Your search found 3 records
1 Derib, S. D.; Assefa, T.; Berhanu, B.; Zeleke, G. 2009. Impacts of micro-basin water harvesting structures in improving vegetative cover in degraded hillslope areas of north-east Ethiopia. Rangeland Journal, 31(2):259-265.
Water harvesting ; Drought ; Biomass ; Seedlings ; Livestock ; Feeds ; Water productivity / Ethiopia
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: IWMI 636 100 AME Record No: H042784)
(0.65 MB)
Water is one of the most important entry points to improve rural livelihoods in drought affected areas of the north-eastern Amhara region in Ethiopia. Various attempts have been made to overcome this problem by making use of different water harvesting structures. However, the choice of structures has been difficult because of a lack of empirical evidence on the relative effectiveness of the different structures. An experiment was conducted from 2002 to 2004 to compare and evaluate three different water harvesting structures (eye-brow basin, half-moon and trench) against the normal seedling plantation practice by farmers (normal pit) as a control. Data on root collar diameter (RCD), diameter at breast height (DBH), height and survival rate of Acacia saligna tree seedlings was collected at 3-month intervals after planting and annual grass biomass production was also measured. Trench and eye-brow basin structures produced 68, 95, 52 and 44% increases in RCD, DBH, height and survival rate, respectively, 15 months after planting compared with the normal pit. Trench structures increased grass biomass by 41.1% compared with normal pits. Eye-brow basins are recommended on hillsides where stone is available while trenchs could be used where stone is scarce. The results indicated that well designed water harvesting micro-basin structures can mitigate the effect of dry spell shocks on tree seedling performance and land cover rehabilitation. They were also very effective in increasing grass biomass production indicating the potential for improving livestock feed on the available barren hillsides.
2 Assefa, T.; Jha, M.; Reyes, M.; Tilahun, S.; Worqlul, A. W. 2019. Experimental evaluation of conservation agriculture with drip irrigation for water productivity in Sub-Saharan Africa. Water, 11(3):1-13. [doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/w11030530]
Conservation agriculture ; Water productivity ; Drip irrigation ; Evaluation ; Water management ; Irrigation water ; Water use ; Sustainable agriculture ; Intensification ; Crop yield ; Farmers / Africa South of Sahara / Ethiopia / Ghana / Dangishita / Robit / Yemu
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H049153)
(10.10 MB) (10.1 MB)
A field-scale experimental study was conducted in Sub-Saharan Africa (Ethiopia and Ghana) to examine the effects of conservation agriculture (CA) with drip irrigation system on water productivity in vegetable home gardens. CA here refers to minimum soil disturbance (no-till), year-round organic mulch cover, and diverse cropping in the rotation. A total of 28 farmers (13 farmers in Ethiopia and 15 farmers in Ghana) participated in this experiment. The experimental setup was a paired ‘t’ design on a 100 m2 plot; where half of the plot was assigned to CA and the other half to conventional tillage (CT), both under drip irrigation system. Irrigation water use and crop yield were monitored for three seasons in Ethiopia and one season in Ghana for vegetable production including garlic, onion, cabbage, tomato, and sweet potato. Irrigation water use was substantially lower under CA, 18% to 45.6%, with a substantial increase in crop yields, 9% to about two-fold, when compared with CT practice for the various vegetables. Crop yields and irrigation water uses were combined into one metric, water productivity, for the statistical analysis on the effect of CA with drip irrigation system. One-tailed paired ‘t’ test statistical analysis was used to examine if the mean water productivity in CA is higher than that of CT. Water productivity was found to be significantly improved (a = 0.05) under the CA practice; 100%, 120%, 222%, 33%, and 49% for garlic, onion, tomato, cabbage, and sweet potato respectively. This could be due to the improvement of soil quality and structure due to CA practice, adding nutrients to the soil and sticking soil particles together (increase soil aggregates). Irrigation water productivity for tomato under CA (5.17 kg m-3 in CA as compared to 1.61 kg m-3 in CT) is found to be highest when compared to water productivity for the other vegetables. The mulch cover provided protection for the tomatoes from direct contact with the soil and minimized the chances of soil-borne diseases. Adapting to CA practices with drip irrigation in vegetable home gardens is, therefore, a feasible strategy to improve water use efficiency, and to intensify crop yield, which directly contributes towards the sustainability of livelihoods of smallholder farmers in the region.
3 Assefa, T.; Jha, M.; Reyes, M.; Worqlul, A. W.; Doro, L.; Tilahun, S. 2020. Conservation agriculture with drip irrigation: effects on soil quality and crop yield in Sub-Saharan Africa. Journal of Soil and Water Conservation, 75(2):209-217. [doi: https://doi.org/10.2489/jswc.75.2.209]
Conservation agriculture ; Drip irrigation ; Soil quality ; Crop yield ; Forecasting ; Agricultural policy ; Conventional tillage ; Crop production ; Environmental modelling / Africa South of Sahara / United Republic of Tanzania / Ghana / Ethiopia / Dangishita / Robit / Yemu / Mkindo
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H049628)
(0.66 MB)
The traditional agriculture production system in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) caused significant soil erosion and degradation of soil quality. In addition, dependability of rainfall for irrigation needs limits the crop production. Advanced agricultural practices are thus needed at the local level to sustain the livelihood of smallholder farmers in the region. In this study, conservation agriculture (CA) practice with drip irrigation technology was compared (using field experiments and watershed modeling) with the traditional conventional tillage (CT) practice for its potential in improving soil quality and crop productivity in the region. Biophysical data were collected (2015 to 2017) from a total of 43 paired plots (CA and CT) at four study sites in SSA: Dangishita and Robit in Ethiopia, Yemu in Ghana, and Mkindo in Tanzania. The Agricultural Policy/Environmental eXtender (APEX) model was calibrated and validated with reasonable efficiency in simulating crop yields for both CA and CT practices; average PBIAS =±12% and =±11%, for CA and CT. The impact of the CA system on soil quality (soil carbon [C] and nitrogen [N]) was analyzed based on the well-tested model prediction results. The total C and N were increased under CA across the study sites on average by 6% and 4.1%, when compared to CT over the study period. Both the experiment and model prediction showed that crop yield was significantly improved by CA—on average 37.4% increases across the sites when compared to CT. Conservation agriculture with drip irrigation was an efficient local strategy to improve crop production in the region while enhancing the ecosystem.
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