Food security attainment role of urban agriculture: a case study from Adama City

This study was conducted with the main objective of assessing the role of urban agriculture in attaining urban food security with special reference to smallholdings in Adama city. In so doing, as studies on urban agriculture are limited, if not inexistent, it would attempt to bridge such research gap and raise the awareness of urban administrators and planners towards addressing the strategies to appropriately handle and develop the sector. To that effect, the necessary data were generated from both primary and secondary sources. Field observations, sample household survey, key informant interview and focus group discussions were the principal means of generating data from primary sources. Secondary data were also obtained from concerned organizations. Both qualitative and quantitative techniques were employed to analyze the data. A quantitative technique known as household food balance model was used to look into the household per capita dietary energy contribution of urban agriculture in Adama. Moreover, regression analysis was employed to see the determinants of agricultural productivity in the study area. The findings of this study confirm that urban agriculture plays a great role in attaining urban household food security. Over 40per cent of the surveyed sample households were obtaining well over the nationally set minimum dietary energy requirement only from their urban farmlands. Based on the findings of the study, both short term and long term urban agriculture development intervention schemes, strategies and policy issues have been recommended.Key Words: Food security, urban agricultur

Resettlement and Food Security Nexus in Ethiopia: A Case from Nonno Resettlement Sites, Central Ethiopia: Synopsis of a PhD Dissertation

The overriding purpose of the dissertation was to investigate whether or not the current government-sponsored resettlement program (alternatively termed access to improved land program) is a successful option to attain sustainable food security and improved livelihoods in rural Ethiopia. In order to achieve the fundamental intent of the study, the necessary data were drawn both from primary and secondary data sources. Systematic and purposive sampling techniques were used to select sample households both from the host and the resettler communities in and around the resettlement sites. Household sample survey, key informant interview, focus group discussions, story telling and field observations were the principal means of generating first hand data. As issues related to resettlement and food insecurity are very intricate, different techniques, indices, scales and models were applied to adequately address the objectives of the study. Livelihood frameworks, IRR Model and different food security indices were adopted to holistically examine the overall well-being and food security status of the resettler households. The results of the analyses revealed that quite a large number of the resettler households were able to produce sufficient food for their family at least for the moment. However, the current traditional agricultural production  systems seem to be environment-unfriendly and ruinous to the expected sustainable development in the area. Erratic rainfall, scarcity of moisture and soil degradation have been the main driving forces of impoverishment and food insecurity in the sending areas, and the subsequent massive and prolonged population displacement over the last couple of decades. The results and discussions of the study also show that resettlement-induced risks can be eased through comprehensive resettlement implementation strategy incorporating clear duties and responsibilities of the resettlers, the host, aid agencies, NGOs and government bodies. Environmental rehabilitation efforts in overworked areas and integrated watershed management practices can contribute a lot to enhance the livelihoods of the rural people within their ancestral areas. In cases when/where planned resettlement is inevitable, the following points should be taken into account to minimize possible risks: comprehensive planning, unhurried and deliberate implementation, well thought-out and genuine recruitment and site selection procedures, adequate understanding of the causes and consequences of environmental degradation as well as environmental protection practices, and efficient assistance to the resettlers

Diurnal activity patterns, habitat use and foraging habits of Egyptian goose (Alopochena egyptiacus Linnaeus, 1766) in the Boyo wetland, southern Ethiopia

