improving farmers resilience to climate change in mountainous areas of southern ethiopia
TRANSCRIPT
Improving farmers resilience to climate change in mountainous areas of southern Ethiopia through the introduction and diffusion of
practices integrating soil and water conservation and diversified fodder production
Location of the case study
Key elements to understand the context
• High population density, still increasing (500inhab. km² on average)• Few off-farm activities opportunities Þ Pressure on land : 0.5 ha for self-consumption (people and animals)
+ for income generatingÞ More intensive land uses Þ Decrease of natural resources availability:
(pasture, wood, fodder)• Open grazing on crop fields• Mountainous landscapeÞ Increases soil sensitivity to erosion Þ Severe soil quality deterioration
Critical situation exacerbated by Climate changes => regular food crisis
Consequences of climate change
• Late rains Late sowingsLonger soil exposure to wind
and sun
• Lack of rainLess soil moistureLess harvest
• Extended rainDamage harvests
• Heavy rains Increase soil erosionDamage crops and yields
Analysis of data collected between February and April 2015
3 main challenges
The vital need to intensify farm
production in a context of population
pressure
The necessity to adapt farming
practices to face climate change
The necessity to preserve the environment
Central innovation: combining soil conservation and biomass production
An innovation reinforced by 3 aspects1) The multiplication of vegetative material in individual backyard nurseries
Pennisetum Riparium seedlings produced in individual backyard nurseries
2) The promotion of diversified fodder production associating grass and legumes
An innovation reinforced by 3 aspects
Pennisetum Riparium + Pigeon pea Pennisetum purpureum + sesbania spps as fence
Pennisetum Riparium + alfalfa Pennisetum spps + dismodium spps
An innovation reinforced by 3 aspects
3) The collaboration with traditional local organization called “ Iddirs”
-Development agents from Ministry of Agriculture- Research centres (ILRI)-Traditional ‘Iddir’ groups and Peer farmers- IA local teams
Collaboration between various stakeholders
Indicators of adoption15 731 families
2154 km
Main criteria for adoption
Compatible
Simple
Possible to try
Observable
Collaboration with existing traditional organizationCompatible with existing cut and carry practices Very palatable, good for animal nutrition
Easy to multiply, to grow, to maintain, to harvest
Easy to test, without taking too much risk
SWC structures easy to see among farmers fieldsFodder market increasing
various relative advantages: - SWC structures planted => Stabilized/stronger so sustainable - Fodder production => generate income, good animal feed
Relative advantage
Added value and impacts of the innovation
Soil and water conservation
Optimization of rainfall
Intensification and
diversification of farm production
Spreading of production
Better control of open-grazing
Limited uses of enset for animal
feed
Thank you for your attention
Key elements to understand the contextAppropriate area for agriculture : - fertile soils,- 2 seasons for cultivation
Enset and root crop based farmingA mixed cropping and breeding farming system
Presentation of the innovation
Main objective of the program: To find innovative technical solutions to address environmental issues while providing families with practical productive alternatives,
combining both rapid and long-term impacts
Perspectives and expectations from the study
To build up 17 years of experience in order to:
- Set down the methodology of the implementation of the innovation
- Produce various documents to share with different stakeholders: farmers, actors from the Ministry of Agriculture, research centres, other NGO
- Evaluate and measure the success factors and limits for adoption
- Analyse the opportunities and mechanisms for scaling up- Look for new solutions
Pictures of diversified fodder productionIntercropping of grass and legumes in permanent fodder plot
Evaluation of the results
a) Feeling of farmers about the consequences of vegetalized SWC structures on their land
b) Farmers feeling about soil fertility maintenance after 4 to 5 years of anti-erosive
structures establishment
Evaluation of the results
a) Percentage of farmers from different social classes fattening animals before and after fodder production
b) Annual price variation of 1m2 of P.Riparium
100 m of fodder can generate a profit of 400 to 600 birr a year (depending of the productivity and price variability)