Sustainable land management and its effects on water security and poverty: Evidence from a watershed intervention program in Ethiopia

Sustainable land management and its effects on water security and poverty: Evidence from a watershed intervention program in Ethiopia PDF Author: Kato, Edward
Publisher: Intl Food Policy Res Inst
ISBN:
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 32

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Book Description
This paper investigates the impacts of sustainable land management (SLM) on water security and poverty based on an evaluation of a watershed level SLM program promoted in Amhara regional state of Ethiopia. A household survey was conducted in two WLRC watersheds with SLM programming as well as complementary support and two adjacent watersheds without such programming. Our findings show that the SLM program significantly increased plot-level adoption of SLM practices, particularly of soil bunds and stone terraces. We also find that SLM contributes to water security for both crop and livestock production. Households in SLM-supported learning watersheds have more access to groundwater for irrigation and have higher crop yields for maize, mango and millet; have experienced improving water availability for livestock production in the past five years; and have higher income from livestock products than households in control watersheds. The positive impacts of SLM and complementary interventions on livestock income is attributed to the improved water security conditions in the learning watersheds, access to better animal forage planted along the SLM constructed structures, and animal vaccination and artificial insemination services that were part of the broader set of interventions. These findings further show that although SLM impacts were limited, the potential to improve welfare of smallholders across several livelihoods is enhanced when SLM is combined with other multifaceted complimentary interventions.

Sustainable land management and its effects on water security and poverty: Evidence from a watershed intervention program in Ethiopia

Sustainable land management and its effects on water security and poverty: Evidence from a watershed intervention program in Ethiopia PDF Author: Kato, Edward
Publisher: Intl Food Policy Res Inst
ISBN:
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 32

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Book Description
This paper investigates the impacts of sustainable land management (SLM) on water security and poverty based on an evaluation of a watershed level SLM program promoted in Amhara regional state of Ethiopia. A household survey was conducted in two WLRC watersheds with SLM programming as well as complementary support and two adjacent watersheds without such programming. Our findings show that the SLM program significantly increased plot-level adoption of SLM practices, particularly of soil bunds and stone terraces. We also find that SLM contributes to water security for both crop and livestock production. Households in SLM-supported learning watersheds have more access to groundwater for irrigation and have higher crop yields for maize, mango and millet; have experienced improving water availability for livestock production in the past five years; and have higher income from livestock products than households in control watersheds. The positive impacts of SLM and complementary interventions on livestock income is attributed to the improved water security conditions in the learning watersheds, access to better animal forage planted along the SLM constructed structures, and animal vaccination and artificial insemination services that were part of the broader set of interventions. These findings further show that although SLM impacts were limited, the potential to improve welfare of smallholders across several livelihoods is enhanced when SLM is combined with other multifaceted complimentary interventions.

Sustainable Land Management and Its Effects on Water Security and Poverty Evidence from a Watershed Intervention Program in Ethiopia

Sustainable Land Management and Its Effects on Water Security and Poverty Evidence from a Watershed Intervention Program in Ethiopia PDF Author: Kato Edward
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

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Book Description


Sustainable land management, gender, and agricultural productivity: Evidence from Ethiopia's fragile watershed observatory

Sustainable land management, gender, and agricultural productivity: Evidence from Ethiopia's fragile watershed observatory PDF Author: Kato, Edward
Publisher: Intl Food Policy Res Inst
ISBN:
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 4

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Book Description
Land degradation is a pressing global challenge, with three billion people residing in degraded landscapes. The global cost of land degradation is estimated to be about $300 billion per year, with Africa south of the Sahara accounting for 26 percent of the total global costs due to land-use and land-cover changes. In Ethiopia, it is estimated that more than 85 percent of land is moderately to severely degraded due to changes in land use and cover, costing the country an estimated US$4.3 billion annually. In order to halt further degradation and support essential restoration through sustainable land management (SLM) and related investments, the Water and Land Resource Center (WLRC) and its consortium of development partners established six learning watersheds in Central and North-Western Ethiopia with the ultimate goal of improving water security and crop and livestock productivity.

