Your search found 11 records
1 Mekuria, Wolde. 2013. Conversion of communal grazing lands into exclosures restored soil properties in the semi-arid lowlands of northern Ethiopia. Arid Land Research and Management, 27(2):153-166. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/15324982.2012.721858]
Grazing lands ; Common lands ; Soil properties ; Soil organic matter ; Soil sampling ; Soil conservation ; Lowland ; Vegetation ; Biomass ; Climate change / Northern Ethiopia / Raya-azebo District / Alemata District / Tanqua-abergele District
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H045710)
(0.41 MB)
In the semi-arid tropics, communal grazing lands provide a livelihood for millions of people.However, it is highly threatened by overgrazing and continuous land degradation and, as a result, proper management is important to improve the livelihood of the people. This study investigated the effectiveness of exclosures established on communal grazing lands to restore soil properties and identified the relationship among soil properties, site and vegetation characteristics, and exclosure age. A space-for-time substitution approach to detect changes in soil properties following the establishment of exclosures on communal grazing lands was used. Replicated (n¼3) 5-, 10-, and 15-year-old exclosures were selected and paired, each exclosure with an adjacent communal grazing land. All exclosures showed higher soil organic matter (OM), total soil nitrogen (N), available phosphorus (P), and cation exchange capacity (CEC) than the adjacent grazing lands. The increases in soil properties between exclosures and grazing lands in the 0- to 0.2-m depth varied between 58 and 101% for OM, from 54 to 108% for N, from 26 to 128% for P, and from 18 to 28% for CEC over the grazing lands. Soil properties in exclosures and grazing lands showed significant (p<0.05) correlations with biomass and vegetation cover indicating that vegetation restoration is a key to restore degraded soils through exclosure establishment. Establishing exclosures on communal grazing lands can be effective in restoring the degraded soils in the semi-arid lowlands of Ethiopia. However, further studies are required on the ecological and economic benefits of future exclosures, as expansion of exclosure could cause grazing pressure on the remaining communal grazing lands.
2 Mekuria, Wolde; Langan, Simon; Noble, Andrew; Johnston, Robyn. 2014. Soil organic carbon and nutrient contents are not influenced by exclosures established in communal grazing land in Nile Basin, northern Ethiopia. In Rahman, A.; Ahmadi, R. (Eds.) International Institute of Chemical, Biological and Environmental Engineering (IICBEE) International Conference on Advances in Agricultural, Biological and Environmental Sciences (AABES), Dubai, UAE, 15-16 October 2014. Punjab, India: International Institute of Chemical, Biological & Environmental Engineering (IICBEE) pp.16-21. [doi: https://doi.org/10.15242/IICBE.C1014045]
Grazing lands ; Common lands ; Land degradation ; Soil properties ; Soil fertility ; Soil organic matter ; Carbon ; Ecosystem services ; Watersheds / Northern Ethiopia / Gomit Watershed / Nile Basin
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H046769)
(0.73 MB) (748 KB)
Land degradation through extensification of agriculture and overgrazing is an increasing problem across large expanses of the Ethiopian highlands that give rise to a loss in a range of ecosystem services. Ecological restoration through exclosure establishment has become increasingly important approach to reversing degraded ecosystems in Ethiopia and particularly in the Amhara regional state, northern Ethiopia. The present study was conducted in Nile basin, northern Ethiopia to investigate the changes in soil properties and nutrient contents following establishing exclosures on communal grazing lands. A space-for-time substitution approach to monitor changes in soil properties after conversion of communal grazing lands to exclosures with ages of establishment ranging from 1 to 7-years was used. In the 0- to 20- and 20- to 50-cm depths, significant (p < 0.05) differences in soil pH, exchangeable cations, cation exchange capacity, soil moisture content, and bulk density were observed among exclosures and between exclosures and communal grazing land. Communal grazing land displayed significantly higher soil total nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium compared to exclosures. However, differences between exclosures and grazing land in soil organic matter (SOM) content and soil organic carbon (SOC) stock were not significant (p > 0.05). The results demonstrated that exclosure age influenced SOM content and SOC stock. The lack of influence in soil nutrient and SOM contents as well as SOC stock after 7-year of exclosure establishment could be attributed to: (a) the favorable environment (e.g., better moisture content and soil pH) in exclosures, which results in increased SOM decomposition, and (b) better vegetation growth in exclosures, which consequently reduce soil nutrient content due to higher nutrient uptake by restored plants. Exclosures alone therefore cannot be regarded as a comprehensive short- or medium-term soil rehabilitation option.
