Site updates - Jeldu, Diga & Fogera

Alan Duncan, Gerba Leta, Beth Cullen and Kebebe Ergano

NBDC Stakeholder Forum5 October 2011

Rainfall, altitude & agro ecologyWoreda Mean annual RF (mm) &

its distribution Altitude (m asl) Agro-ecology (%)

Jeldu 900-1350 (unpredictable with erratic & erosive nature)

1325-3200 •Lowland (25), • Midland (30) &• Highland (45)

Fogera 974-1516 (Poor distribution/erratic)

1774-2400 •Midland/plain(75) •Highland (25)

Diga 1376-2037 (well distributed and some high intensity events)

1140-2342 •Midland (40)•Lowland (60)

Predominant crops and farming systems of the sites

Woreda Predominant crops along agro-ecology

Highland Midland Lowland

Jeldu Barley, wheat, potato-livestock

Wheat, barley, teff-livestock

Sorghum, maize, teff-livestock

Fogera Barley, Niger seed, wheat, –livestock

Rice, maize, millet, teff-livestock

----

Diga --- Teff, millet, maize-livestock

Maize, sorghum, sesame-livestock

Source: WoARD

Crop-livestock contribution to the livelihood (source of income)

Woreda Percent contribution (on average)

Livestock Crop Jeldu 30 70

Diga 30 70

Fogera 33 67

Livestock numbers

Historical trends in land use/cover

• High population growth• Forest clearing for cultivation is a dominant trend

particularly in Jeldu & Diga• Soils are fragile• Land degradation has become the critical problem in all

three woredas• NRM interventions were introduced during the Derg

regime as part of the response to the great Ethiopian famine. The approach has been top-down.

• Other than in Fogera, the current efforts to arrest and reverse the growing land degradation problem is marginal

Land feature & soil types

Woreda Land feature Soil types Jeldu Undulating /rolling/ •Diverse shallow soil (Leptic)*

•Growing acidity•Poor fertility mng’t practices

Fogera Flat plain and steep highland Utric vertisol (plain) & leptosol (highland)*

Diga Undulating midland to relatively flat lowland

Dynamic soil types b/c changes in landuse- Histic Nitosols *is common •Acidity is widespread problem•Low fertility mng’t practices

* Specific soil types will be verified in the future

Innovation platform updates

Actio

n 2

NBDC

Local Research

NGO

Private sector

Woreda extension

Woreda water

Woreda admin

Champion farmers

Woreda offices

NBDC research

outputs

National research

Indigenous knowledge

Business ideas

CommComm

CommAction 1

Action 3

Platforms based around NRM

Diga• First meeting on 21/07/11• Actors: Government line departments, Bako Agricultural Research

Center, HUNDEE-Oromo Grassroots Development Initiative• Key land and water management constraints identified

– Population increase leading to cultivation of steep slopes and land deforestation, soil erosion etc.

– Limited understanding of land and water management problems and potential solutions

– Poor farming practices – Very short land use planning horizon by farmers. – Farmers’ limited knowledge of improved manage land and

water practices– Limited use of improved land and water management

technologies

Fogera

• First meeting held on 19/07/11• Participants: Government line departments, Adet Agricultural

Research Center, Ethio-Wetlands and Natural Resources Association, etc

• Key land and water management constraints identified – Free grazing featured strongly by many stakeholders– Soil erosion due to the absence of upstream afforestation– Improper use of new technologies– Limited access to markets– Under-developed markets for fruits and vegetables– Plant diseases

Jeldu• First meeting on 26/09/2011• Participants: Ambo university, GIZ-SLM Oromia, farmers, Holetta

Agricultural Research Center, Office of Agriculture, RIPPLE, Woreda Office of Administration, Woreda office of Environmental Protection and Land Administration, Woreda Office of Livestock Agency, Woreda Office of water, mining and Energy office

• Key land and water management constraints identified – Population pressure– Land shortage– Deforestation– Declining soil fertility– Water scarcity– Lack of awareness – Limited market access– Limited use of new technologies

Baseline diagnosis update

• Looked at planning, implementation, innovation and livelihoods issues

• Worked with researchers from ARARI, Bahir Dar University, Bako Research Centre, Wollega University, Ambo University and Holetta Research Centre (EIAR)

• Preliminary research orientation workshop development of research methods data collection analysis workshop site reports synthesis report

Highlights from Diga report

System failures– Top-down implementation and lack of

farmer/community participation seem to be major historical factors in deteriorating NRM practices.

– Community based institutions may have been weakened due to strong government intervention during the Derg regime.

– Despite having an improved overall NRM policy, present government implementation shows room for improvement

– Although current approaches are said to be participatory, this is debatable which has implications for long-term sustainability.

NRM base in flux

• NRM base has changed radically– Floods in rainy season, drought in dry season– Rivers drying up– Eucalypt planting along rivers problems– Scope for reforestation but distrust of govt to do

this

Collective action not working

• Planning and implementation– Most successful NRM activities are on farm and

initiated and carried out by farmers– Those requiring collective action are not working

due to previous efforts in which farmers have been co-opted and ownership has been lacking.

Farmer awareness

Many govt respondents stated

that “farmer awareness” was a major stumbling

block to progress – such attitudes are not conducive to building farmer

engagement.

Implementation

Land and water management interventions

Quotas

Campaigns

Farmers often destroy the results of Farmers often destroy the results of their work under collective schemes their work under collective schemes which is perhaps indicative of their which is perhaps indicative of their feelings towards these activities.feelings towards these activities.

There are prominent local traditional institutions There are prominent local traditional institutions and these demonstrate that collective action is and these demonstrate that collective action is possible if initiated by community members possible if initiated by community members themselves. Potential for harnessing these.themselves. Potential for harnessing these.

The DA Crisis DA’s have most contact with farmers but training is inadequate They are stuck in the middle of farmers and higher level govt. They pass info down to

farmers but info flow back does not happen easily. They are not listened to in planning process They are de-motivated and transmit this to farmers Capacity building for DAs and developing greater communication between DAs and

higher level actors could be important

Different perspectives on way forward

Govt needs to step in with NRM

approach which is strictly enforced in

order to address the severity of the

problems

There are issues with sustainability

due to lack of participation and

motivation of farmers and DAs at

lower levels