Egyptian goose (Alopochena egyptiacus) is a resident bird species in Africa South of the Sahara occurring throughout the entire Nile Valley. Despite the wide distribution, the available information on its behavioral ecology is limited in Ethiopia. A study on the activity patterns, habitat use and foraging  habits  of Egyptian goose was carried out in and around Boyo wetland, Ethiopia, during the dry and wet seasons. Scan sampling method was used to study the activity patterns and habitat use of Egyptian goose in  grassland, mudflat and shallow water habitats of the wetland. The feeding behavior of Egyptian goose was also observed in the surrounding farmland habitats using scan sampling method.  Generally,  Egyptian geese spent most of their time resting (39.81%) followed by foraging (32.64%). They spent 10.43% of their time in comfort movement preening or stretching. The rest of their time was allocated for locomotion (6.63%), vigilance (5.75%), and social behavior (1.59%), and other activities (2.86%). Most of the birds were engaged in foraging activity in the morning (07:00-9:00 h) and afternoon (16:00 - 18:00 h) hours both during the wet and dry seasons.  About 39% of Egyptian geese were scanned in mudflat, 31.5% in grassland, and 30.05% in shallow water habitats engaged in different activities. Most individuals  used the grassland habitat for foraging during the dry (59.5%) and wet (74%) seasons, while they used shallow water and mudflat habitats for resting both during the wet and dry seasons seasons. The birds were observed foraging  mainly  grass during the dry (93.62%) and wet (59.52%) seasons. The Egyptian geese show diurnal activity pattern with feeding peaks in early morning and late afternoon hours as is observed in many other avian taxa. The Boyo wetland is also as an important foraging ground for this species and other birds in the area. Further ecological studies on the species and impact of human activities on the Boyo wetland should be conducted for the conservation of the avifauna

Land use land cover dynamics at Bilate Alaba sub-watershed, southern Ethiopia

This study was intended to detect land use/land cover changes over 44 years in the Bilate Alaba Subwatersed, Southern Ethiopia. Four Landsat images (1972, 1986, 2008 and 2017) were used to as inputs to produce four land cover maps of the subwatershed; ERDAS imagine and ArcGIS software were utilized to accomplish the analysis. In the period between 1972 to1986 cultivated and settlement showed an incremental change by 280.91 and 71.43 ha respectively, while bare land and shrub & grass land decreased by 225.26 and 140.25 ha respectively. In the period 1986 to 2008 cultivated and bare land increased by 105.13 and 52.90 ha while forest and shrub & grass land decreased by 103.41 and 50.84 ha respectively. Between 2008 and 2017 settlement and bare land increased by 83.20 and 65.54 ha respectively while shrub & grass land and forest land decreased by 112.59 and 46.16 ha respectively. The results showed that cultivated land and settlement land expanded by 67.38% and 532% respectively whereas forest land, shrub land &grass land declined by 66.35%, 18.36% respectively over the analysis period (1972-2017). There should be appropriate rural land use/management policy by identifying proper land for specific purpose so that degraded lands would not put under cultivation.Keywords: Land use, Land cover, GIS, Landsa

Mapping and quantification of crop livestock interventions in Africa Rising sites of Ethiopian highlands

Agriculture is the backbone of the Ethiopian economy and therefore this particular sector determines the growth of all the other sectors and, consequently, the whole national economy. The agricultural sector contributes 42% to the country’s GDP, on average, crop production makes up 60% of the sector’s outputs whereas livestock accounts for 27% and other areas contribute 13% of the total agricultural value added (CSA, 2015). The sector is dominated by small-scale farmers who practice rain-fed mixed farming by employing traditional technology, adopting a low input and low output production system. RD&E in smallholder agriculture often focuses on specific elements of the farming system, sometimes leading to the introduction of improved agricultural technologies. There has been a plenty of efforts to achieve sustainable intensification in agricultural production, but many efforts fail to map the dissemination of the crop-livestock interventions, to quantify the inputs saved and the extra amount of outputs obtained by the use of improved technologies and to identify the factors affecting the dissemination of the crop-livestock intervention. As a result, this study was conducted with the objectives of mapping the dissemination of the crop-livestock interventions, quantification of the inputs saved and extra outputs obtained and identification of the factors affecting the dissemination. The study was conducted in the eight kebeles of four districts; Lemo from Hadiya Zone, South region; Sinana from Bale Zone, Oromia region; Basona Worena from North Shewa Zone, Amhara region and Endamehoni from South Tigray Zone, Tigray region. In order to generate relevant data, 160 farm households who were participating in the Africa RISING project were selected using multistage sampling technique. This study also showed that potato (ware and seed) varieties introduced by the project propagated within and outside of the intervention locations. Farmers liked potato for its adaptability and high productivity in all four locations. The duality of the function (food and income) of the potato for the smallholders households make it the most disseminating crop across all sites. Potato yield on average was 16 tons per hectare where as the existing national average was 10 tons per hectare. An average yield of wheat was 21.5 quintals per hectare, average barley yield was 13 quintals and average faba bean yield was 14 quintals per hectare. In terms of profitability potato could fetch on average 62713 birr per hectare when the market price is high, but due to the perishability of the potato and market fluctuation, the net return is not consistent. Faba bean returns about 25866 birr per hectare and wheat returns 10187 birr per hectare whereas barley returns on average 3361 birr per hectare. The most important factors affecting the dissemination of the crop-livestock interventions in the study areas are: education level of the farmers in schooling years, technology characteristics of the interventions, farmers’ perception about the yield, and time after the intervention, extension contact and communication channels. Hence, the future crop livestock interventions seeking to achieve sustainable intensification should carefully consider and choose improved agricultural technologies suitable for the particular agro-ecologies and should give due attention for the factors that affect the dissemination of the crop-livestock technologies