The sustainable land management program in the Ethiopian highlands: An evaluation of its impact on crop production

The sustainable land management program in the Ethiopian highlands: An evaluation of its impact on crop production PDF Author: Schmidt, Emily
Publisher: Intl Food Policy Res Inst
ISBN:
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 20

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Book Description
Agricultural productivity in the highlands of Ethiopia is threatened by severe land degradation, resulting in significant reductions in agricultural GDP. In order to mitigate ongoing erosion and soil nutrient loss in the productive agricultural highlands of the country, the government of Ethiopia initiated a Sustainable Land Management Program (SLMP) targeting 209 woredas (districts) in six regions of the country. This study evaluates the impact of SLMP on the value of agricultural production in select woredas by using a panel survey from 2010 to 2014. Whereas previous studies have used cross-sectional data and short timeframe field trials to measure sustainable land management (SLM) effects on agricultural productivity, this analysis exploits data collected over four years to assess impact. The results of this analysis show that participation by farmers in SLMP, regardless of the number of years of participation in the program, is not associated with significant increases in value of production. This may be due to several reasons. First, similar to previous studies, it is possible that longer term maintenance is necessary in order to experience significant benefits. For example, Schmidt and Tadesse (2014) report that farmers must maintain SLM for a minimum of seven years to reap benefits in value of production. Second, this analysis finds that value of production, as well as SLM investments, increased significantly in both treatment and non-treatment areas over the study period. Previous research has found that non-treatment neighbors learn from nearby program areas, and adopt technologies similar to programmed areas, which would dilute the impact measurement of program effects (Bernard et al. 2007; Angelucci and DiMaro 2010). Finally, it is important to note that kebeles that were not selected in the SLMP, but are downstream relative to a targeted kebele may receive indirect benefits through reduced flooding, increased water tables, etc. Thus, the impact of the SLMP may be underestimated in this analysis if non-program kebeles are benefiting indirectly from the program.

Determinants and impact of sustainable land and watershed management investments

Determinants and impact of sustainable land and watershed management investments PDF Author: Schmidt, Emily
Publisher: Intl Food Policy Res Inst
ISBN:
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 22

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Book Description
Ongoing debate over water resource management in the Nile basin and continuing land degradation in agricultural areas of Ethiopia suggest a need for efficient mechanisms to improve agricultural output in the Blue Nile basin in Ethiopia. Numerous econometric and hydrological models have been developed to assess the effects of sustainable land and watershed management (SLWM) investments, however these models fail to address the trade-offs faced by rural farmers in maintaining such structures. This study combines household survey data that evaluates the economic determinants of program sustainability with a detailed hydrological model that explores location specific effects of SLWMstructures.Household survey analysis suggests that households that invested in SLWMinfrastructure on their agricultural plots between 1992 and 2002 and subsequently maintained those structures had a 24 percent higher value of production in 2010 than farming households that did not make such SLWM investments. The location specific hydrological model analysis suggests that terraces on middle and steep slope areas have the largest benefit in terms of decreased runoff and sediment and increased agricultural yields. Utilizing the results from the econometric and hydrological model, a systems model is constructed to analyze investment packages. Results suggest that the benefit of implementing only terracing on steep and mid-slope terrain does not outweigh the cost of foregone off-farm labor opportunities nor compensate for a fall in the price of agricultural output (due to increased supply). However, more comprehensive investments (such as increased fertilizer use with SLWM) show economically significant increases in household income, suggesting that a packaged investment approach is needed to reap welfare benefits from investments in SLWM infrastructure at farm level.

Gender gaps in sustainable land management and implications for agricultural productivity: Evidence from Ethiopia

Gender gaps in sustainable land management and implications for agricultural productivity: Evidence from Ethiopia PDF Author: Kato, Edward
Publisher: Intl Food Policy Res Inst
ISBN:
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 33

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Book Description
We investigate whether a large-scale watershed program promoting sustainable land management (SLM) in Ethiopia increases adoption of SLM and its benefits on plots owned by women in male-headed households compared to plots owned by their spouses, jointly owned plots as well as plots of female headed households (FHH). The analysis is based on a survey of 500 households and 2900 plots conducted in the Abbay basin of Ethiopia where the SLM program was implemented between 2012 and 2017. Our findings show that the SLM program significantly increased adoption of SLM practices (soil bunds, stone terraces, mulching) in male-headed households but that adoption was centered on jointly owned plots and male-owned plots, with no significant adoption on women-owned plots. The results also show that women in male-headed households are more constrained to participate in SLM programs compared to their counterparts in FHH. Results further show that although FHH were less likely than male-headed households to adopt SLM in watersheds with no SLM interventions, the SLM program significantly increased adoption of soil bunds on plots in FHH. SLM adoption and impacts can likely be further strengthened if a focus on removing women’s constraints is added.

