Runoff estimation and water management for the Holetta river in Ethiopia

The hydrology of Holetta River and its seasonal variability is not fully studied. In addition to this, due to scarcity of the available surface water and increase in water demand for irrigation, the major users of the river are facing a challenge to allocate the available water. Therefore, the aim of this research was to investigate the water availability of Holetta River and to study the water management in the catchment. Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) modelled the rainfall runoff process of the catchment. Statistical (coefficient of determination [R2], Nash- Sutcliffe Efficiency Coefficient [NSE] and Index of Volumetric Fit [IVF]) and graphical methods used to evaluate the performance of SWAT model. The result showed that R2, NSE and IVF were 0.85, 0.84 and 102.8, respectively for monthly calibration and 0.73, 0.67 and 108.9, respectively, for monthly validation. These indicated that SWAT model performed well for simulation of the hydrology of the watershed. After modelling the rainfall runoff relation and studying the availability of water at the Holetta River, the water demand of the area assessed. CropWat model and the survey analysis performed to calculate the water demand in the area. The total water demand of all three major users was 0.313, 0.583, 1.004, 0.873 and 0.341 MCM from January to May, respectively. The available river flow from January to May obtained from the result of SWAT simulation. The average flow was 0.749, 0.419, 0.829, 0.623 and 0.471 MCM from January to May respectively. From the five months, the demand and the supply showed a gap during February, March and April with 0.59 MCM. Therefore, in order to solve this problem alternative source of water supply should be studied and integrated water management system should be implemented

A review of soil fertility management and crop response to fertilizer application in Ethiopia: Towards development of site- and context-specific fertilizer recommendation

More than 80% of the Ethiopian population is dependent on agriculture, which contributes about 50% of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) and more than 80% of its export earnings. Although the agricultural sector is the engine of economic growth and the country has designed an “Agriculturalled Industrialization”, the agricultural sector is still characterized by severe soil erosion, high levels of nutrient mining, low use of external inputs, low productivity and limited capacity to respond to environmental shocks. Thus, the country is grappling with a daunting challenge: produce more food for a fast-growing population on low fertility soils on land owned by poor smallholder farmers who are unlikely to afford adequate input use. To address these challenges, several efforts are being made since the 1960s to assess the potential effects of various sources of organic and mineral fertilizers on crop yield and soil fertility status of the differing farming systems in the country..

National Ag-Data Hub project technical report - phase one

This document is a technical progress report of a work aimed to develop a national ag data hub in Ethiopia. The document is not a full technical implementation report of the national ag data hub. It is the technical report of the first phase as per the agreement entered between CIAT and ACATECH TECHNOLOGY PLC to implement the system in a phase by phase approach. This report has two main parts. The first part provides background information about the project which includes a brief introduction about the first phase deliverables. This shows the scope of the project to be completed in the first phase (i.e. in the last three months). The second part describes the project activities and progress in contrast to the plan set at the beginning. This part clearly showed the progress achieved so far

Embodying the Spirit(s): Pentecostal Demonology and Deliverance Discourse in Ethiopia

The article explores Pentecostal embodiment practices and concepts with regard to Holy Spirit baptism and demon possession. The studied material is connected to a specific and highly controversial debate in Ethiopian Pentecostalism, which revolves around the possibility of demon possession in born-again and Spirit-filled Christians. This debate runs through much of Ethiopian Pentecostal history and ultimately is concerned with whether or how Christians can host conflicting spiritual forces, in light of the strong dualism between God and evil in Pentecostal cosmology. The article shows that the embodiment of spirits and/or the Holy Spirit is related to theological concepts of the self, because these concepts define what may or may not be discerned in certain bodily manifestations. Moreover, the article contends that this debate thrives on a certain ambiguity in spirit embodiment, which invites the discernment of spiritual experts and thereby becomes a resource of power

Characterizing and evaluating the impacts of national land restoration initiatives on ecosystem services in Ethiopia

Land restoration is considered to be the remedy for 21st century global challenges of land degradation. As a result, various land restoration and conservation efforts are underway at different scales. Ethiopia is one of the countries with huge investments in land restoration. Tremendous land management practices have been implemented across the country since the 1970s. However, the spatial distribution of the interventions has not been documented, and there is no systematic, quantitative evidence on whether land restoration efforts have achieved the restoration of desired ecosystem services. Therefore, we carried out a meta‐analysis of peer‐reviewed scientific literature related to land restoration efforts and their impacts in Ethiopia. Results show that most of the large‐scale projects have been implemented in the highlands, specifically in Tigray and Amhara regions covering about 24 agro‐ecological zones, and land restoration impact studies are mostly focused in the highlands but restricted in about 11 agro‐ecological zones. The highest mean effect on agricultural productivity is obtained from the combination of bunds and biological interventions followed by conservation agriculture practices with 170 % and 18% increases, respectively. However, bunds alone, biological intervention alone, and terracing (Fanya Juu) reveal negative effects on productivity. The mean effect of all land restoration interventions on soil organic carbon is positive, the highest effect being from “bunds + biological” (139%) followed by exclosure (90%). Reduced soil erosion and runoff are the dominant impacts of all interventions. The results can be used to improve existing guidelines to better match land restoration options with specific desired ecosystem functions and services. While the focus of this study was on the evaluation of the impacts of land restoration efforts on selected ecosystem services, impacts on livelihood and national socio‐economy have not been examined. Thus, strengthening socio‐economic studies at national scale to assess the sustainability of land restoration initiatives are an essential next step