Gender assessment for women’s economic empowerment in Doyogena climate-smart landscape in Southern Ethiopia

Agricultural production systems in Ethiopia depend on seasonal rains, which are increasingly becoming variable, affecting the livelihoods of many farmers. Women in rural areas are more vulnerable to climate change and climaterelated risks due to existing social norms and gender inequalities (limited ownership and control over productive assets/resources, decision-making power, access to information, extension services, market etc.) and multidimensional social factors. These gender inequalities affect the ability of women to adapt to climate change. On the other hand, women have unique knowledge and skills that can help create effective and sustainable responses to climate change (Habtezion 2013)

The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam: Source of Cooperation or Contention?

This paper discusses the challenges and benefits of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), which is under construction and expected to be operational on the Blue Nile River in Ethiopia in a few years. Like many large-scale projects on transboundary rivers, the GERD has been criticized for potentially jeopardizing downstream water security and livelihoods through upstream unilateral decision making. In spite of the contentious nature of the project, the authors argue that this project can provide substantial benefits for regional development. The GERD, like any major river infrastructure project, will undeniably bring about social, environmental, and economic change, and in this unique case has, on balance, the potential to achieve success on all fronts. It must be stressed, however, that strong partnerships between riparian countries are essential. National success is contingent on regional cooperation

Activity Report: Implementation of the CSA Monitoring framework in Doyogena Climate-Smart Landscape, Ethiopia

Following up the workshop training held in Doyogena (Ethiopia), the implementation and data collection associated with the climate smart agriculture (CSA) monitoring was carried out between November 2-10, 2019 by a team of 7 enumerators and a supervisor. The main objective of this monitoring was to assess farmers’ adoption/implementation of CSA practices and technologies over the last 12 months and the perceived effects of their implementation on: food security, crops productivity and income, adaptive capacity and gender aspects (labour, participation in decision making, access/control over generated resources). Eleven promising CSA options targeting the rehabilitation of degraded landscapes and ecosystems, and the enhancement of farmer resilience were addressed: Terraces with Desho grass (Pennisetum pedicellatum) a soil and water conservation measure; Controlled grazing; Improved wheat seeds (high yielding, disease resistant & early maturing); Improved bean seeds (high yielding); Improved potato seeds (high yielding, bigger tuber size); Cereal/potato-legume crop rotation (N fixing & non-N fixing); Residue incorporation of wheat or barley; Green manure: vetch and/or lupin during off-season (N fixing in time); Improved breeds for small ruminants; Agroforestry (woody perennials and crops) and Cut and carry for animal feed. The CSA monitoring targeted two persons of opposite sex involved in on-farm activities from a sample of household located in seven villages within the Doyogena Climate-Smart site area. Those included: Tula (01), Suticho (02), Gewada (03), Cholola2 (04), Tachignaw Genjo (05), Duna (06), Gatame 1(07). The households in the first 6 villages were direct beneficiaries of the CCAFS project whereas the ones visited in Gatame1 were non-beneficiaries or “additionals” (potentially non–adopters). Between November 2-10, 2019 a total of 140 households (227 individual farmers: 137 male and 140 females) were surveyed

Soil organic carbon sequestration for climate change mitigation in East African Climate-Smart Villages: Results from climate-smart agriculture interventions within Climate-Smart Villages in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda

Agricultural systems in Eastern Africa are mainly rainfed and highly vulnerable to climate change and variability. Climate-related risks include variable rainfall patterns, prolonged dry spells, and extreme events such as droughts and floods, and have become more frequent and severe, negatively affecting the regions’ food security. These challenges are compounded by high population growth and poverty rates, declining land sizes, and nutrient mining of soils. To address these challenges and stimulate actions that enable communities and households to respond to climate extremes and change, the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS) developed the Climate-Smart Villages (CSVs) research for development approach (Aggarwal et al. 2018). Using participatory methods, communities in CSVs participate in agricultural research for development by robustly evaluating and adopting an integrated portfolio of climate-smart agriculture (CSA) practices that respond to their climate related risks, including exploring potential mitigation cobenefits. In Eastern Africa, CCAFS has been implementing the CSVs approach since 2011

Building soil carbon stocks to enhance adaptation and mitigate climate change in climate-smart landscapes, Southern Ethiopia

