Your search found 4 records
1 Bossio, D.; Erkossa, Teklu; Dile, Y.; McCartney, Matthew; Killiches, F.; Hoff, H. 2012. Water implications of foreign direct investment in Ethiopia’s agricultural sector. Water Alternatives, 5(2):223-242.
Agricultural sector ; Foreign investment ; Water resources ; Water use ; Water requirements ; Water consumption ; Land acquisitions ; Land leases ; Agreements ; River basins / Ethiopia
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H044916)
http://www.water-alternatives.org/index.php/alldoc/articles/vol5/v5issue2/167-a5-2-3/file
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H044916.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H044916.pdf
(0.71 MB) (727.46KB)
Ethiopia is often highlighted as a country in which a lot of foreign land acquisition is occurring. The extent to which these investments also constitute significant acquisitions of water is the subject of this paper. It is apparent that water availability is a strong driver of the recent surge of investments in agricultural land globally, and in general the investments occur in countries with significant 'untapped' water resources. Ethiopia is no exception. We propose that the perception of unused and abundant water resources, as captured in dominant narratives, that drives and justifies both foreign and domestic investments, fails to reflect the more complex reality on the ground. Based on new collections of lease information and crop modelling, we estimate the potential additional water use associated with foreign investments at various scales. As a consequence of data limitations our analyses provide only crude estimates of consumptive water use and indicate a wide range of possible water consumption depending on exactly how foreign direct investment (FDI) development scenarios unfold. However, they do suggest that if all planned FDI schemes are implemented and expanded in the near future, additional water consumption is likely to be comparable with existing water use in non-FDI irrigation schemes, and a non-trivial proportion of the country’s water resources will be effectively utilised by foreign entities. Hence, additional water use as well as local water scarcity ought to be strong considerations in regulating or pricing land leases. If new investments are to increase local food and water security without compromising local and downstream water availability they should be designed to improve often very low agricultural water productivity, and to safeguard access of local populations to water.
2 Lemenih, Mulugeta; Bossio, D.; Langan, Simon. 2012. Exploring ecosystem services contribution to social-ecological resilience in Ethiopian agricultural landscapes. [Presented at the Workshop on Rainfed Production under Growing Rain Variability: Closing the Yield Gap]. [Abstract only]. In Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI). Water and food security. Abstract volume, World Water Week in Stockholm, Sweden, 26-31 August 2012. Stockholm, Sweden: Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI). pp.134-135.
Agricultural landscape ; Ecosystems ; Sociology ; Ecology ; River basins ; Living standards ; Poverty / Africa South of Sahara
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H045048)
http://www.worldwaterweek.org/documents/Resources/Synthesis/Abstract-Volume-2012.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H045048.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H045048.pdf
(0.05 MB) (2.19MB)
3 Mekuria, Wolde; Noble, Andrew; Sengtaheuanghoung, O.; Hoanh, Chu Thai; Bossio, D.; Sipaseuth, N.; McCartney, Matthew; Langan, Simon. 2014. Organic and clay-based soil amendments increase maize yield, total nutrient uptake, and soil properties in Lao PDR. Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems, 38:936-961. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/21683565.2014.917144]
Soil amendments ; Soil properties ; soil organic matter ; Maize ; Rice husks ; Clay ; Nutrients ; Food security ; Food production ; Agricultural production ; Smallholders ; Bentonite ; Composts ; Biomass ; Land degradation / Lao People's Democratic Republic / Veunkham / Naphok
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H046584)
(0.29 MB)
In the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (PDR), increasing food security remains a challenge since smallholder agricultural systems, which are the main source of food production, are under serious threat due to poor soil fertility and climate variability. This study was undertaken in Lao PDR to investigate the impacts of organic and clay-based soil amendments on maize yield, total nutrient uptake, and soil properties. Structured field experiments were established over two consecutive years (2011 and 2012) with maize as the test crop at the Veunkham and Naphok sites. Ten treatments were applied in a randomized complete block design with three replications. The treatments were control, rice husk biochar (applied at a rate of 10 t ha-1), bentonite clay (10 t ha-1), compost (4 t ha-1), clay-manure compost (10 t ha-1), rice husk biochar compost (10 t ha-1), and their combinations. All treatments were applied in 2011. Significant (p < 0.05) treatment effects in maize grain yields, total nutrient uptake, and soil properties were observed. At Veunkham, differences between the control and amended soils in yield ranged from 0.9 to 3.3 t ha-1 in 2011 and from 0.2 to 1.3 t ha-1 in 2012, whereas differences at Naphok varied between 0.2 and 2.2 t ha-1 in 2011 and from 0.2 to 1.7 t ha-1 in 2012. At both sites, in most of the treatments, yields in 2012 were significantly (p < 0.05) lower than 2011; this was attributed to a late season drought. Differences between the control and amended soils in yield can be attributed to the improvements in total N and P uptake, soil pH, exchangeable Ca++ and Mg++, and cation-exchange capacity following the application of soil amendments. The results of this study confirm that the soil amendments under consideration can be effective in improving agricultural productivity, while improving key soil properties indicating that soil amendments could be an option for intensification of agricultural productivity.
4 DeClerck, F. A. J.; Jones. S. K.; Attwood, S.; Bossio, D.; Girvetz, E.; Chaplin-Kramer, B.; Enfors, E.; Fremier, A. K.; Gordon, L. J.; Kizito, F.; Noriega, I. L.; Matthews, N.; McCartney, Matthew; Meacham, M.; Noble, Andrew; Quintero, M.; Remans, S.; Soppe, R.; Willemen, L.; Wood, S. L. R.; Zhang, W. 2016. Agricultural ecosystems and their services: the vanguard of sustainability? Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability, 23:92-99. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cosust.2016.11.016]
Sustainable development ; Agriculture ; Farming systems ; Natural resources ; Ecosystem services ; Social welfare ; Environmental sustainability ; Landscape ; Biodiversity conservation ; Food security ; Food production ; Nutrition ; Farmland ; Diversification ; Social aspects
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H048008)
Sustainable Development Goals offer an opportunity to improve human well-being while conserving natural resources. Ecosystem services highlight human well-being benefits ecosystems, including agricultural ecosystems, provides. Whereas agricultural systems produce the majority of our food, they drive significant environmental degradation. This tension between development and environmental conservation objectives is not an immutable outcome as agricultural systems are simultaneously dependents, and providers of ecosystem services. Recognizing this duality allows integration of environmental and development objectives and leverages agricultural ecosystem services for achieving sustainability targets. We propose a framework to operationalize ecosystem services and resilience-based interventions in agricultural landscapes and call for renewed efforts to apply resilience-based approaches to landscape management challenges and for refocusing ecosystem service research on human well-being outcomes.
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