48 kilometers of dry weather road and no all-weather road, for an average of road density of 20.2 kilometers per 1000 square kilometers. About 7.6% of the total population has access to drinking water.

Demographics

Based on figures published by the Central Statistical Agency in 2005, this woreda has an estimated total population of 125,527, of whom 63,418 were males and 62,109 were females; 4,890 or 3.9% of its population are urban dwellers, which is less than the Zone average of 13.9%. With an estimated area of 2,382.82 square kilometers, Limmu has an estimated population density of 52.7 people per square kilometer, which is less than the Zone average of 81.4. [ [http://www.csa.gov.et/text_files/2005_national_statistics.htm CSA 2005 National Statistics] , Tables B.3 and B.4]

This woreda was selected by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in 2004 as one of several areas for voluntary resettlement for farmers from overpopulated areas in the Misraq Welega Zone. Together with Amuru Jarte, Bila Seyo, Gida Kiremu, Ibantu, Jimma Arjo and Nunu Kumba, Limmu became the new home for a total of 22,462 heads of households and 112,310 total family members. [ [http://www.dppc.gov.et/downloadable/map/Thematic%20maps/resettlement/Resettlement%202004.pdf "Resettlement 2004"] , Disaster Prevention and Preparedness Agency (accessed 26 November 2006)]

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