Your search found 5 records
1 Tamene, L.; Adimassu, Zenebe; Ellison, J.; Yaekob, D.; Woldearegay, K.; Mekonnen, K.; Thorne, P.; Bao Le, Q. 2017. Mapping soil erosion hotspots and assessing the potential impacts of land management practices in the highlands of Ethiopia. Geomorphology, 292:153-163. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2017.04.038]
Land management ; Land degradation ; Highlands ; Soils ; Erosion ; Sediment transport ; Erosion control ; Models ; Participatory approaches ; Soil conservation ; Water conservation ; Slopes ; Gully erosion ; Cultivated land ; Grazing lands ; Spatial distribution / Ethiopia / Basona District
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H048134)
An enormous effort is underway in Ethiopia to address soil erosion and restore overall land productivity. Modelling and participatory approaches can be used to delineate erosion hotspots, plan site- and context-specific interventions and assess their impacts. In this study, we employed a modelling interface developed based on the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation adjusted by the sediment delivery ratio to map the spatial distribution of net soil loss and identify priority areas of intervention. Using the modelling interface, we also simulated the potential impacts of different soil and water conservation measures in reducing net soil loss. Model predictions showed that net soil loss in the study area ranges between 0.4 and 88 t ha- 1 yr- 1 with an average of 12 t ha- 1 yr- 1. The dominant soil erosion hotspots were associated with steep slopes, gullies, communal grazing and cultivated areas. The average soil loss observed in this study is higher than the tolerable soil loss rate estimated for the highland of Ethiopia. The scenario analysis results showed that targeting hotspot areas where soil loss exceeds 10 t ha- 1 yr- 1 could reduce net soil loss to the tolerable limit (< 2 t ha- 1 yr- 1). The spatial distribution of soil loss and the sediment yield reduction potential of different options provided essential information to guide prioritization and targeting. In addition, the results can help promoting awareness within the local community of the severity of the soil erosion problem and the potential of management interventions. Future work should include cost-benefit and tradeoff analyses of the various management options for achieving a given level of erosion reduction.
2 Tamene, L.; Yaekob, T.; Mekonnen, K.; Woldearegay, K.; Adimassu, Zenebe; Ellison, J.; Gurmessa, B.; Alene, T.; Dubale, W.; Kassie, G.; Thorne, P.. 2019. Landscape management: Africa RISING [Research in Sustainable Intensification for the Next Generation] project R4D experiences in the Ethiopian highlands. In Mekonnen, K.; Yasabu, S.; Gebremedhin, B.; Woldemeskel, E.; Tegegne, A.; Thorne, P. (Eds.). Proceedings of a Workshop and Exhibition on Promoting Productivity and Market Access Technologies and Approaches to Improve Farm Income and Livelihoods in Ethiopia: Lessons from Action Research Projects, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 8-9 December 2016. Nairobi, Kenya: International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI). pp.55-59.