Policy Analysis for Sustainable Land Management and Food Security in Ethiopia

Policy Analysis for Sustainable Land Management and Food Security in Ethiopia PDF Author: Stein Terje Holden
Publisher: Intl Food Policy Res Inst
ISBN: 0896291456
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 86

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Book Description
Policymakers and technology development institutions have mostly focused on high-potential farming areas, which have better resource endowments and greater access to markets and infrastructure than less-favored areas. However, in developing nations more than one billion people live in less-favored areas, where, despite disadvantages, appropriate policies and programs can generate high returns and contribute significantly to poverty reduction. IFPRI and its partners' research in the highlands of Ethiopia shows how poverty and land degradation can be reduced in a less-favored area. Using a bioeconomic model to analyze the effects that land degradation, population growth, stagnant technology, market imperfections, and increased risk of drought have on household production, welfare, and food security, the report gauges how alternative policy choices affect poverty and land degradation. According to the study, land quality and household welfare are both in peril in the Ethiopian highlands.The population in the region could suffer devastating effects if proper policies are not put in place. The bioeconomic modeling approach used in this study can be usefully adapted and applied in many other settings and at larger spatial and socioeconomic scales.

Evaluating the impact of multi-intervention development projects: The case of Ethiopia’s community-based integrated natural resources management project

Evaluating the impact of multi-intervention development projects: The case of Ethiopia’s community-based integrated natural resources management project PDF Author: Abate, Gashaw Tadesse
Publisher: Intl Food Policy Res Inst
ISBN:
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 52

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Book Description
This paper provides a quantitative impact assessment of the community-based integrated natural resources management project (CBINReMP) in the Lake Tana region in Ethiopia during 2011-2019. By promoting greater community participation, the CBINReMP provided support to watershed communities for the restoration of degraded soils and water sources, rehabilitation of forests, as well as in obtaining access to secure land titles and practices for climate change adaptation. The project further provided support towards diversification of incomes in off-farm activities and incentives for women’s empowerment and youth employment. This way the project aimed to support rural livelihoods through improvements in household incomes, dietary diversity, agricultural productivity, and resilience to climatic shocks, among other livelihood objectives. To assess the project’s impacts, the study had to deal with numerous methodological complications owing to as the project’s nature and design. The lack of a proper baseline survey, incomplete information about targeted watershed communities and often lack of clear distinction lines between the project’s interventions and support provided to communities through other mechanisms made it hard to identify the true impact of the CBINReMP. Four additional challenges had to be faced: possible selection biases because of non-random placement (targeting) of the project; self-selection of beneficiaries into receiving the project; possible spatial spill-over effects of project benefits to non-treatment communities, and the project’s phased rollout. A propensity-score matching procedure was adopted to assess the CBINReMP’s impacts by comparing treatment (beneficiary) and control groups outcomes related to the livelihood indicators listed above. This paper discusses how the mentioned complications were addressed to provide a sound assessments of the project’s true impacts. While certain limitations remain, the key finding that can be drawn with confidence is that the CBINReMP had only very limited, quantitatively verifiable impact on rural livelihoods. It seems to have contributed to higher household incomes and some greater dietary diversity, but only where the project managed greater community participation. However, even for those beneficiaries, livelihood conditions had not become significantly more productive, diversified, resilient, or sustainable than those of the comparison group. The paper ends with recommendations on how to avoid methodological obstacles through better design of the M&E framework for multi-intervention, community-based projects.

Policies for Sustainable Land Management in the Highlands of Ethiopia

Policies for Sustainable Land Management in the Highlands of Ethiopia PDF Author: Mohammad Abdul Jabbar
Publisher: ILRI (aka ILCA and ILRAD)
ISBN: 9789291460885
Category : Land use
Languages : en
Pages : 72

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Book Description


Land and Water Degradation in Ethiopia

Land and Water Degradation in Ethiopia PDF Author: Assefa M. Melesse
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 9783031602504
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
Water is life for all human beings and is essential for sustainable economic development. Access to freshwater is a fundamental human right. Ensuring access to safe drinking water and sanitation is vital for economic growth, poverty reduction and enhancement of human well-being. Yet, uncertain global water availability compounded by factors such as climate change and land degradation have made meeting the growing water demand a daunting task for many communities. The world is facing an unprecedented climate crisis, intricately linked with water resources. We have witnessed frequent and intense hydrologic extremes (floods and droughts). In the past decade alone, floods, storms, droughts, and other weather-related events accounted for over 90% of natural disasters. Water, being at the center of national policies of many countries, the impact of climate change on water resources extends across multiple sectors including energy production, food security, health, environmental conservation, and economic development. Research has shown that climate change has impacted the hydrologic cycle, affected the availability and predictability of water, and hence threatened the efforts of poverty reduction and economic development. These impacts are more pronounced in developing countries, exacerbating existing socioeconomic challenges, and hindering progress towards self-sufficiency in food, water, and energy production. The impact of climate change on these countries is further aggravated by land degradation, land use changes, unsustainable agricultural practices, poor watershed management and ecological degradation and loss of biodiversity. This book aims to explore these issues, with chapters dedicated to examining land and water degradation, water quality, irrigation, groundwater management, land use dynamics and the impacts of climate change on freshwater resources in Ethiopia.