Feed resources, livestock production and soil carbon dynamics in Teghane, Northern Highlands of Ethiopia

Yimer, Assefa Abegaz; Keulen, H. van; Oosting, S.J.

doi:10.1016/j.agsy.2006.11.001

Cited by 25 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 12 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Farmers sacrifice production in order to maintain other functions of cattle. Zemmelink et al (2003), Abegaz et al (2007), Budisatria et al, (2007) and Udo et al (2011) all argue that farmers optimise on the basis of maximal output of all functions combined and not on milk or meat production alone.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Using a similar modelling approach, Zemmelink et al (2003) and Abegaz et al (2007) observed for regions in Indonesia and Ethiopia, respectively, herds with many more animals than the herd size for maximum production. If we, in the present example, assume that up to class 7 feeds are fed in order to maintain more animals to meet non-production functions such as manure production, traction and transport and capital store (all of which are favoured by a high number of animals) then 347 animals can be maintained with a total output of 875 kg of milk/day.…”

Section: Farm-level Perspectivementioning

confidence: 99%

“…This was modelled for dairy production in a small (virtual) region with a total annual availability of 1000 tonnes of feed dry matter (DM) on the basis of information from studies by Zemmelink et al (2003) and Abegaz et al (2007). This availability of feeds determines livestock production.…”

Section: Farm-level Perspectivementioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Development of livestock production in the tropics: farm and farmers’ perspectives

Oosting

Udo

Viets

2014

Animal

128

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Because of an increasing demand for animal-source foods, an increasing desire to reduce poverty and an increasing need to reduce the environmental impact of livestock production, tropical farming systems with livestock must increase their productivity. An important share of the global human and livestock populations are found within smallholder mixed-crop-livestock systems, which should, therefore, contribute significantly towards this increase in livestock production. The present paper argues that increased livestock production in smallholder mixed-crop-livestock systems faces many constraints at the level of the farm and the value chain. The present paper aims to describe and explain the impact of increased production from the farm and farmers' perspective, in order to understand the constraints for increased livestock production. A framework is presented that links farming systems to livestock value chains. It is concluded that farming systems that pass from subsistence to commercial livestock production will: (1) shift from rural to urban markets; (2) become part of a different value chain (with lower prices, higher demands for product quality and increased competition from peri-urban producers and imports); and (3) have to face changes in within-farm mechanisms and crop-livestock relationships. A model study showed that feed limitation, which is common in tropical farming systems with livestock, implies that maximum herd output is achieved with small herd sizes, leaving low-quality feeds unutilised. Maximal herd output is not achieved at maximal individual animal output. Having more animals than required for optimal production -which is often the case as a larger herd size supports non-production functions of livestock, such as manure production, draught, traction and capital storage -goes at the expense of animal-source food output. Improving low-quality feeds by treatment allows keeping more animals while maintaining the same level of production. Ruminant methane emission per kg of milk produced is mainly determined by the level of milk production per cow. Part of the methane emissions, however, should be attributed to the non-production functions of ruminants. It was concluded that understanding the farm and farmers' perceptions of increased production helps with the understanding of productivity increase constraints and adds information to that reported in the literature at the level of technology, markets and institutions.

show abstract

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Farm-level Perspectivementioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Development of livestock production in the tropics: farm and farmers’ perspectives

Oosting

Udo

Viets

2014

Animal

128

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…As such, our SOC content analysis findings listed in Table 2 are consistent with those from earlier soilrelated studies conducted in the respective parts of Ethiopia. In northern Ethiopia, Mekuria et al [24], Van de Wauw et al [25], Abegaz et al [26], Abegaz and van Keulen [27], and Tesfahunegn et al [28] reported SOC contents within the range of the results given in Table 2. For the southern parts of the country, Solomon et al [29], Lemenih et al [30], Teklay et al [31], and Ashagrie et al [32] found similar carbon contents.…”