Climate change is a major challenge, particularly for Ethiopia’s rural populations who depend on rainfall for subsistence farming and are therefore more vulnerable to climate-related risks. Agriculture accounts for more than 40% of Ethiopia’s gross domestic product (GDP) (UNDP, 2015), and contributes significantly to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (FDRE, 2015). In Ethiopia, annual GHG emissions were estimated to be 150 Mt CO2e in 2010, with 50% of emissions coming from agriculture, and another 37% from forestry sectors — mainly agriculture related deforestation (FAO, 2016). Furthermore, the capacity of Ethiopia’s agricultural, forest, and grassland sectors to act as carbon sinks is decreasing rapidly due to unsustainable agricultural practices. Since 2011, the federal government of Ethiopia has embarked on implementing the Climate Resilient Green Economy (CRGE) strategy. CRGE has ambitious commitments in its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) submitted to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), to "climate-proof" Ethiopia’s Growth and Transformation Plan (GTP) by curbing its GHG emissions by more than half by 2030, while also building resilience against climate risks and future climate change. As set forth in the second GTP, reaching this goal will require boosting agricultural productivity by introducing climate-smart technologies and practices that include integrated watershed management, conservation agriculture, as well as nutrient and crop management across agroecosystems and landscapes with the potential to reduce GHG emissions by 40 Mt CO2e in 2030 (CRGE, 2011)

The effect of climate-smart agriculture on soil fertility, crop yield, and soil carbon in Southern Ethiopia

It is critical to develop technologies that simultaneously improve agricultural production,offset impacts of climate change, and ensure food security in a changing climate. Within this context,considerable attention has been given to climate-smart agricultural practices (CSA). This study wasconducted to investigate the effects of integrating different CSA practices on crop production, soilfertility, and carbon sequestration after being practiced continuously for up to 10 years. The CSApractices include use of soil and water conservation (SWC) structures combined with biologicalmeasures, hedgerow planting, crop residue management, grazing management, crop rotation, andperennial crop-based agroforestry systems. The landscapes with CSA interventions were comparedto farmers’ business-as-usual practices (i.e., control). Wheat (Triticumsp.) yield was quantified from245 households.The results demonstrated that yield was 30–45% higher under CSA practices than thecontrol (p< 0.05). The total carbon stored at a soil depth of 1 m was three- to seven-fold higher underCSA landscapes than the control. CSA interventions slightly increased the soil pH and exhibited2.2–2.6 and 1.7–2.7 times more total nitrogen and plant-available phosphorus content, respectively,than the control. The time series Normalized Difference Water Index (NDWI) revealed higher soilmoisture content under CSA. The findings illustrated the substantial opportunity of integrating CSApractices to build climate change resilience of resource-poor farmers through improving crop yield,reducing nutrient depletion, and mitigating GHG emissions through soil carbon sequestratiom

Tobacco use and its predictors among Ethiopian adults: A further analysis of Ethiopian NCD STEPS survey-2015

Background: Consuming any form of tobacco is one of the leading causes of preventable morbidity and mortality. Tobacco smoking has been identified as one of the major risk factors for NCDs, including cardiovascular, chronic respiratory diseases, and different cancers. Although there is national information on magnitude of tobacco use, to date there is limited nationally representative data on factors associated with tobacco use. The aim of this study is to assess the distribution and predicators of tobacco use in Ethiopian adult population between 15 -59.Objectives: The main aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of tobacco use and its predictor in Ethiopia.Methods: A cross-sectional population based study design was employed among population age from 15- 69 years. A stratified, three-stage cluster sampling was used to identify the study subjects. Households in each cluster were selected using simple random sampling method. The sampling frame was based on the population and housing census conducted for Ethiopia in 2007. Data was collected using WHO NCD STEPS questionnaire; current tobacco use of any type was taken as the dependent variable. Five hundred thirteen enumeration areas (EAs) as primary sampling units (PSUs) (404 rural and 109 urban) were selected with probability proportionate to size, followed by selection of households as a secondary sampling units (SSUs). A total of 10,260 households were selected from the 513 EAs (20 households per EA). Eligible individuals were selected from households using Kish method (a pre-assigned table of random numbers to find the person to be interviewed). Descriptive statistics using frequency table, mean, median, interquartile range and standard deviations were computed. Step wise logistic regression was used to analyse the predictors of tobacco use. An Estimator of 95% confidence interval was used both for computing descriptive statistics as well testing associations using logistic regression.Results: The prevalence of tobacco use (all tobacco products) was 4.2%. The mean age (± SD) of starting tobacco use was 21(7) years. The mean frequency of tobacco use was 2 times per day. Hierarchical Logistic regression analysis revealed that participants in age groups 30-44 years, and 60-69 years were less likely to use any tobacco type compared to younger age group of15-29 years. Heavy episodic drinking, AOR 2.46 [95% CI= 1.4 – 4.5], and khat chewing, AOR 4.71[95%= 2.26 – 9.8], were independently associated with tobacco use.Conclusion and recommendations: The overall prevalence of tobacco use was relatively higher in males. Factors associated with tobacco use were heavy episodic drinking and khat chewing. Although tobacco use is an important risk factor for different disease on its own, the additional use of these substances exposes individuals to increased risk of NCDs. The findings warrant the need to implement existing anti-tobacco laws in the country, enhance anti-tobacco awareness raising efforts, and implement interventions to help current tobacco users, focusing attention more on regions with high rates of tobacco use and males. Key words: Ethiopia, NCDs, Predictors, Risk factors, Tobacco use, WHO STEP