ECOLOGICAL AGRICULTURE in Ethiopia

Sue Edwards, Dereje Gebre Michael, Hailu Araya and Arefayne Asmelash

Institute for Sustainable Development, Ethiopia

hailuara@yahoo.com

Area about 1.12 million square Km A rugged and mountainous country High population about 80 million. It is the water tower’ of eastern Africa - providing over 85% of the

waters of the Nile and some to Kenya (Omo) and Somalia (Juba) A country of smallholder farmers

The challenge of over-grazing and gullies in Tigray

The key components of the Tigray Project

Promote and strengthen existing local bylaws - government accepted restoration of control and use by local communities

Biological and physical Soil & Water conservation including planting multipurpose trees e.g., Sesbania sesban

Women support based on environmental sustainability

Promoting Innovator farmers bringing local solutions

Connecting the new generation to the Sustainable Dev. Program and their elders

Promoting controlled grazing especially access to vulnerable land

Restoring soil fertility through low external inputs mainly compost, and helping farmers avoid debt paid for chemical fertilizer

Why Tigray (sustainable development) project?High attention was given to mineral

fertilizer and High Yield VarietiesThe prices of mineral fertilizer is/was

beyond the purchasing power of smallholder farmers

High cost of productionLow market price of agricultural

productionHigh pressure on smallholder

farmers

Ecological agriculture

It is ‘in tune’ with the local ecologyIt builds on and enhances the

traditional knowledge, practices and innovations of the farming communities

It uses low external inputs, which are readily available and affordable by the farmers

Ecological practices have spread throughout the country

Soil fertility improvementThe project come up with a low external input

i.e. compost – farmers to choose It reduces expenditure and stressYield of grain and straw is equal or more than

the production of mineral fertilizerThis transformed farmers from high external

input into low external input agricultureB/c local authorities were convinced that

farmers can produce enough with compost Its residual effect serve longer especially after

continuous use of compost for 2-3 years Improves soil moisture especially the duration

of rain is shortened

Farmers’ practice - Results from over 900 samples from farmers fields over 7 years

Barley (n=444)

Durum wheat

(n=546)

Maize (n=273)

Teff (n=741)

Faba bean (n=141)

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

3500

4000

Average mean grain yields in kg/ha for 4 cereals and 1 pulse crop from Tigray, northern Ethiopia, 2000-2006

inclusive

Check

Compost

Chemical fertilizer

Crop (n=number of observations/fields sampled)

kg

/ha

The net income of the three crops (ETB/ha)

Treatments Teff Barley Faba bean

Control 7,272 13,866 22,566

Mineral fertilizer (150 kg) 8,623 18,297 25,366

3.2 t/ha compost 7,664 15,202 25,984

6.4 t/ha compost 8,502 17,926 27,896

Plant protectionThe introduction of HYV was supported with

pesticidesPesticides – retard plant growth e.g. 2.4.D

delayed teff 10-15 days compared with no application

Kills and then reduce the size of bee colonyReduce the production of honeyThen transforming from pesticides into

traditional plant protection – - reducing use of pesticides. - Communities are banning use of pesticides

Natural resource conservation

Physical and biological soil and water conservation improved watersheds

Gullies reclaimed Catchments are occupied by beekeepingLandless and unemployed youth are

organized in bee keeping developmentPlant cover is improvedBeekeeping development generate

higher incomes, Springs re-appeared – micro-irrigation

started

Pond

Adi Nefas- All components being used

Rehabilitated gully

Sesbaniatrees and long

grasses

Composted fields of tef, wheat and barley

Agricultural diversificationNumber of crops grown per

family or farm increasedAgriculture created

complementaritiesIncrease intensive way of

production like inter-cropping, double-cropping,

Production and income per unit area increased

Reconnecting the new generation into local practicesStudents are increasing their

awareness through their environmental clubs

Students implement environmental conservation at school compounds and family lands

They respect and participate in their family activities

Promoting innovator farmersInnovator farmers start a

technology from local problems and local resources

Local innovations are cheap and easy to understand

Open for other members

Bee forage

Water-lifting innovations

Easy to be copied

Energy and labour saving

Water use efficiency

Harmonizing the extension approach

Connecting the gap between farmers and extension workers

Improve dialogueExperience sharing eventsTrain farmers as Training of

Trainers (TOT) to train other farmers -

Develop trust between farmers and extension workers

Introducing a system of crop intensification (SCI)

Based on System of Rice Intensification developed in Madagascar 25 years ago

In Ethiopia finger millet – average 4 – 6 t/ha compared to about 2 t/ha normal practice. In 2003, an old woman got 7.8 t/ha.

Tried in 2009 with tef at a research station, and wheat, finger millet, sorghum, maize and lentil with farmers

2010 – preparations in 3 research stations and 10 districts with farmers

Cont.

SCI helps:Compensates the delay of the

on-set of rain – putting as seedling at the beginning

Easy to the efficient use of compost

Easy to weed and harvestHelp crops to increase tiller per

plant and then production (grain and straw)

Summary• Compost managed the challenge of difficult weeds

in a win-win approach e.g. using Parthenium as compost

• Avoidance of debt and delays in getting chemical fertilizer

• Aquifers recharged – springs reappeared• Family income increased very much• Double cropping, i.e. 2 crops per year with access to

harvested water• Farmers diversify production and introduce

perennial crops• Families better fed and clothed and children able to

attend school• Local by-laws are respected – to control and use

their resources under their own choices

The way-forwardSupport farmers in promoting their own skills

and practices than pushing them to be recipient

Farmers’ CC adaptation works well – needs to be promoted

Environmental conservation and making and using of compost has been incorporated as part of the standard extension package

Climate Change negotiations should be the start of support for “the Tigray Project” to be adapted / adopted in Sub-Saharan Africa and other countries around the world

Agroforestry as local practice

A farmer of the future