3 Hellum, A.; Kameri-Mbote, P.; van Koppen, Barbara. (Eds.) 2015. Water is life: women’s human rights in national and local water governance in southern and eastern Africa. Harare, Zimbabwe: Weaver Press. 620p.
Human rights ; Gender ; Women ; Equity ; Ethnic groups ; Water resources ; Water governance ; Water scarcity ; Water rights ; Water law ; Water policy ; Domestic water ; Water use ; Water availability ; Water quality ; Water user associations ; Freshwater ; Sanitation ; Landscape ; Land ownership ; Land reform ; Common lands ; Legal aspects ; Legislation ; Economic aspects ; Political aspects ; Colonialism ; Social aspects ; Local authorities ; Rural areas ; Urban areas ; Suburban areas ; Irrigation schemes ; Small farms ; Standards ; Institutions ; Corporate culture ; Community organizations ; Multiple use ; Food security ; Households ; Living standards ; Case studies / South Africa / Kenya / Malawi / Zimbabwe / Africa South of Sahara / Nairobi / Mathare / Mpemba / Chileka / Harare / Domboshawa / Lake Naivasha Basin / Flag Boshielo Irrigation Scheme
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: IWMI Record No: H047293)
http://www.iwmi.cgiar.org/Publications/Books/PDF/water_is_life.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H047293_TOC.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H047293_TOC.pdf
(0.45 MB)
4 Sigwela, A.; Elbakidze, M.; Powell, M.; Angelstam, P. 2017. Defining core areas of ecological infrastructure to secure rural livelihoods in South Africa. Ecosystem Services, 27(Part B):272-280. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoser.2017.07.010]
Ecosystem services ; Living standards ; Ecological factors ; Land cover ; Common lands ; Spatial distribution ; Rural communities ; Indigenous peoples ; Urban areas ; Social structure ; Apartheid ; Strategies / South Africa / Tsitsa River Catchment
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H048528)
(1.82 MB)
Indigenous communities in South Africa are severely affected by land degradation and global climate change, which lead to decline in the provision of multiple ecosystem services (ES) important for rural livelihoods. Spatial planning towards functional ecological infrastructure (EI) for sustainable rural livelihoods requires evidence-based knowledge about what land covers are of most importance, why, and where they are located. This study identifies potential core areas of EI that deliver ES necessary for livelihoods of rural communities, as well as those land covers that provide disservices using the Tsitsa catchment in Eastern Cape, South Africa as a case study. Face-to-face structured interviews (n=308) were conducted to define rural and urban people's desired ES in the catchment's 23 land covers and the most unwanted land covers. Both urban and rural respondents from indigenous communities view rivers, grasslands and forest plantations as the most wanted land covers that provide multiple ES important for their livelihoods. The most unwanted are dongas, grasslands in poor condition, and barren rocks. We discuss the need for landscape restoration in order to sustain the provision of ES important for livelihoods of rural communities and develop strategies for EI management in communal lands.
5 Mekuria, Wolde; Getnet, Kindie; Yami, M.; Langan, Simon; Amare, D. 2021. Perception of communities when managing exclosures as common pool resources in northwestern Ethiopia. Land Degradation and Development, 32(1):35-48. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1002/ldr.3689]
Exclosures ; Natural resources management ; Land degradation ; Erosion ; Local communities ; Public opinion ; Watersheds ; Ecosystem services ; Common lands ; Grazing lands ; Vegetation ; Sustainability ; Government agencies ; Nongovernmental organizations ; Gender ; Women ; Decision making ; Living standards ; Households / Ethiopia / Gomit Watershed
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H049938)
(1.25 MB)
Understanding the different perceptions of the local community regarding the use and management of common pool resources, such as exclosures, could better support targeted interventions by government and development partners. Here, we report on a study conducted in the Gomit watershed, northwestern Ethiopia, using a survey and key informant interviews, to examine community perceptions on (a) the biophysical condition (i.e., challenge of land degradation and restoration), (b) the action situations (user's access to and control over resources and decision-making processes involved in taking actions in managing the exclosure), (c) actors' interactions (formal and informal institutions involved in the management of exclosures), and (d) perceived outcomes (benefits and tradeoffs of managing exclosures). Many people in the Gomit watershed recognize land degradation as a serious problem and believe that exclosures support restoration of degraded landscapes and improve ecosystem services. Informal institutions play a key role in managing exclosures by improving benefit sharing and mobilizing the local community for collective action. However, some community members have concerns about recent expansion of exclosures because of (a) limited short-term derived benefits, (b) reductions in fuelwood availability, (c) increased degradation of remaining communal grazing lands, and (d) poor participation of marginalized groups in decision making. Addressing such concerns through the promotion of short-term benefits of exclosures and increasing community participation in decision-making and benefit sharing is crucial. The study provides evidence to support government and development partners on the establishment and management of exclosures through identifying the benefits and drawbacks as perceived by different sectors of the community.
