Sigmo (woreda)

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.[1]

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.[1]

The 2007 national census reported a total population for this woreda of 92,313, of whom 45,837 were men and 46,476 were women; 5,511 or 5.97% of its population were urban dwellers. The majority of the inhabitants were Moslem, with 98.23% of the population reporting they observed this belief.[2]

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 are men and 49,643 are women; 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.[3]

The 1994 national census reported a total population for this woreda of 72,190, of whom 36,020 were men and 36,170 women; 1,952 or 2.7% of its population were urban dwellers at the time. The two largest ethnic groups reported in Sigmo were the Oromo (96.79%), and the Kafficho (2.15%); all other ethnic groups made up 1.06% of the population. Oromiffa was spoken as a first language by 97.91%, and 2.3% spoke Kafa; the remaining 0.78% spoke all other primary languages reported. The majority of the inhabitants were Muslim, with 97.94% of the population having reported they practiced that belief, while 1.55% of the population said they professed Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity.[4]