Section: Soil Organic Carbon Distributions In the Studymentioning

confidence: 80%

Prediction of Soil Organic Carbon for Ethiopian Highlands Using Soil Spectroscopy

et al. 2013

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Soil spectroscopy was applied for predicting soil organic carbon (SOC) in the highlands of Ethiopia. Soil samples were acquired from Ethiopia's National Soil Testing Centre and direct field sampling. The reflectance of samples was measured using a FieldSpec 3 diffuse reflectance spectrometer. Outliers and sample relation were evaluated using principal component analysis (PCA) and models were developed through partial least square regression (PLSR). For nine watersheds sampled, 20% of the samples were set aside to test prediction and 80% were used to develop calibration models. Depending on the number of samples per watershed, cross validation or independent validation were used. The stability of models was evaluated using coefficient of determination (R 2 ), root mean square error (RMSE), and the ratio performance deviation (RPD). The R 2 (%), RMSE (%), and RPD, respectively, for validation were Anjeni (88, 0.44, 3.05), Bale (86, 0.52, 2.7), Basketo (89, 0.57, 3.0), Benishangul (91, 0.30, 3.4), Kersa (82, 0.44, 2.4), Kola tembien (75, 0.44, 1.9), Maybar (84. 0.57, 2.5), Megech (85, 0.15, 2.6), and Wondo Genet (86, 0.52, 2.7) indicating that the models were stable. Models performed better for areas with high SOC values than areas with lower SOC values. Overall, soil spectroscopy performance ranged from very good to good.

show abstract

“…The application of recommended fertilizer rates initially apparently leads to negative nutrient balances, which is in line with the findings of Abegaz et al . (). Sustainability, as expressed in closed nutrient balances, is therefore difficult to achieve.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Grain Productivity, Fertilizer Response and Nutrient Balance of Farming Systems in Tigray, Ethiopia: A Multi‐Perspective View in Relation to Soil Fertility Degradation

Kraaijvanger

Veldkamp

2014

Land Degrad Dev

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Application of nutrients is an important way to increase crop productivity. In our study area, Tigray, development agents recommend fertilizer application to boost productivity and counteract nutrient depletion. We analysed soil fertility from different perspectives, using responses and nutrient balances on the basis of on-farm experimentation. Three perspectives, embedded in the People-Planet-Profit framework and with different temporal and spatial scales and ownership, were considered. Taking a farmer perspective, we found no significant differences in response between recommended and current farmer practices. Taking an agronomist perspective, phosphorus seemed to limit productivity. It however also became obvious that closing nutrient balances at field scale to achieve sustainability is difficult. Only by using considerable amounts of manure and at the cost of productivity this can be achieved. From a long-term environmentalist perspective, the traditional agricultural system seems sustainable in combining mixed farming and relatively low yields. We conclude that depending on the perspective taken, different interventions will be appropriate. All perspectives however indicate that gradually strengthening the existing mixed farming system by using fertilizers, organic manure and legume fallows supports crop productivity while maintaining other aspects of sustainability such as food security and profitability. In line with this, our analysis of different perspectives suggests that in our study area, farmers will only consider transitions with low risk and this specifically should be addressed in proposing pathways of transition. In processes where stakeholders with different perspectives cooperate, it is important to be aware and make use of the possibilities of comparable multiperspective analyses.

show abstract

Feed resources, livestock production and soil carbon dynamics in Teghane, Northern Highlands of Ethiopia

Cited by 25 publications

References 12 publications

Development of livestock production in the tropics: farm and farmers’ perspectives

Development of livestock production in the tropics: farm and farmers’ perspectives

Prediction of Soil Organic Carbon for Ethiopian Highlands Using Soil Spectroscopy

Grain Productivity, Fertilizer Response and Nutrient Balance of Farming Systems in Tigray, Ethiopia: A Multi‐Perspective View in Relation to Soil Fertility Degradation

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About