6 Suhardiman, Diana; Scurrah, N. 2021. Farmer’s agency and institutional bricolage in land use plan implementation in upland Laos. Land Use Policy, 104:105316. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2021.105316]
Land use planning ; Farmers organizations ; Institutional development ; Highlands ; Shifting cultivation ; Common lands ; Land tenure ; Collective action ; Adaptation ; Strategies ; Local communities ; Household food security ; Livelihoods ; Grazing lands ; Villages ; Case studies / Lao People's Democratic Republic / Houaphan / Pa Khom
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H050266)
(6.38 MB)
This paper looks at the (re)shaping of local institutional arrangements within the context of land use planning processes in Laos, bringing to light their dynamic and co-constitutive relationship. Taking Pa Khom village in Houaphan province as a case study, it examines how local tenure institutions are (re)produced, (re)assembled and adapted to mirror farmer’s livelihood strategies to meet households’ food security, while also conforming to the defined land use plan. Drawing on examples of changes in swidden agriculture and village grazing land arrangements introduced as part of land use planning, the paper highlights the important role played by local communities – acting autonomously, collectively and in relation to external agents – in reconfiguring the relationship between natural resources and institutional orders. It illustrates how farmers employ institutional bricolage to creatively assemble and reshape their land use arrangements to comply with the defined land use plan, thus ensuring it meets their locally embedded livelihood priorities, albeit with different distributional outcomes for various farm households. Linking farm households’ strategies with inter-household and village level institutional arrangements, the paper shows how institutional bricolage contributes to synergizing the different rationales behind land use planning processes.
7 Assefa, S.; Kessler, A.; Fleskens, L. 2021. Exploring decision-making in campaign-based watershed management by using a role-playing game in Boset District, Ethiopia. Agricultural Systems, 190:103124. (Online first) [doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agsy.2021.103124]
Watershed management ; Decision making ; Farmers ; Collective action ; Soil conservation ; Water conservation ; Strategies ; Awareness ; Learning ; Land cover ; Farmland ; Common lands ; Sustainability ; Income / Ethiopia / Boset / Ararso-Bero / Sara-Areda / Qachachule-Guja
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H050298)
(1.93 MB)
CONTEXT
The sustainability of the ongoing national Campaign-Based Watershed Management (CBWM) program in Ethiopia is questionable due to poor planning and implementation practices.
OBJECTIVE
This study analyzes farmers' decision-making in the CBWM program, and mutual learning and collective decisions among local actors in Boset District - Ethiopia.
METHODS
Role-Playing Game (RPG) was the main method of the study. In order to collect pertinent information during the game sessions, observation of farmers' behavior and group discussions were used. Descriptive statistics and qualitative analysis were employed to analyze game outputs.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS
Results show that farmers prefer to collectively work on private farmlands rather than on communal land. Furthermore, participation of farmers in campaign works was higher under a default-scenario (with control instruments), than under a willingness-scenario (without control instruments). In making decisions on their level of participation in campaign works, farmers followed the decisions of a fellow farmer they considered more knowledgeable. However, the participation of farmers in the maintenance of Soil and Water Conservation (SWC) structures was more or less the same under both scenarios. Both farmers' level of participation in campaign works and maintenance decisions were influenced by their proximity to the CBWM intervention areas (i.e. micro-watersheds) as well as their awareness and motivation. The commitment of local government actors was also crucial to enforce and encourage the farmers to participate in the program. Based on farmers' decisions in the RPG, none of the two scenarios simultaneously enhance the total land area covered with SWC structures and income of farmers. An important benefit of this game was that it stimulated mutual learning and collective decisions on micro-watersheds to be treated and alternative management strategies for the CBWM program. This revealed that there is a need to (1) motivate farmers through capacity building, (2) enhance the commitment of local government actors, and (3) introduce participatory planning to enhance mutual learning and collective decisions for sustainable watershed management.
SIGNIFICANCE
While directly applicable to the study area, these recommendations and the RPG (as a toolkit) are essential to enhance the outcomes and sustainability of collective watershed management initiatives in other parts of the world.