Landscape conservation ; Agricultural research for development ; Projects ; Highlands ; Land management ; Water management ; Technology ; Stakeholders / Africa / Ethiopia / Debre Birhan / Hosanna
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H049336)
https://cgspace.cgiar.org/bitstream/handle/10568/102356/AR_proceedings_2019.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H049336.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H049336.pdf
(1.14 MB) (6.23 MB)
3 Yaekob, T.; Tamene, L.; Gebrehiwot, S. G.; Demissie, S. S.; Adimassu, Zenebe; Woldearegay, K.; Mekonnen, K.; Amede, T.; Abera, W.; Recha, J. W.; Solomon, D.; Thorne, P.. 2022. Assessing the impacts of different land uses and soil and water conservation interventions on runoff and sediment yield at different scales in the central highlands of Ethiopia. Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems, 37(S1):S73-S87. (Special issue: Restoring Degraded Landscapes and Fragile Food Systems) [doi: https://doi.org/10.1017/S1742170520000010]
Land use ; Soil conservation ; Erosion ; Water conservation ; Impact assessment ; Highlands ; Watersheds ; Runoff ; Sediment yield ; Discharges ; Soil loss ; Hydrological factors ; Rain / Ethiopia / Gudo Beret
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H049533)
https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/4F63E376EE1DAEB257043E7197E5B060/S1742170520000010a.pdf/assessing_the_impacts_of_different_land_uses_and_soil_and_water_conservation_interventions_on_runoff_and_sediment_yield_at_different_scales_in_the_central_highlands_of_ethiopia.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H049533.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H049533.pdf
(1.41 MB) (1.41 MB)
To tackle the problem of soil erosion and moisture stress, the government of Ethiopia introduced a yearly mass campaign where communities get together and implement various soil and water conservation (SWC) and water harvesting (WH) practices. Although the interventions are believed to have reduced soil erosion/sediment yield and enhanced surface and ground water, quantitative information on the impacts of various options at different scales is scarce. The objective of this study was to assess the impacts different land uses, SWC and WH interventions on water and suspended sediment yield (SSY) at plot and watershed scales in the central highlands of Ethiopia. Standard erosion plot experiments and hydrological stations were used to monitor the daily water and SSY during 2014 to 2017. The results show differences between treatments both at plot and watershed scales. Runoff and soil loss were reduced by an average 27 and 37%, respectively due to SWC practices at the plot level. Overall, SWC practices implemented at the watershed level reduced sediment yield by about 74% (in the year 2014), although the magnitude of sediment reduction due to the SWC interventions reduced over time. At both scales it was observed that as the number of years since SWC measures have been in place increased, their effectiveness declined due to the lack of maintenance. This study also revealed that extrapolating of plot data to watershed scale causes over or under estimation of net erosion.
4 Gebreyes, M.; Mekonnen, K.; Thorne, P.; Derseh, M.; Adie, A.; Mulema, A.; Kemal, S. A.; Tamene, L.; Amede, T.; Haileslassie, Amare; Gebrekirstos, A.; Mupangwa, W. T.; Ebrahim, M.; Alene, T.; Asfaw, A.; Dubale, W.; Yasabu, S. 2021. Overcoming constraints of scaling: critical and empirical perspectives on agricultural innovation scaling. PLoS ONE, 16(5):e0251958. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0251958]
Agricultural innovation systems ; Scaling ; Strategies ; Agricultural research ; Development projects ; CGIAR ; Farming systems ; Farmers ; Constraints ; Social aspects / Africa / Ethiopia / Amhara / Oromia / Tigray / Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region (SNNPR)
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H050439)
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0251958&type=printable
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H050439.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H050439.pdf
(0.76 MB) (778 KB)
Scaling is a ubiquitous concept in agricultural research in the global south as donors require their research grantees to prove that their results can be scaled to impact upon the livelihoods of a large number of beneficiaries. Recent studies on scaling have brought critical perspectives to the rather technocratic tendencies in the agricultural innovations scaling literature. Drawing on theoretical debates on spatial strategies and practical experience of agricultural innovation scaling in Ethiopia, this paper adds to the current debate on what constitutes scaling and how to overcome critical scaling constraints. The data for the paper came from a qualitative assessment using focus group discussions, key informant interviews, and document analysis on scaling work done in Ethiopia by a USAID-funded research for development project. The paper concludes with four broad lessons for the current understating of agricultural innovation scaling. First, scaling of agricultural innovations requires a balanced focus on technical requirements and associated social dynamics surrounding scaling targets, actors involved and their social relations. Second, appreciating the social dynamics of scaling emphasizes the fact that scaling is more complex than a linear rolling out of innovations towards diffusion. Third, scaling may not be strictly planned; instead, it might be an extension of the innovation generation process that relies heavily on both new and long-term relationships with key partners, trust, and continuous reflection and learning. Fourth, the overall implication of the above three conclusions is that scaling strategies need to be flexible, stepwise, and reflective. Despite the promises of flourishing scaling frameworks, scaling strategies it would appear from the Africa RISING experience that, if real impact is to be achieved, approaches will be required to be flexible enough to manage the social, processual and emergent nature of the practice of scaling.
