Improved water and land management in the Ethiopian highlands: its impact on downstream stakeholders dependent on the Blue Nile. Intermediate Results Dissemination Workshop held at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 5-6 February 2009

Awulachew, Seleshi Bekele; Erkossa, Teklu; Smakhtin, Vladimir; Fernando, Ashra

doi:10.5337/2011.0014

Cited by 17 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…The results are in agreement with the findings of an experiment in Bangladesh [29]. Moreover, the result of Reference [33] agrees with this study. Water and other inputs interact with each other and their improper combination could reduce of 16 yield as reported in Reference [34].…”

Section: Treatmentssupporting

confidence: 92%

Conservation Agriculture Saves Irrigation Water in the Dry Monsoon Phase in the Ethiopian Highlands

Belay

Schmitter²,

Worqlul

et al. 2019

Water

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Water resources in sub-Saharan Africa are more overstressed than in many other regions of the world. Experiments on commercial farms have shown that conservation agriculture (CA) can save water and improve the soil. Nevertheless, its benefits on smallholder irrigated farms have not been adequately investigated, particularly in dry monsoon phase in the Ethiopian highlands. We investigated the effect of conservation agriculture (grass mulch cover and no-tillage) on water-saving on smallholder farms in the Ethiopian highlands. Irrigated onion and garlic were grown on local farms. Two main factors were considered: the first factor was conservation agriculture versus conventional tillage, and the second factor was irrigation scheduling using reference evapotranspiration (ETo) versus irrigation scheduling managed by farmers. Results showed that for both onion and garlic, the yield and irrigation water use efficiency (IWUE) was over 40% greater for CA than conventional tillage (CT). The soil moisture after irrigation was higher in CA compared with CT treatment while CA used 49 mm less irrigation water. In addition, we found that ETo-based irrigation was superior to the farmers’ irrigation practices for both crops. IWUE was lower in farmers irrigation practices due to lower onion and garlic yield responses to overirrigation and greater water application variability.

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Section: Treatmentssupporting

confidence: 92%

Conservation Agriculture Saves Irrigation Water in the Dry Monsoon Phase in the Ethiopian Highlands

Belay

Schmitter²,

Worqlul

et al. 2019

Water

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“…The wier has been in operation since 2001 and regulates water storage in Lake Tana with a 3 m variation of water level from 1784 to 1787 m amsl. Active storage of the lake between these levels is about 9,100 mm 3 , approximately 2.4 times the annual outflow [5]. The Tana-Beles hydropower plant, which has an installed capacity of generating 460 for around 60% of overall employment in some countries and more than 50% of GDP [3].…”

Section: Location and Climate Of The Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The Lake Tana basin has been identified as an economic 'growth corridor' by the Government of Ethiopia and the World Bank. The intention is to stimulate economic growth and reduce poverty through the development of hydropower and a number of irrigation schemes [5,6].…”

Section: Location and Climate Of The Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The Dembiya, Fogera and Kunzila Plains form extensive wetlands in the north, east and southwest, respectively of the lake during the rainy season. As a result of the high heterogeneity in habitats, the surrounding riparian areas support high biodiversity and the lake is listed in the top 250 lake regions of global importance for biodiversity [5]. The basin is rich in biodiversity with many endemic plant species and cattle breeds, containing large area of wetlands and is home to many endemic birds and cultural and archaeological sites.…”

Section: Location and Climate Of The Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For this case, it has been identified as a development corridor by the government and the World Bank [5]. The basin contains three hydropower plants, which has a very high national importance in meeting the growing energy demand of the country.…”

Section: Conclusion and Recommendationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Assessment of the Impact of Climate Change on Hydrological Drought in Lake Tana Catchment, Blue Nile Basin, Ethiopia

Bd¹,

Haj²,

Af³

2014

J Geol Geosci

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Conservation Effects on Soil Quality and Climate Change Adaptability of Ethiopian Watersheds

2015

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This study analyzes effects of soil and water conservation (SWC) on soil quality and implications to climate change adaptation and mitigation in the Upper Blue Nile River Basin of Ethiopia by using the Anjeni watershed as a case study site. Disturbed and undisturbed soil samples were collected from two sub-watersheds of Anjeni: the Minchet sub-watershed (with SWC measures) and the Zikrie sub-watershed (without SWC measures). Soil samples were taken from 30-cm depth from five representative landscape positions and analyzed following the standard soil lab analysis procedures. The results show that soils from the conserved sub-watershed had improved quality indicators compared with those from the non-conserved site. Significant improvement due to SWC measures was observed in the soil hydrological [total moisture content (+5·43%), field capacity (+5·35%), and available water capacity (+4·18%)] and chemical [cation exchange capacity (+4·40 cmol(+) kg À1 ), Mg 2+ (+1·90 cmol(+) kg À1 ), Na + (+0·10 cmol(+) kg À1 )] properties. SWC interventions significantly reduced soil erosion by 57-81% and surface runoff by 19-50% in the conserved sub-watershed. Reduction in soil erosion can maintain the soil organic carbon stock, reduce the land degradation risks, and enhance the C sequestration potential of soils. Therefore, adoption of SWC measures can increase farmers' ability to offset emissions and adapt to climate change. However, SWC measures that are both protective and sufficiently productive have not yet been implemented in the conserved sub-watershed. Therefore, it is important that SWC structures be supplemented with other biological and agronomic measures in conjunction with soil fertility amendments appropriate to site-specific conditions.

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Improved water and land management in the Ethiopian highlands: its impact on downstream stakeholders dependent on the Blue Nile. Intermediate Results Dissemination Workshop held at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 5-6 February 2009

Cited by 17 publications

References 29 publications

Conservation Agriculture Saves Irrigation Water in the Dry Monsoon Phase in the Ethiopian Highlands

Conservation Agriculture Saves Irrigation Water in the Dry Monsoon Phase in the Ethiopian Highlands

Assessment of the Impact of Climate Change on Hydrological Drought in Lake Tana Catchment, Blue Nile Basin, Ethiopia

Conservation Effects on Soil Quality and Climate Change Adaptability of Ethiopian Watersheds

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