The sustainability of the ongoing national Campaign-Based Watershed Management (CBWM) program in Ethiopia is questionable due to poor planning and implementation practices.
OBJECTIVE
This study analyzes farmers' decision-making in the CBWM program, and mutual learning and collective decisions among local actors in Boset District - Ethiopia.
METHODS
Role-Playing Game (RPG) was the main method of the study. In order to collect pertinent information during the game sessions, observation of farmers' behavior and group discussions were used. Descriptive statistics and qualitative analysis were employed to analyze game outputs.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS
Results show that farmers prefer to collectively work on private farmlands rather than on communal land. Furthermore, participation of farmers in campaign works was higher under a default-scenario (with control instruments), than under a willingness-scenario (without control instruments). In making decisions on their level of participation in campaign works, farmers followed the decisions of a fellow farmer they considered more knowledgeable. However, the participation of farmers in the maintenance of Soil and Water Conservation (SWC) structures was more or less the same under both scenarios. Both farmers' level of participation in campaign works and maintenance decisions were influenced by their proximity to the CBWM intervention areas (i.e. micro-watersheds) as well as their awareness and motivation. The commitment of local government actors was also crucial to enforce and encourage the farmers to participate in the program. Based on farmers' decisions in the RPG, none of the two scenarios simultaneously enhance the total land area covered with SWC structures and income of farmers. An important benefit of this game was that it stimulated mutual learning and collective decisions on micro-watersheds to be treated and alternative management strategies for the CBWM program. This revealed that there is a need to (1) motivate farmers through capacity building, (2) enhance the commitment of local government actors, and (3) introduce participatory planning to enhance mutual learning and collective decisions for sustainable watershed management.
SIGNIFICANCE
While directly applicable to the study area, these recommendations and the RPG (as a toolkit) are essential to enhance the outcomes and sustainability of collective watershed management initiatives in other parts of the world.
8 Suhardiman, Diana; Scurrah, N. 2021. Institutional bricolage and the (re)shaping of communal land tenure arrangements: two contrasting cases in upland and lowland northeastern Laos. World Development, 147:105630. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2021.105630]
Common lands ; Land tenure systems ; Customary tenure ; Institutional development ; Highlands ; Lowland ; Land use planning ; Land access ; Land governance ; Collective action ; State intervention ; Political aspects ; Farmers ; Households ; Livelihoods ; Strategies ; Rural areas ; Villages ; Local communities ; Case studies / Lao People's Democratic Republic / Houaphan / Viengxay / Khouan / Navit / Pa Khom
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H050547)
(1.70 MB)
This article examines the factors shaping communal land tenure and livelihood practices in two villages in Houaphan province, Northeastern Laos. It employs the concept of institutional bricolage to show how local actors combine communal tenure, state intervention, donor programs and local power relations to (re)shape formal rules and day-to-day land tenure and livelihood practices. In particular, it highlights how state territorial strategies in lowland and upland rural spaces have differently shaped state interventions in communal land use and access, producing hybrid forms of communal land management rules and practices. The two cases highlight different processes by which communal tenure is eroded or adapted in the process of state incorporation, raising questions about competing authorities over land and the interests and objectives of different actors in land administration. The village cases illustrate how local communities’ (in)ability to shape, adapt, and reproduce institutional rules and arrangements pertaining to access and use of communal land is closely interlinked with: 1) how farm households perceive communal land tenure in relation to their livelihood options and farming strategies; 2) how power relations among local communities and between local communities and state actors shape decision-making processes and distributional outcomes; and 3) the role of the state in sustaining and advancing its control over land and how this changes over time.
9 Moreda, T. 2022. Beyond land rights registration: understanding the mundane elements of land conflict in Ethiopia. Journal of Peasant Studies, 30p. (Online first) [doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/03066150.2022.2120813]
Land rights ; Land registration ; Land conflicts ; Commercialization ; Land administration ; Land governance ; Land tenure ; Land dispute ; Common lands ; Land use ; Land resources ; Households ; Political ecology ; Case studies / Ethiopia / Amhara / Gondar / Tach Gayint / Fogera
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H051418)
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/03066150.2022.2120813
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H051418.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H051418.pdf
(2.50 MB) (2.50 MB)
While land registration may increase the sense of security amongst landholders and provide a mechanism for resolving boundary disputes, its interaction with social, political-economic and ecological dynamics can actually generate conflicts by creating new opportunities by which some actors can assert claims or expand their landholdings, often at the expense of others. Conflicts over land cannot be understood without understanding the local dynamics with which they are intertwined. Drawing from case studies in the Amhara region of Ethiopia, this paper shows that, despite land registration and certification, there are widespread conflicts within and between households and state authorities regarding the usufruct of individual and communal lands. The paper argues that conflicts over land are complex and political and are linked to and embedded in the processes of commercialization, as well as in local social processes and power relations. These, in turn, influence and are shaped by the political economy of local governance and land administration processes, particularly in relation to the implementation of land registration. The paper highlights that land conflicts are attributed to a range of issues, including not only the challenges of governance in land registration but also population growth, commercialization, urbanization, inheritance and gender inequality, all of which intersect with corrupt land administration systems .