5 Hammond, J.; van Wijk, M.; Teufel, N.; Mekonnen, K.; Thorne, P.. 2021. Assessing smallholder sustainable intensification in the Ethiopian highlands. Agricultural Systems, 194:103266. [doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agsy.2021.103266]
Sustainable intensification ; Sustainable agriculture ; Smallholders ; Highlands ; Agricultural production ; Agricultural productivity ; Farming systems ; Food security ; Farm income ; Households ; Social welfare ; Indicators ; Livestock / Ethiopia / Basona Worena / Endamehoni / Lemo / Sinana
(Location: IWMI HQ Call no: e-copy only Record No: H050757)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308521X21002195/pdfft?md5=ee7472c205b62289906c81ea8a68ba86&pid=1-s2.0-S0308521X21002195-main.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H050757.pdf
https://vlibrary.iwmi.org/pdf/H050757.pdf
(7.71 MB) (7.71 MB)
CONTEXT: Sustainable intensification is one approach to increasing food production without undermining sustainability goals. In recent years new tools and indicators have been developed for broad-based assessment of sustainable intensification. However, most of these tools have been applied at field level and assessing individual technologies, while integrated assessments of multiple novel practices at farm-to-village level are lacking.
OBJECTIVE: In this study we develop and apply a data collection, analysis, and interpretation approach that results in a replicable and rapid method for a multi-variate assessment of sustainable intensification.
METHODS: Drawing on a survey of 779 participant farmers, and using the Sustainable Intensification Assessment Framework, we quantified 27 indicators grouped into five domains: agricultural production, economics, environment, human welfare, and social. We applied an expert-led threshold setting exercise to re-scale indicators, permitting aggregated and dis-aggregated visualisation onto a common axis. We developed a graphic evaluation approach to communicate the multiple domain and indicator scores and applied this approach to quantify trade-offs and synergies related to agricultural productivity in four contrasting sites in Ethiopia.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: In each site there was a notable and significant gradient of production intensity, although average crop and livestock productivity remained well below attainable levels. Higher levels of productivity were correlated with higher scores in the economic, social and agricultural domains, and in some sites they were also positively correlated with the human welfare and environmental domains. In no case was increased production intensity correlated with lower scores in any of the sustainability domains, indicating that in these relatively low-intensity systems increases in productivity will go hand-in-hand with improvements in most other sustainability domains. Synergies can overrule trade-offs in these smallholder systems in Ethiopia, if managed well.
SIGNIFICANCE: This is one of very few studies of multiple sustainable intensification technologies implemented concurrently at the household to community level. Most studies focus on individual technologies or practices within specific niches of the farming system. The method could be developed further for efficient application to various large-scale development or intensification projects, and could potentially make use of existing smallholder information databases.
OBJECTIVE: In this study we develop and apply a data collection, analysis, and interpretation approach that results in a replicable and rapid method for a multi-variate assessment of sustainable intensification.
METHODS: Drawing on a survey of 779 participant farmers, and using the Sustainable Intensification Assessment Framework, we quantified 27 indicators grouped into five domains: agricultural production, economics, environment, human welfare, and social. We applied an expert-led threshold setting exercise to re-scale indicators, permitting aggregated and dis-aggregated visualisation onto a common axis. We developed a graphic evaluation approach to communicate the multiple domain and indicator scores and applied this approach to quantify trade-offs and synergies related to agricultural productivity in four contrasting sites in Ethiopia.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: In each site there was a notable and significant gradient of production intensity, although average crop and livestock productivity remained well below attainable levels. Higher levels of productivity were correlated with higher scores in the economic, social and agricultural domains, and in some sites they were also positively correlated with the human welfare and environmental domains. In no case was increased production intensity correlated with lower scores in any of the sustainability domains, indicating that in these relatively low-intensity systems increases in productivity will go hand-in-hand with improvements in most other sustainability domains. Synergies can overrule trade-offs in these smallholder systems in Ethiopia, if managed well.
SIGNIFICANCE: This is one of very few studies of multiple sustainable intensification technologies implemented concurrently at the household to community level. Most studies focus on individual technologies or practices within specific niches of the farming system. The method could be developed further for efficient application to various large-scale development or intensification projects, and could potentially make use of existing smallholder information databases.
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