By Catherine Muthuri; Baudron Frederic, Miyuki Iiyama, Krampien, J, Tesfaye Shiferaw,

Gebrekirstos A., Njoroge J, Abayneh Derero, Kiros Hadgu, Jeremias Mowo and Fergus

Sinclair

Enhancing food security through agroforestry practices: Key lessons from the ‘trees for food security’ project in Ethiopia

Presentation outline

1. Can trees plan a role in addressing

challenges of food security?

Food security challenges

2. Is there complementarity in water use in agroforestry systems?

4. To what extent can findings be scaled up

BofaMojo

Alem TenaMekiZeway

TibeAnoUke

Arjo

Addis Abeba

Can trees play a role in addressing challenges of food security

• Trees scattered on farm as a dominant feature of agricultural landscapes in Ethiopia,

• Enormous knowledge gap on multi-dimensional roles of trees for food security on farm patterns, this could contribute to guiding interventions to promote tree cover and diversity at farm/ landscape level

- -

- -

Other roles products and servicesOlder than 3 years old trees on farm (multiple answers)

firewood fodder shadefruit timber

charcoal

Higher crop (wheat) productivity under

Faidherbia- Ethiopia

Source CIMMYT

40

41

42

43

44

Tree + Wheat Sole wheat

Nu

mb

er

of

seed

s p

er s

pik

e)

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

Tree + Wheat Sole wheat

Sto

ver

yiel

d (

t h

a-1)

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

Tree + Wheat Sole Wheat

Gra

in y

ield

(kg

ha-1

)

Higher Food Consumption Score (FCS)on farms with trees in Melkassa but not Bako

More livestock on farms with

trees in Bakobut not

Melkassa.

Greater diversity of farm produce on farms with trees in both Melkassa and Bako

Trees on farms are associated with higher food security

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24

Air

te

mp

era

ture

(°C

)

Time of the day (h)

Outside canopy Under canopy

Never exceeds 28°C

Up to 7°C

difference

Keeping wheat cool at anthesis

Source CIMMYT

Can agroforestry increase water available to crops?

• The water use of different tree species vary (between sites, provenances, between seasons etc.)

• Management has impact on tree water use and hence interaction with crops

• Preliminary observations in Faidherbia abida higher rates of sap flow of 4 litres per hour (59litres per day) in unprunnedtrees in Ethiopia

• In Nairobi the rates in a mature unmanaged tree ranged from 14-34 litres per hour in the rainy and dry season respectively

Sap flow and Hydraulic redistribution in Faidherbia ongoing work Muthuri et al

Management has an effect on water use, Sap flow in pruned Faidherbia

Because of its reverse phenology do we expect depletion in d 18 O towards dry season

Intra-annual variation of δ18O values F. albida showed depleted values at the beginning of the growing season (marked red), despite the marked differences between years (indicating source water differences with in a year)

20

21

22

23

24

25

260

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep

r = -0.91

Mo

n r

ain

fall

(mm

)

year -2006

δ1

8O

(‰

)

δ1

8O (‰

)

18

21

24

27

200920072005200320011999199719951993199119891987198519831981

tree 1 sa3

(Gebrekirstos in preparation)

Seasonal and interannual climate and hydrological information from δ18O in tree rings of F albida

3. To what extent are results scalable?

• Contexts, socio economic, policy

• Space…from plot-farm to landscape

• Age…old and young

• Time…past, present, future

• On station to On-farm, management

How may we achieve scale

• Trees plays a critical role agricultural systems with

regard to water relations and crop yields .

• Co-learning paradigm approach necessary

• Interdisciplinary studies

• Partnerships for sustainability

• Participatory trials approach

• Longer terms Donor funding

4/17/2015 Farmer motivations and participatory trial 13

THANK YOU