current extent and potential of faidherbia albida and conservation agriculture (evergreen...

Current extent and potential of FaidherbiaCurrent extent and potential of Faidherbia albida and Conservation Agriculture (E A i lt ) i Ethi i(Evergreen Agriculture) in Ethiopia

Kiros Meles Hadgu (PhD)Kiros Meles Hadgu (PhD)Mekelle University

Ethiopia

Presented at the World Agro forestry Centre , Nairobi 12 August 2010

Organized by ICRAF-East Africa

Ethiopia

SizeEthiopia covers an area of 1.14 million square Kilometers

Population (2004 CSA)Total: 80 million Rular population: 84 87%Rular population: 84.87% Urban population: 15.13% Density: 59.4/Km2

Average rainfall 850mm in two distinct seasons: the “small rains” during February and March and the “big rains” from June to September.



Highlands of Ethiopia hold extraordinary landscape



Challenges…

Declining agricultural productivity and food insecurity mainly because of:Extreme weather events (shortage of rain water/changes in rainfall patterns)-Extreme weather events (shortage of rain water/changes in rainfall patterns), combined with a low capacity to adapt to the adverse impacts of climate change

Average Annual Rainfall anomaly (1951 2005) Average Annual minimum temperature difference (1951 2005)

National average of standardized annual rainfall anomaly compated to 1971-2000 normal

1.5

National average annual minimum temprature differnce compared to 1971-2000 normal

1 5

Average Annual Rainfall anomaly (1951-2005) Average Annual minimum temperature difference (1951-2005)

-0.5

0

0.5

1 y = 0.0372x - 1.2835

1-0.5

00.5

11.5

-1.5

-1

195119541957

1960196319661969197219751978198119841987199019931996199920022005

-2-1.5

-1

1951195419571960196319661969197219751978198119841987199019931996199920022005



Challenges…

GDP is correlated with Rainfall variability in the country



Challenges…Land degradationLand degradation



Challenges…Declining agricultural productivity and food insecurity mainlyDeclining agricultural productivity and food insecurity mainly because of: poor land management



Challenges…Loss/decline of trees from farm and communal lands resulting in expansion of agriculture to marginal lands and deforestationresulting in rapid environmental degradation, loss of biodiversity and desertification.and desertification.



Challenges…

Use of dung, straw, biomass as source of energy:

-Nearly 90% of HH energy in EthiopiaNearly 90% of HH energy in Ethiopia is generated from biomass:

- Rural: 81% use fuelwood,9 % d d- 9 % dund,

- 8 % crop residue, and - the rest other sources

Removal of biomass results in - Deterioration of chemical andDeterioration of chemical and

physical soil properties- High soil loss by run off

Reduction in soil productivity- Reduction in soil productivityPresented at the World Agro forestry Centre , Nairobi

12 August 2010Organized by ICRAF-East Africa

Challenge…

The human population in Ethiopia is expected to double by 2030, at a growth rate of 2.7% annually. g y

Food demand is expected to grow even faster, at a rate of 3.6% annually because of the increasing human population and globalannually because of the increasing human population and global agricultural markets.

Mi l f ili i d h b l h d d l lMineral fertilizer is used much below the recommended level, The cost of mineral fertilizer is increasing from time to time and farmers may not afford anymore,y y ,



ChallengeChallenge…

Th h ll l d ith li t h d i bilitThese challenges coupled with climate change and variability increases the cost of agricultural production and results in reduced agricultural productivity, food insecurity and environmental degradation.



So, how do smallholder farmers improve , pagricultural productivity, food security and environmental resilience?

Sustainable Alternative:

environmental resilience?

Through restoring exhausted soils to improve crop productivity food security and environmentalproductivity, food security and environmental resilience through Agroforestry (Faidherbia and other spp) Based Conservation Agriculture (CAWT): pp) g ( )



Objective

To assess the current extent of Faidherbia and ConservationAgriculture practices at the smallholder farmers level inAgriculture practices at the smallholder farmers level inEthiopia.



