Water, Land and Ecosystems - Ethiopia

What happens after technology adoption? Gendered aspects of small-scale irrigation technologies in Ethiopia, Ghana, and Tanzania

Anonymous — Wed, 24 Aug 2022 12:13:04 +0000

TypePresentation

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Authors

Theis, Sophie

Presented by Sophie Theis (IFPRI), as part of the Annual Scientific Conference hosted by the CGIAR Collaborative Platform for Gender Research, Amsterdam, 5-6 December 2017.

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Theis, Sophie. 2017. What happens after technology adoption? Gendered aspects of small-scale irrigation technologies in Ethiopia, Ghana, and Tanzania. Presented by Sophie Theis (IFPRI), as part of the Annual Scientific Conference hosted by the CGIAR Collaborative Platform for Gender Research, Amsterdam, 5-6 December 2017. Washington DC: International Food Policy Research Institute

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https://hdl.handle.net/10568/120708

How agricultural research for development achieves developmental outcomes: learning lessons to inform One CGIAR science and technology policy research

Anonymous — Tue, 22 Feb 2022 12:49:09 +0000

TypeReport

Languageen

Authors

Douthwaite, B.
Child, K.

At the end of 2021, CGIAR Research Programs (CRPs) will be replaced by Initiatives housed within One CGIAR. This new modality is intended to achieve higher levels of impact at a faster rate and at reduced cost compared to the CRPs. As One CGIAR begins, there is a unique opportunity to reflect on what has worked in different contexts. In this paper, we provide findings that relate to One CGIAR’s overarching view of how it will achieve positive and measurable impacts, and for agricultural research for development (AR4D) more generally. Specifically, we draw from three related CRP evaluations to identify how different types of AR4D approaches have contributed to successful outcomes. In the final section of the paper, we present our conclusions and provide a list of recommendations for the science and technology policy of One CGIAR and possibly other integrated research for development programs.

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Douthwaite, B.; Child, K. 2021. How agricultural research for development achieves developmental outcomes: learning lessons to inform One CGIAR science and technology policy research. Colombo, Sri Lanka: International Water Management Institute (IWMI). CGIAR Research Program on Water, Land and Ecosystems (WLE). 27p. (WLE Legacy Series 2) [doi: https://doi.org/10.5337/2022.201]

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https://hdl.handle.net/10568/118147

Unlocking the potential of flood farming to reduce flood risks and boost dryland production in Ethiopia

Anonymous — Fri, 21 Jan 2022 12:38:32 +0000

TypeOther

Subjects

Droughts
Floods
Livelihoods

Languageen

Authors

Desta, Gizaw
Legesse, Gizachew
Amede, Tilahun
van F.Rooyen, Andre
Whitbread, Anthony

Ethiopia is experiencing extreme weather variability with some areas being vulnerable to drought, while others are impacted by flooding. Despite being given relatively less attention as compared to drought, flooding has long been recognized as one of the major disasters affecting the lives and livelihoods of the people. Flood disaster has been limited in the past in terms of frequency and scope. The recent trend of increasing incidents of floods in Ethiopia is disrupting the livelihoods of the population residing in the lowlands. Flood hazard is part and parcel of living for a large number of people in the lowlands such as districts in Afar located along Awash River, in the Somali region along the Wabi Shebele River, in the South Omo along Omo River, in Gambella along the Baro and Akobo Rivers, and floodplains surrounding Lake Tana. The humid highlands that are characterized by steep ad rugged terrain and heavy rainfall features pose the lowlands prone to floods during the rainy seasons. Often, floods occur in the country as a result of intense and sustained rainfalls in the highlands causing rivers to overflow and inundate areas along the riverbanks in lowland plains. On the other hand, these regions have one of the highest potentials for flood farming as the runoff generated from the highlands of Oromia, Amhara, SNNPR, and Tigray can be available in the immediate lowlands.

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Desta, Gizaw; Legesse, Gizachew; Amede, Tilahun; van F.Rooyen, Andre; Whitbread, Anthony. 2021. Unlocking the potential of flood farming to reduce flood risks and boost dryland production in Ethiopia. Colombo, Sri Lanka: CGIAR Research Program on Water, Land and Ecosystems (WLE). 10p.

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https://hdl.handle.net/10568/117673

Solutions

Impact of sustainable land management on vegetation cover using remote sensing in Magera micro Watershed, Omo Gibe Basin, Ethiopia

Anonymous — Wed, 29 Dec 2021 12:41:38 +0000

TypeJournal Article

Languageen

Authors

Assefa, A.
Haile, Alemseged Tamiru
Dhanya, C. T.
Walker, D. W.
Gowing, J.
Parkin, G.

