Improving farmers resilience to climate change in mountainous areas of southern ethiopia

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)