Study Sites

Tigray

Gondar

East ShoaEastern Hararghe

Konso



Fig1. Location of the study areas in Ethiopia.

Data collection and analysis methods

Data collection involved desk studies, expert consultations anddiscussion with key informants and household surveys.y y

Sample sites were selected by employing a transect of East-W t d N th S th f diff t ltit d i thWest and North-South from different altitude zones in the country.

A stratified random sampling was used, i.e. strata altitude zones across transects (East-West, North-South).



Cont....

To get historical information on the extent of agricultural land uses and agroforestry practices will be discussed with f i k l l d i i dfarmers, extension workers, local administrators and decision makers

Household surveyA sample of 115 households were used for individual interview pwhich included both male and female headed households.



Ancillary dataCont....

Ancillary dataAltitude and geographic coordinates of each sample farm werealso measured using a pressure altimeter and g pGarmin etrex Summit 2000 hand held GPS (GARMIN International Inc., Kansas). Area of farmers’ fields weremeasured using the GPS, and the number of Faidherbia albidatrees and crops growing under the tree were recorded.

Crop yield estimates (farmer’s estimate per ha), crop diversity(number of crop type grown per farm) amount of mineral(number of crop type grown per farm), amount of mineralfertilizer used per ha and livestock holding per farm werecollected.



Cont....

Visual assessment and quantification of the sample farms interms of conservation agriculture practices was madeterms of conservation agriculture practices was made.

Farmers were asked why they decide to practice conservationy y pagriculture practices and Faidherbia albida based farming.



F ’ il f ili l ( hi h di d lCont....

Farmers’ soil fertility classes (e.g. high, medium and lowsoil fertility) based on yield, soil water holding capacity,colour texture and depth stoniness and steepnesscolour, texture and depth, stoniness, and steepness.

Visual assessment was made on the status of soil erosion ofthe sample farms.

To help us easily distinguish the soil erosion status of thefarms, five classes of soil erosion were considered: no low moderate high and extremely high erosionno, low, moderate, high and extremely high erosion,corresponding with no noticeable erosion, sheet erosion,rill erosion, sheet and rill erosion together, and gully erosion



rill erosion, sheet and rill erosion together, and gully erosion

Statistical AnalysisStatistical Analysis

Descriptive statistics, frequency analysis, Redundancy analysis (RDA) were employed inRedundancy analysis (RDA) were employed in SPSS and CANOCO statistical packagesto describe current extent of Faidherbia albida andto describe current extent of Faidherbia albida andconservation agriculture practices.



RESULT

Attit d f d t f F idh bi lbidAttitude of respondent farmers on Faidherbia albida



Cont…Benefits of Faidherbia albida according to the respondentBenefits of Faidherbia albida according to the respondent farmers



Cont…Relationship between relative Faidherbia density, amount of mineral fertilizer and grain yield (compared to the maximum of these variables in the data set)



Cont…Faidherbia density in relation to explanatory variables

1.0

y p y

Medium Faid

No. Livestock

Hi h Fi dLow Faid Fetilize Amt

BeehivesPlotSize

High FiadAltitude

No. crop typesGrain yield

-1.0 1.0

-1.0



Conservation agriculture (a) andCont…

(a) (b)

Conservation agriculture (a) andSoil and Water Conservation practices (b)

(a) (b)

Conservation agriculture practices Soil and Water Conservation practices



CAWT practices in Ethiopia- Minimum tillage: Hoe tillage and ox-drawn plough(10 – 12 cm deep)



CAWT practices…

- Crop rotation and- Crop rotation and mixing/intercropping

(diversification)( )



il d i

CAWT practices…- In situ soil and water conservation structures:

Deep trench



CAWT practices…- In situ soil and water conservation structures

Tree planting in Half moon: Deep trenched



CAWT practices…- Soil and water conservation structures

G ll h bilit tiGully rehabilitation



CAWT practices…- Soil and water conservation structures

R h bilit t d G llRehabilitated Gully



CAWT practices…

- Soil and water conservation structures: Communal land

-stone terrace, -stone bund,

Communal land

-earth bund



CAWT practices…CA Research site

- Few examples of Permanent soil cover not enough to cover the whole off-season

Farmers fields influenced by the CA Research



M i t i i il th hCAWT practices… Zero grazing in some villages

- Maintaining soil cover throughZero grazing andcut/carry systemscut/carry systems (practiced in few villages)

Cut and Carry livestock feeding



There are CA constraints. CA practices also vary from f f i i d di i

But still…farmer to farmer, community to community and district to district.