The hydrological impact of many expensive investments on watershed interventions remains unquantified due to lack of time series data. In this study, remote sensing imagery is utilized to quantify and detect vegetation cover change in Magera micro-watershed, Ethiopia, where sustainable land management interventions have been implemented. Normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) values were retrieved for the period 2010 to 2019, which encompasses before, during and after the interventions. Mann-Kendal trend test was used to detect temporal trends in the monthly NDVI values. In addition, multiple change-point analyses were carried out using Pettitt’s, Buishand’s and Standard Normal Homogeneity (SNH) tests to detect any abrupt changes due to the watershed interventions. The possible influence of rainfall on changes in vegetation cover was investigated. A significant increasing trend (from 1.5% to 33%) was detected for dense vegetation at the expense of a significant reduction in bare land from 40.9% to 0.6% over the analysis period. An abrupt change in vegetation cover was detected in 2015 in response to the interventions. A weak and decreasing correlation was obtained between monthly rainfall magnitude and NDVI values, which indicates that the increase in vegetation cover is not from rainfall influences. The study shows that the sustainable land management has an overall positive impact on the study area. The findings of this research support the applicability of remote sensing approaches to provide useful information on the impacts of watershed intervention investments.

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Assefa, A.; Haile, Alemseged Tamiru; Dhanya, C. T.; Walker, D. W.; Gowing, J.; Parkin, G. 2021. Impact of sustainable land management on vegetation cover using remote sensing in Magera micro Watershed, Omo Gibe Basin, Ethiopia. International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation, 103:102495. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jag.2021.102495]

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https://hdl.handle.net/10568/115749

Negligible levels of mycotoxin contamination in durum wheat and groundnuts from non-intensive rainfed production systems

Anonymous — Wed, 29 Dec 2021 12:41:38 +0000

TypeJournal Article

Languageen

Authors

Santis, Paola de
Mengistu, Dejene K.
Kidane, Yosef Gebrehawaryat
Nankya, Rose
De Santis, Barbara
Moracci, Gabriele
Debegnach, Francesca
Marsiglia, Riccardo
Reverberi, Massimo

Mycotoxins are chemical contaminants that are invisible, tasteless, chemically stable and survive food processing. Contamination along the agri-food chain is difficult to control since their production and spreading are due to numerous factors including temperature, relative humidity, insect infestation, and susceptibility of the host plant. This is a pilot study which aims at assessing the contamination level of deoxynivalenol (DON), and its plant metabolites (3AcDON, 15 AcDON, DON 3G), nivalenol, T-2 and HT-2 toxins, and ochratoxin A in thirty-seven traditional varieties of Ethiopian durum wheat, and aflatoxins B1, B2, G1, and G2 in thirty-one varieties of Ugandan groundnuts grown in non-intensive rainfed production systems. Results indicate absence of mycotoxin contamination in all durum wheat samples and negligible levels of contamination (below the maximum levels tolerated by international standards) in groundnut samples. Further studies are required to assess if non-intensive production systems and varieties have a role in preventing and/or reducing mycotoxin contamination of the crops.

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De Santis, P.; Mengistu, D.K.; Kidane, Y.G.; Nankya, R.; De Santis, B.; Moracci, G.; Debegnach, F.; Marsiglia, R.; Reverberi, M. (2021) Negligible levels of mycotoxin contamination in durum wheat and groundnuts from non-intensive rainfed production systems. Sustainability 13(18), 10309. ISSN: 2071-1050

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Open Access

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https://hdl.handle.net/10568/115196

Berken plow and intercropping with pigeon pea ameliorate degraded soils with a hardpan in the Ethiopian highlands

Anonymous — Wed, 29 Dec 2021 12:41:38 +0000

TypeJournal Article

Languageen

Authors

Fenta, H.M.
Hussein, M.A.
Tilahun, S.A.
Nakawuka, Prossie
Steenhuis, Tammo S.
Barron, Jennie
Adie, Abera
Blümmel, Michael
Schmitter, Petra S.

