Agroforestry: A Triple Win for Mixed Farming Systems in Central Rift Valley, Ethiopia

Ogola Robert John Ouko

doi:10.7176/jbah/10-4-01

Abstract

The Ethiopian Central Rift Valley floor faces various challenges related to reducing food insecurity, degraded ecosystems and climate change. Farming in the lower valley region is largely done under rainfed conditions, and the area’s overreliance on agriculture and its very low levels of irrigation make it singularly vulnerable to the vagaries of its highly variable and changing climate. This study sought to answer the question of the effect of agroforestry as a Climate Smarts Agriculture (CSA) strategy option to improve food productivity in a mixed farming system at farm-level in Central Rift Valley, Ethiopia. To extrapolate current agricultural practices into the future, WOFOST (World Food Studies simulation model) was used to simulate the yields under the effect of climate change. For the business as usual it was assumed that the strategies currently used by farmers remained the same in the future that is application of synthetic fertiliser and unavailability of irrigation systems. However, a few parameters were changed due to climate change such as amount of CO 2 in the atmosphere. The parameters that were changed included temperature, PAR, soil moisture and nitrogen deposition. WOFOST results were based on historical weather data (1979 – 2015) and future data (2020-2050).The results of this study showed a positive effect of agroforestry in combination with enhanced manure management. This study recommends using agroforestry with enhanced manure management as a climate smart strategy that will improve all CSA pillars. The multiple benefits associated with agroforestry, when managed well, are a viable option for smallholder farmers of the Central Rift Valley of Ethiopia. Keywords: Crop Simulation Model, WOFOST modelling, Agroforestry DOI: 10.7176/JBAH/10-4-01 Publication date: February 29 th 2020

Highlights

To research whether agroforestry is a suitable climate-smart option for farmers in the Central Rift Valley (CRV) this study proposes a main research question: What is the effect of agroforestry as a Climate Smarts Agriculture (CSA) strategy option to improve food productivity in a mixed farming system at farm-level in CRV, Ethiopia?
Faidherbia albida is leguminous tree that is grown across Sub Saharan Africa, including Ethiopia, and is a suitable candidate for agroforestry for multiple reasons: it has a deep tap-root, making it drought resistant and reducing competition for water, it fixes nitrogen and increases soil fertility and has it loses its leaves during the growing season (“reverse phenology”) and reducing light competition(Dilla et al, 2019; Garrity et al, 2010; Sida, Baudron, Kim, et al, 2018)
The study revealed that the combined effects of agroforestry and enhanced manure management is a strategy that is climate smart according to the three CSA pillars

Summary

Introduction

Background of the study In the Central Rift Valley (CRV) of Ethiopia, agricultural production is the main source of food and income to most rural communities, adaptation of the agricultural sector to the negative effects of climate change will be very vital to protect the livelihood of the poor and to ensure food security for their families. In the CRV there are two different farming systems present: the highlands and the lowlands (Silva et al, 2019). The scope of this study focussed on the farming systems in the lowlands, since the impact of climate change is likely be more severe in this area than at higher altitude. It is assumed that a farmer has 2 hectares of land available for cropping maize and 4 cows. The following models have been used in this case study; gfdlesm2m, hadgem2-es, ipsl-cm5a-lr, miroc-esm-chem and noresm1-m

Methods

Results

Conclusion