- Among others, the main constraint is removing soil coverthrough harvesting of crop residue and free grazing by g g p g g ylivestock (the highest number in the continent)



Sustainable Alternative?

Integrate Conservation Agriculture With Trees (Fertilizer and fodder trees like Faidherbia albida))



Integrating CA With Trees (CAWT), with F. albida as a keystone species to:

E i h il f tilit th h N fi ti d t i t li

albida as a keystone species to:

- Enrich soil fertility through N fixation and nutrient cycling,- Improve soil structure and minimize soil erosion,- Increase water infiltration and recharge ground water- Increase water infiltration and recharge ground water,- Maintain vegetative soil cover mainly during the dry

season,,- Provide feed for livestock, bee forage, fuel wood and

income from sale,- Environmental rehabilitation and Carbon sequestration, and - Enrich Biodiversity.



Benefits of CAWT…

Soil fertility enrichmentthrough N fixationthrough N fixation and nutrient cycling,



il d i i i il iBenefits of CAWT…

- Improve soil structure and minimize soil erosion



- Increase water infiltration and recharge ground water,Benefits of CAWT…

Increase water infiltration and recharge ground water,Faidherbia covered area in upper catchments called locally Water Bank (Northern Ethiopia)

Shallow water wells at lower catchments



Benefits of CAWT…

- Maintain vegetative soil cover mainly during the dry season, ,

Faidherbia albida dominated farmlands (northern Ethiopia)



id d d h d li kBenefits of CAWT…

- Provide feed and shade for livestock



- Provide bee forage during the dry season when other fl i l i d

Benefits of CAWT…flowering plants are getting dry.

Huge amount of flower per mature F. albida tree

- Generate income from sale of products. Benefits of CAWT…

- Environmental rehabilitation, Carbon sequestration, and bi di it i h t

Benefits of CAWT…biodiversity enrichment

F. Albida on farmland F. Albida on communal land

Development Strategies/Programmes of Ethi i f CAWT P i i l /Obj ti- Agricultural Development Led Industrialization (ADLI)

Ethiopia favors CAWT Principles/Objectives:

- Plan for Accelerated and Sustained Development to End Poverty (PASDEP)

Agricultural and Rural development strategies- Agricultural and Rural development strategies- New Coalition for Food Security- Productive Safety Net Program (PSNP)Productive Safety Net Program (PSNP)- Increasing forest cover- Sustainable land management (SLM) program- Agricultural growth program

CAWT and Development policies of Ethiopia - have the potential to improve food crop productivity, foodhave the potential to improve food crop productivity, food

security and income of households through improvements in soil quality, moisture/water availability and feed/forage sources for livestock and b hibeehives.

Cont…CAWTCAWT

can improve food crop productivity, food security and income of households through improvements in soil quality, moisture/water

il bilit d f d/f f li t k d b hiavailability and feed/forage sources for livestock and beehives.

Concluding Remark/Way forwardThere are good practices of Conservation Agriculture With Trees in

Ethiopia although they vary from community to community in different parts of Ethiopia.

Conservation Agriculture With Trees has the potential to restore ecosystem while providing ecosystem service and mitigate climate hchange.

Food security (increasing food production in a sustainable way) can be ensured by increasing productivity of crops and soils through Conservation Agriculture With Trees (e.g., appropriate use of local agroforestry resources such as Faidherbia trees).agroforestry resources such as Faidherbia trees).

It is high time to scale-up Conservation Agriculture With Trees in the countrycountry.



A O !THANK YOU!

current extent and potential of faidherbia albida and conservation agriculture (evergreen...

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