Natural history of a visceral leishmaniasis outbreak in highland Ethiopia

In May 2005, visceral leishmaniasis (VL) was recognized for the first time in Libo Kemken, Ethiopia, a highland region where only few cases had been reported before. We analyzed records of VL patients treated from May 25, 2005 to December 13, 2007 by the only VL treatment center in the area, maintained by Médecins Sans Frontières-Ethiopia, Operational Center Barcelona-Athens. The median age was 18 years; 77.6% were male. The overall case fatality rate was 4%, but adults 45 years or older were five times as likely to die as 5-29 year olds. Other factors associated with increased mortality included HIV infection, edema, severe malnutrition, pneumonia, tuberculosis, and vomiting. The VL epidemic expanded rapidly over a several-year period, culminating in an epidemic peak in the last third of 2005, spread over two districts, and transformed into a sustained endemic situation by 2007

Challenges facing the leadership of Ethiopian higher learning institutions in assuring quality education

This article explores the internal and external factors that affect the leaders of Higher learning institutions (HLIs) in their attempt to ensure the quality of education. Higher learning institutions are physical spaces that equip learners with advanced knowledge, skills, and appropriate attitude toward various disciplines and fields. However, the challenge for most developing countries is that their higher education systems lack quality education, which has implications for leadership. Owing to the complex nature of the subject matter under investigation, a mixed-methods research approach was followed in the study, undertaken in four HLIs (two public and two private). The focus on leadership was motivated by a generally agreed view that leadership is the key to ensuring quality education in HLIs. However, according to the study, some internal and external factors challenge the Ethiopian HLI leadership in its effort to provide quality education in this sector. The study has revealed that the quality of higher education and students' abilities is unsatisfactory. Moreover, the study findings show that, among the many factors, inadequate competence of incoming students, low quality of general education (Grades 1–12), the inefficiency of the leadership, unsatisfactory teaching and learning practice, inadequate qualification and competence of instructors and inadequacy of teaching facilities and resources are the main challenges of the HLIs leadership in the task of assuring quality education.https://www.richtmann.org/journal/index.php/jesrhj2023Education Management and Policy Studie

Ethiopia’s response to climate change and gender

The Ministry of Finance Climate Resilient Green Economy Facility invited the Climate and Development Knowledge Network (CDKN) to conduct an assessment of the integration of gender considerations into planning, budgeting, monitoring and evaluation (M&E) and project execution. Consultations focused on two lead federal organizations responsible for coordinating climate change actions in Ethiopia: the Environment, Forest and Climate Change Commission (EFCCC), and the Ministry of Finance (MoF). The study focused on gender-responsive budgeting in the implementation of climate change policy. To assess the status of gender mainstreaming within various departments in the EFCCC and MoF, interviews were held with key informants.Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherland