Deforestation and Land Degradation on the Ethiopian Highlands: A Strategy for Physical Recovery

Deforestation, accelerated soil erosion, and land degradation are serious problems in Ethiopia. To overcome these problems, efforts have been made to launch afforestation and conservation programs; however, success to date has been limited. This paper will discuss agriculture and forestry practices on the Ethiopian Highlands and try to identify the causes of deforestation and land degradation there. Agroforestry and social forestry practices, plantation forestry, and conservation of the remaining forests are proposed as a strategy for physical recovery. Social and policy issues, such as participation of the local people in natural resource management and the existence of clear land and tree tenure policies are critical for the long-term sustainability and expansion of forests in Ethiopia. In general, tree planting through agroforestry and social forestry should be an integral part of rural development programs and should provide the community with food, fuelwood, income, and environmental benefits. Increasing public awareness through education about forestry and natural resource conservation is vital if Ethiopia wants to maintain the remaining natural forests and biodiversity

Agroforestry and Community Forestry for Rehabilitation of Degraded Watersheds on the Ethiopian Highlands

Despite the efforts made to develop Ethiopian agriculture over the years, the problems of hunger, famine, and malnutrition and land degradation still linger and present the greatest threat to the survival of the nation. With the new thrust to produce more food using high input and single crop farming, today’s farmers grow only one or two crops in monoculture systems. The traditional diversification of farmlands, which arguably has been the source of sustenance in rural Ethiopia since time immemorial, has largely been abandoned. Furthermore, deforestation, accelerated soil erosion, and land degradation are now serious problems in Ethiopia. As a result crop and livestock yields are generally very low and the recent drought has aggravated the situation. The land use system is associated with the decrease in the size of holdings both for arable and grazing lands. Thus there is a continued trend toward the conversion of forested and marginal lands to agricultural lands, resulting in massive environmental degradation and a serious threat to sustainable agriculture and forestry. While agroforestry should not be taken as a panacea for land-use problems in Ethiopia, it may be considered as a potential alternative to some of the wasteful land-use practices in the country. Agroforestry is a dynamic, ecologically based, natural resources management system that, through integration of trees on farms and agricultural landscapes, diversifies and sustains production for increased social, economic, and environmental benefits for land users at all levels (World Agroforestry Center 2003). In this paper we will present different agroforestry practices and their potential, as well as research needs on the Ethiopian Highlands based on a Diagnostic and Design survey conducted by ICRAF and the Technical Committee for Agroforestry in Ethiopia in 1990. The second part of the paper will present a case study on rural tree planting on farm and community lands in the Alemaya Basin, Hararghe Highlands, Ethiopia. This study was conducted by the Alemaya University of Agriculture in the 1980s and was funded by FAO. If properly practiced and managed, these agroforestry and community forestry programs can serve as a means to alleviate problems of soil erosion and land degradation. They can also provide food, fuelwood, and fodder for the farm family. Agroforestry can be viewed as a strategy to overcome the lack of success in past tree planting by providing opportunities for both food and tree production on the same unit of land, thus reducing competition for this scarce resource. Agroforestry can also serve as a model for sustainable agriculture and forestry practices

Modeling the Financial Potential of Silvopasture Agroforestry in Eastern North Carolina and Northeastern Oregon

Silvopasture is the planned and managed agroecosystem in which forage, livestock, and woody perennials are integrated "either simultaneously or sequentially on the same parcel of land." Silvopasture can help mitigate anthropogenic climate change through carbon sequestration in perennial vegetation. We examined silvopasture, forest, and pasture systems in eastern North Carolina and northeastern Oregon. In North Carolina, we evaluated forest and agroforestry systems using loblolly and longleaf pine species. In Oregon, we evaluated forest and agroforestry systems using ponderosa pine. We based the analyses on typical forest and cattle regimes, including yields, costs, and prices obtained from the literature, and consulted with experts in the respective subjects. The financial viability of land management investments was investigated using capital budgeting techniques. Cash flows were developed using 4 percent and 6 percent real discount rates. Analysis suggests loblolly pine timber management and cattle management are more profitable than silvopasture management in eastern North Carolina. Additionally, cattle management is more profitable than silvopasture in northeastern Oregon. Longleaf pine and ponderosa pine are not profitable when solely managed for timber and can benefit financially when combined with livestock

