Sigmo (woreda)

Sigmo is one of the 180 woredas in the Oromia Region of Ethiopia. This woreda is named after its capital, Sigmo. Located in the western part of the Jimma Zone, Sigmo is bordered on the south by Gera, on the west by the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Region, on the north by the Illubabor Zone, and on the east by Setema.

The altitude of this woreda ranges from 2080 to 2490 meters above sea level. Perennial rivers include the Gebba, Bodeche and Atergeda. A survey of the land in this woreda shows that 19.8% is arable or cultivable (18.4% was under annual crops), 1.5% pasture, 74.2% forest, and the remaining 4.5% is considered swampy, degraded or otherwise unusable. The forested areas include 118.4 hectares of the Sigmo-Geba State Forest. The Oromia Regional government considers Sigmo a "surplus crop-producing district". Teff, corn, sheep and goats are important cash crops. [ [http://oromiagov.org/Socio%20Economic%20Profile/Djimma%20Zone/Djimma%20Zone.pdf "Socio-economic profile of the Djimma (sic) Zone"] Government of Oromia Region (last accessed 1 August 2006).] .

Industry in the woreda includes 25 grain mills and 2 sawmills. There were 16 Farmers Associations with 10,017 members and 4 Farmers Service Cooperatives with 8,714 members. Sigmo has 18 kilometers of all-weather roads, for an average road density of 15.1 kilometers per 1000 square kilometers. About 62% of the urban and 9.6% of the rural population has access to drinking water. [Government of Oromia Region, "Socio-economic profile."]

Based on figures published by the Central Statistical Agency in 2005, this woreda has an estimated total population of 99,998, of whom 50,355 were males and 49,643 were females; 3,494 or 3.49% of its population are urban dwellers, which is less than the Zone average of 12.3%. With an estimated area of 1,192.03 square kilometers, Sigmo has an estimated population density of 83.9 people per square kilometer, which is less than the Zone average of 150.6. [ [http://www.csa.gov.et/text_files/2005_national_statistics.htm CSA 2005 National Statistics] , Tables B.3 and B.4]

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