Closing the yield gap and enhancing efficiency in rainfed maize production systems in Ethiopia requires urgent action in increasing the productivity of degraded agricultural land. The degradation of land through continuous compaction and decline in the organic matter has resulted in a wide-spread formation of a hardpan that restricts deep percolation, prevents plant root development, and, ultimately can lead to increased erosion. Studies exploring practical low-cost solutions to break the hardpan are limited in Ethiopia. The main objective was to evaluate soil mechanical (i.e. modified plow or Berken plow) or biological intervention (i.e. intercropping with pigeon pea) effectiveness to enhance soil water management and crop yield of rainfed maize systems whilst reducing soil erosion and runoff. Five farm fields, each including four plots with different tillage treatments, were monitored during two rainy seasons in 2016 and 2017. The treatments were: (i) farmers practice under conventional (CT) tillage; plots tilled three times using an oxen driven local plow Maresha, (ii) no-till (NT), (iii) Berken tillage (BT), plots tilled three times using an oxen pulled Berken plow, and (iv) biological (CT + Bio), taprooted pigeon pea intercropped with maize on plots conventionally tilled. Results showed that mean tillage depth was significantly deeper in the BT (28 cm) treatment compared to CT and CT + Bio (18 cm) treatments. Measured soil penetration resistance significantly decreased up to 40 cm depth under BT and maize roots reached 1.5 times deeper compared to roots measured in the CT treatment. Under BT, the estimated water storage in the root zone was estimated at 556 mm, 1.86 times higher compared to CT, 3.11 times higher compared to NT and 0.89 times higher compared to CT + Bio. The positive effects on increased water storage and root development resulted in an average increase in maize grain (i.e. 15%, 0.95 t ha- 1 ) and residual above ground biomass (0.3%, 6.4 t ha- 1 ) leading to a positive net benefit of 138 USD ha- 1 for the BT treatment compared to the CT treatment. The negative net benefit obtained under CT and CT+Bio was mainly related to the high labor cost related to plowing, weeding, planting, and fertilizer application whilst in the NT this was related to the significantly lower maize yields. The positive effects in the BT treatment, and to some extent the CT+Bio treatment show great potential for smallholder rainfed maize systems where degraded soils with hardpans and high variability in rainfall prevail.

Citation

Fenta, H. M; Hussein, M. A.; Tilahun, S. A.; Nakawuka, Prossie; Steenhuis, T. S.; Barron, Jennie; Adie, A.; Blummel, M.; Schmitter, Petra. 2022. Berken plow and intercropping with pigeon pea ameliorate degraded soils with a hardpan in the Ethiopian highlands. Geoderma, 407:115523. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2021.115523]

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https://hdl.handle.net/10568/116171

Constraints of small-scale irrigated fodder production and nutrition assessment for livestock feed, a case study in Ethiopia

Anonymous — Wed, 29 Dec 2021 12:41:38 +0000

TypeJournal Article

Languageen

Authors

Worqlul, Abeyou W.
Dile, Y.I.
Schmitter, Petra S.
Bezabih, Melkamu
Adie, Aberra
Bizimana, Jean-Claude
Srinivasan, R.
Lefore, Nicole
Clarke, N.

Citation

Worqlul, W. A.; Dile, T. Y.; Schmitter, P.; Bezabih, M.; Adie, A.; Bizimana, J-C; Srinivasan, R.; Lefore, N.; Clarke, N. 2021. Constraints of small-scale irrigated fodder production and nutrition assessment for livestock feed, a case study in Ethiopia. Agricultural Water Management 254: 106973

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https://hdl.handle.net/10568/113816

Impacts of land use and land cover dynamics on ecosystem services in the Yayo coffee forest biosphere reserve, southwestern Ethiopia

Anonymous — Wed, 29 Dec 2021 12:41:38 +0000

TypeJournal Article

Languageen

Authors

Abera, Wuletawu
Tamene, Lulseged D.
Kassawmar, Tibebu
Mulatu, Kalkidan
Kassa, Habtemariam
Verchot, Louis V.
Quintero, Marcela

Land management to increase food production while conserving the environment and associated ecosystem services (ESs) is one of the major development and research challenges of the 21st Century. Any land-use practice or change to obtain a particular ecosystem service affects the other ES positively or negatively. The dynamics of these changes is more marked in biodiversity hotspot areas like UNESCO registered Yayo coffee forest biosphere reserve in southwestern Ethiopia. We used a time series InVEST modeling framework to estimate six ESs and analyze their spatial and temporal dynamics due to land-use/cover change over the last 31 years. Pearson correlation coefficients and k-mean clustering were employed to analyze tradeoffs/synergies and to cluster ESs supply spatially. The analysis also considers land-use change impact in the three management zones (core, transition and buffer) of the Yayo biosphere area. The production efficient frontier is used to identify the optimal combination of ESs and to suggest where an increase of one ES is possible without decreasing the others. Mostly, the highest change is observed in the transition zone followed by buffer zones. Positive correlation (synergies) are observed between regulating ecosystem services. Negative correlations (tradeoffs) are observed between provision ecosystem services. The clustering analysis shows that the spatial ESs can be divided in two clusters (bundle): cluster 1 with “High regulating ESs” that can be characterized by core zone and some forest patches in the central part of the biosphere reserve, and cluster 2 with “High provisioning ESs areas'' that can be characterized by cultivated lands at transition and buffer zones. The result shows that the existing ES pairs are far from the Pareto efficient combination(s), confirming that landscape optimization for ES bundles are rarely possible on the ground due to many reasons and indicating the need for well thought land restoration strategies and land management practices that are forest type and context specific.