Instructional Program for Interdisciplinary Master of Natural Resources Degree, Oregon State University Online

Managing natural resources is a complex problem involving production, ecological, social, economic and ethical systems, which affect and, in turn, are affected by the others. The proposed Master of Natural Resources (MNR) degree is designed to engage university scientists and world‐wide natural resource professionals in a process that integrates diverse perspectives about natural resource situations at the state, regional, national, and international levels. The MNR degree will assist agency and industry personnel meet their self‐improvement goals. Students will learn about the various disciplinary components that make up natural resource problems and solutions to them. The MNR curriculum is organized into three sections: core (18 credits), area of emphasis (18 credits), and capstone project (9 credits). It will be taught as a distance, online curriculum, although it may be possible for some students to work toward the MNR degree while in‐residence at Oregon State University (OSU). The MNR degree will facilitate learning by natural resource professionals who work in settings that require integrating multiple disciplines to find solutions to natural resource problems. It integrates disciplines through the curriculum, assignments, and a case study project. Students achieving the MNR degree also will integrate concepts and approaches developed throughout the entire program into a final case study project. The projected start date for the Master of Natural Resources degree is fall term of 2010. The degree will be housed in the College of Forestry at Oregon State University and will be taught using existing and new on‐line courses. We expect the degree to be self‐sufficient within three years

Graduate Certificate Program in Sustainable Natural Resource Management [Oregon State University]

Presented at the Natural Resources Distance Learning Consortium Symposium.This symposium consists of presentations and discussions looking to the future of natural resources distance learning concepts. Key issues that will be discussed include: faculty development, technology roles - from remote imaging transmitted to the classroom to iPod lecture series and field assignments, credit transfer among Consortium members, faculty recruitment, funding course development, and innovation in course delivery. The epicenter of discussion is meeting the needs of students currently employed who cannot afford time or cost to relocate at a university campus to complete graduate courses or degree programs, meeting needs of natural resource agencies (federal, state and local), and future roles of professional societies (professional licensing and certifications). Among the futures issues will be presentations on meeting the needs of the agencies with hybrid (on-line and in the field) courses, Blended Learning (using multiple media technologies to teach a single lesson), and the new role of the employee’s career development system, e.g. DoILearn (Department of the Interior) and AgLearn (Department of Agriculture). Presenters will introduce issues the Consortium faces such as, developing and maintaining active course listings, common structure to on-line course listings, “what our students want, and what our agency clients want!”, “academic credits from accredited institutions”; understanding Learning and Content Management Systems with focus on knowledge, skills and abilities, and linkages between extension faculty and faculty in graduate programs. Presenters also will focus on the contemporary issues of faculty recruitment and development, linkages between the Land Grant/McIntire-Stennis natural resource colleges to the State Colleges, and private sector venders contracting to Federal and State agencies. The NRDL Consortium Policies and Procedures (draft) will be introduced. Consortium members: Virginia Tech, Stephen F. Austin State University, North Carolina State University, University of Tennessee – Martin, Oregon State University, Penn State University, University of Idaho, University of Montana, and Northern Arizona University.Keywords: course development, faculty development, On-line learning, technology roles, fostering innovatio

Silviculture practices for riparian forests in the Oregon Coast Range

This publication is aimed at watershed councils, government agencies, and specialists (foresters, wildlife and fisheries biologists) interested in riparian area silviculture or watershed restoration. It contains information on the ecology of riparian forests and a checklist of recommended practices and common mistakes made in restoring conifers to hardwood-dominated riparian forests. Our recommendations are based on 1) an evaluation of 34 riparian restoration projects spanning the Coast Range of Oregon, 2) three case studies of riparian restoration projects, and 3) ongoing research projects aimed at learning how to establish or release conifers in riparian forests. We found that project managers were choosing appropriate conifer species and stock types for planting, but the survival and growth of conifers in the understory were poor. Managers were underestimating the competitive power of shrub and hardwood communities. In some cases, conflicting objectives and lack of priority setting led to the failure of expensive projects. We hope this publication will assist managers in efforts to restore healthy riparian forests and dwindling fish stocks