Land Management in the Northern Ethiopian Highlands: Local and Global Perspectives; Past, Present and Future

Abstract

This Special Issue of Land Degradation and Development addresses the past and the future of land management in Africa with a focus on northern Ethiopia. How did the status of soils and forests change over the last century? How does this impact people's livelihoods? In the late 19th century, gullies were already present in northern Ethiopia, though they had become stabilised by 1935. In the 1960s, a strong gully channel incision phase started, whereas since ca. 2000, gully erosion rates are again decreasing, which corresponds to increased conservation activities and improved vegetation cover. As a result, total cereal production in Ethiopia is now higher than ever, and also, food production per capita in 2005–2010 was 160% of that in 1985–1990. There is now a strong tendency to increase flower and vegetable exports, as well as a booming export of the mild narcotic khat, which is a high water consumer. International land deals did not bring improvements to the livelihood of the local people. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Soil erosion in sloping vineyards assessed by using botanical indicators and sediment collectors in the Ruwer-Mosel valley

“…The main factors that lead to non-sustainable soil erosion rates are: i) steep slopes; ii) disturbances of the soil profile during the planting of vines (Follain et al, 2012;Johnson et al, 1987); iii) topsoil compaction and decreased soil porosity under heavy machinery wheel traffic (Biarnès et al, 2012;Ferrero et al, 2005); iv) high runoff discharges; and v) tillage practices in the inter-rows. The key factor to understand soil erosion rates in vineyards is anthropogenic activity as agricultural management can reduce or increase soil losses and change soil properties as was found in different regions and under different crops (Costa et al, 2015;Nyssen et al, 2015;Parras-Alcántara et al, 2015Wang et al, 2016). Auerswald et al (2009) estimated an average soil loss value of 5.2 Mg ha À1 yr À1 from models using the RUSLE (Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation) for German vineyards.…”

Effect of In Situ Water Harvesting Techniques on Soil and Nutrient Losses in Semi‐Arid Northern Ethiopia

“…Land degradation in the Tigray region of northern Ethiopia became so critical that it hampered agricultural productivity, so the government and others endeavoured to rehabilitate the land by using soil and water conservation measures (Nyssen et al, 2015;Vancampenhout et al, 2006;Walraevens et al, 2015), mainly stone bunds and area exclosures (Descheemaeker et al, 2006;Desta et al, 2005;Nyssen et al, 2007). According to Desta et al (2005), stone bunds reduced annual soil losses from sheet and rill erosion by 68%.…”

Environmental Conservation for Food Production and Sustainable Livelihood in Tropical Africa

“…Nyssen et al . () show that, in northern Ethiopia, soil and water conservation and vegetation recovery have taken off in the 1980s, and gullies tend to stabilise since approximately the year 2000. As a result of such investments in land management and agricultural inputs, total cereal production in Ethiopia is now higher than ever, and also, food production per capita in 2005–2010 was 160% of that in 1985–1990.…”