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Abera, W.; Tamene, L.; Kassawmar, T.; Mulatu, K.; Kassa, H.; Verchot, L.; Quintero, M. (2021) Impacts of land use and land cover dynamics on ecosystem services in the Yayo coffee forest biosphere reserve, southwestern Ethiopia. Ecosystem Services 50: 101338. 16 p. ISSN: 2212-0416

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Open Access

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https://hdl.handle.net/10568/114343

Effect of irrigation water withdrawal on the hydrology of the Lake Tana sub-basin

Anonymous — Wed, 29 Dec 2021 12:41:38 +0000

TypeJournal Article

Languageen

Authors

Taye, Meron Teferi
Haile, Alemseged Tamiru
Fekadu, A. G.
Nakawuka, P.

Study region: The Lake Tana sub-basin, upper Blue Nile, Ethiopia. Study focus: The Lake Tana sub-basin is one of the agricultural growth corridors for Ethiopia’s ambitious plan to expand irrigation. Despite the booming irrigation activities in the sub-basin, limited information exists on the rate of irrigation expansion and its impact on the water balance of the sub-basin. This study collected and organized smallholder irrigation data in the subbasin to identify the actual irrigated area, the abstracted irrigation water, and its implications on seasonal water availability. The area under small-scale irrigation was estimated through data obtained from ’woredas’ (districts) databases. Crop patterns were obtained through field surveys. Irrigation water abstracted at daily timescale was measured. New hydrological insights for the Region: In the sub-basin, 38,694 ha was under small-scale irrigation in 2020/21. Surface water is the dominant water source, and it supplies about 80% of irrigation withdrawal. Water abstraction for small-scale irrigation is about 430 MCM per dry season (~50% of dry season flow). The eastern side of the sub-basin faces water shortages as the dry season flow is not sufficient for irrigation. With the prospects of more irrigation expansion, small-scale irrigation water withdrawals pose concerns of water scarcity at local level and to the water balance of the sub-basin. Hence, there is urgent need for adaptive management of the small-scale irrigation effect on the sub-basin’s hydrology.

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Taye, Meron Teferi; Haile, Alemseged Tamiru; Fekadu, A. G.; Nakawuka, P. 2021. Effect of irrigation water withdrawal on the hydrology of the Lake Tana sub-basin. Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies, 38:100961. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejrh.2021.100961]

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https://hdl.handle.net/10568/116264

Impact of water resource development plan on water abstraction and water balance of Lake Ziway, Ethiopia

Anonymous — Wed, 29 Dec 2021 12:41:38 +0000

TypeJournal Article

Languageen

Authors

Goshime, D. W.
Haile, Alemseged Tamiru
Absi, R.
Ledesert, B.

Lake Ziway is providing water for a wide variety of sectors in the central rift valley of Ethiopia. However, there is a lack of systematic study that informs the effect of water abstraction on the lake water balance. In the present study, we conducted a Water Abstraction Survey (WAS) to estimate actual water withdrawal from the lake and developed a water balance model of the lake to evaluate the associated impact on the lake water storage and outflow for three development plans. The mean error and root mean square error of the simulated lake water level as compared with observed counterparts were estimated as 0.1 and 0.2 m, respectively, which is smaller than the range of the observed fluctuation of the lake water level under natural condition. Our findings indicate that the actual storage and outflow of Lake Ziway are significantly impacted by the existing water withdrawal. When the future development plans are fully implemented, the annual amount of irrigation and domestic water withdrawal from the lake will reach 95 Mm3 . This will cause the lake water level to drop by 0.94 m, which translates to 38 km2 reductions in the lake surface area. Consequently, the lake will lose 26.5% of its actual storage volume when the future development plan (2029–2038) is implemented as compared to the observed storage between 1986 and 2000. Hence, the current impact of water resources development around the lake is substantially large and will exacerbate in the future. This indicates the need for urgent actions to monitor and manage water abstraction from the lake.

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Goshime, D. W.; Haile, Alemseged Tamiru; Absi, R.; Ledesert, B. 2021. Impact of water resource development plan on water abstraction and water balance of Lake Ziway, Ethiopia. Sustainable Water Resources Management, 7(3):36. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40899-021-00516-w]

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Limited Access

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https://hdl.handle.net/10568/115752