10 Cho, M. A.; Mutanga, O.; Mabhaudhi, Tafadzwanashe. 2023. Understanding local actors’ perspective of threats to the sustainable management of communal rangeland and the role of Participatory GIS (PGIS): the case of Vulindlela, South Africa. South African Geographical Journal, 105(4):516-533. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/03736245.2023.2190153]
Sustainable land management ; Rangelands ; Common lands ; Local knowledge ; Participatory rural appraisal ; Geographical information systems ; Land governance ; Mapping ; Techniques ; Grazing lands ; Land productivity ; Ecological factors ; Socioeconomic aspects ; Pastoralists ; Communities ; Livelihoods ; Inclusion ; Assessment / South Africa / Vulindlela
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H051819)
(2.79 MB)
Rangelands in arid and semi-arid regions serve as grazing land for domesticated animals and therefore offer livelihood opportunities for most pastoral communities. Thus, the exposure of most rangelands in arid and semi-arid regions to threats that are associated with natural, social, economic, and political processes affects their capacity to provide socioeconomic and environmental support to the immediate and global communities. In spite of the effects of rangeland transformations on both the natural and human environment, the assessment of threats affecting rangeland productivity has often been approached from a conventional scientific perspective. Most existing literature is focused on the assessment of threats to the biophysical environment. As such the social dimension of rangeland threats is not well understood. This research employed participatory rural appraisal (PRA) and PGIS techniques to assess rangeland threats and management actions from a local perspective. The result revealed that local actors prioritize threats to their social and economic needs over threats to the biophysical environment and their preference is informed by the frequency and magnitude of the threats. The outcome of the research demonstrates the need to promote rangeland governance through interdisciplinary and inclusive participation in research and development.
11 Adem, A. A.; Wassie, T. M.; Gashaw, T.; Tilahun, Seifu A. 2024. Evaluation of exclosures in restoring degraded landscapes in the semi-arid highlands of northwestern Ethiopia. Catena, 237:107826. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2024.107826]
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H052560)
(9.38 MB)
Land degradation is a severe environmental problem in the northern and northwestern Ethiopian highlands. As a response to increasing land degradation, rehabilitation of degraded grazing lands through exclosures (exclusion of farmers and domestic animals) has been undertaken. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of 11 and 8-year exclosures in improving degraded landscapes in the Karita-Wuha and Dengora watersheds. It was assumed that the conditions on communal grazing lands at the time of the investigation corresponded to those at the establishment of exclosures. Vegetation was inventoried, and soil samples were collected and analyzed in 14 and 21 sampling sites selected from exclosures and communal grazing lands in Dengora and Karita-Wuha watersheds, respectively. Sampling plots (20 × 20 m) were established for soil sampling. In the two land uses, 10x10 m and 5x5 m sub-plots were used to survey trees and bushes/shrubs, respectively. Richness, diversity, evenness, and aboveground biomass (AGB) were evaluated using measurements from the vegetation inventory. Organic carbon (OC), total nitrogen (TN), and available phosphorus (AP) and their stocks were used as soil nutrient indicators. The result showed that exclosures aided in restoring vegetation in both watersheds and soil nutrient parameters in the Dengora watershed compared with communal grazing lands. In the Karita-Wuha watershed, there was significantly higher OC, TN, and their stocks in communal grazing land than exclosures (t-test, p < 0.05). These results are generally attributed to the fact that communal grazing lands were significantly degraded before exclosure and have yet to recover. As a result, exclosures of Dengora and Karita-Wuha watersheds were limited in restoring degraded landscapes. There have been differences in the effectiveness of < 11- and > 11-year exclosures in restoring degraded landscapes in the literature. The effectiveness of various aged exclosures in restoring degraded landscapes is likely variable and dependent on local biophysical parameters and land use systems.
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