Resource utilization and managing conflict in the pastoral community of Ethiopia."

Presented by Dr Tilhaun Amede for the 5th All Africa Conference on Animal Agriculture and the 18th Annual Meeting of the

Ethiopian Society of Animal Production (ESAP), Addis Ababa, October 25-28, 2010.

CPWF aims to increase water productivity and resilience of social and ecological systems

Through its broad partnerships, it conducts research that leads to local impact and political change

AREO

CPWF Consortium Members

Phase 2

Basin Development Challenges (BDCs)• Andes – Benefit sharing mechanisms

• Ganges – intensification in coastal areas

• Limpopo – rainwater management and water access

• Mekong – dams, reservoirs and livelihoods

• Nile – rainwater management in landscapes

• Volta – rainwater management and small reservoirs

To improve rural livelihoods and their resilience through a landscape approach to rainwater management

Climate Change..• Change in climate attributed directly or indirectly to

human activity that alters the composition of the global atmosphere; in addition to natural climate variability observed over comparable time periods (www.eoearth.org/article/ United_Nations_Framework_Convention_on_Climate_Change_(full_text)

• Increased concentrations of greenhouse gases (Carbon dioxide, Water Vapor, Methane, Chlorofluorocarbons (CFC’s), and others)– the burning of fossil fuels such as gasoline, oil,

coal and natural gas; – and the release of CFC’s– deforestation

Climate Change Mitigation and adaptation through

better water management

Mitigation is about gases.

Adaptation is about water.

Water Scarcity by 2020

Make Choices : Scenarios to 2050

Based on WaterSim analysis for the CA

Today

CA Scenario

Without productivity improvements

CA Scenario: Policies for productivity gains, upgrading rainfed, revitalized irrigation, trade

Rainfall –Runoff distribution

High rainfall variability & unreliability; significant runoff variability

Considerable spatial and temporal redistribution is needed for meaningful development

Rainfall variability affecting economies

Impact of rainfall variability on GDP and Agricultural GDP growth

-80

-60

-40

-20

0

20

40

60

80

19

82

19

83

19

84

19

85

19

86

19

87

19

88

19

89

19

90

19

91

19

92

19

93

19

94

19

95

19

96

19

97

19

98

19

99

20

00

year

%

-30

-25

-20

-15

-10

-5

0

5

10

15

20

25

rainfall variability

GDP growth

Ag GDP growth

Zimbabwe

Ethiopia

Livestock-Land-Water interaction in pastoral systems

• Because livestock is a major user of water and a major source of livelihood support;

• Livestock by far the single largest anthropogenic user of land.

• Grazing occupies 26% of the Earth's surface,

• Feed crop production requires about a third of all arable land (Steinfeld et al. 2006).

Water use by livestock

• Livestock production accounts for more than 8% of global human water use, mainly for the irrigation of feed crops (Steinfeld et al. 2006).

• Although of local importance in some regions (e.g. Botswana (23% of the total water use in the country) and India), the importance of livestock water use for drinking is small compared to other sectors

Nile

Source, Ahmad et al., 2007

Declining livestock and agricultural productivity Environmental degradation and deterioration

of natural resources ; below recovery levels.

Breakdown of traditional institutions and social relations.

Inability to access reliable markets Low socio-economic empowerment of women

and youth. Geographical isolation in terms of

infrastructure, Increasing impoverishment of communities

and households.

Pastoral systems are constrained:

Mega woreda, pastoralists in a focus group discussion (Pantuliano and Wekesa, 2008)

“Food relief is the opium of pastoralists, given by the government and donor agencies to ensure that pastoralists do not think of alternative livelihoods andbecome dependent on food aid so that they can be easily controlled by the international community and the regional government. It is expensive and it does not help make pastoralists stronger in the long term”

Lack of investments in resources development and management; food aid

Inefficient use of resources: Land and water resources

• In-effient use of pasture land; access to watering points dictate decisions

• Land degradation around watering points as too many animals stay around them

• Water quality and livestock diseases

Conflict with agro-pastoral and crop-livestock systems

The need for forage banks and reserves

Need for developing crop and pasture fields

Need for payment for environmental services

Stronger upstream-downstream relationshipse.g. irrigation in uplands

Effect on livestock systems• Decline in livestock number,

except oxen

• Decline in grazing area, and reduced feed due to expansion of vegetable at the expense of cereals /legumes

• Semi-pastoralists (e.g. gedemmso) converted to sedentary agriculture, reduced their stock from about 60 to 9.

• Shift from free grazing to cut and carry systems +

CC IMPACTS: On agro-pastoral systems

• Climate variability will increase: Recurrent & severe floods and droughts

• Droughts may decrease yields / productivity• Floods may damage crops and infrastructure• Fluctuations in farmers’ income: poor farmers may lack

means to buffer extreme years • Impact on national economy

IMPACTS: Pastoral systems

• ;• Changes in groundwater recharge (affecting

pastoral access to water)• Changes in timing and magnitude of river

flows from upstream watersheds (irrigation schemes tapping directly from river, and storage requirements)

• Temperature effects on water productivity: water depletion

• CO2 fertilization and irrigation productivity: unknown

“Over the past Gada, we have lost twomonths of rain. Now the rain is not coming at the right time: it is starting later and finishing before long. My daughter is now five years old and she has not seen a good harvest yet.”

Lars Naess, 2009

Multi-Scale Water Interventions Basin water management/

efficient and equitable use Landscape water management

Multiple use systems Farm-level water management

Conservation, Irrigation, Drainage Plot-level Management

Conservation + Biological + Physical Plant water management

Varieties / species Cell water management

Osmotic adjustments.

25

Functional Institutions

and

Policies

Investing in Irrigation

Irrigated Area

Food price index

World Bank lending for irrigation

2.5

2.0

1.5

1.0

0.5

01960

1965

1970

1975

1980

1985

1990

1995

2000

2005

320

280

240

200

160

120

80

40

0

Dependency effect?

Comparision of Per capita Storage Capacity

4 43746

1287 1406

2486

3255

4729

6150

0

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

7000

Kenya Ethiopia SouthAfrica

Thailand Laos China Brazil Australia NorthAmerica

Countries

Per

Capita

Sto

rage (

m^3

)

Increased Storage Capacity

Improved return from Irrigation Investments

• Weak institutional arrangements

• Poor extension services

• Limited flow of information &

technologies

• Limited market access & information

• Lack of collective action

• Weak enforcement mechanisms

Building on local experiences ..

• Building on local wisdom; Water User Associations

• Facilitated flow of information & technologies using local channels

• Strong collective action spirits:• Upstream-downstream

• Favourable support from local authorities and policy makers

• Home gardens

Water Saving for Multiple Use

Hydroflume replacing feeder canals and siphons

Increasing water productivity

• Water productivity refers to the amount or value of product over volume or value of water depleted/diverted

• E.g. CWP refers to economic (grain, fruit, lint, fiber, feed..) yield divided by the volume of water consumed (evapo-transpiration) in the production of the total yield

• Physical or economic terms

• WP = ∑(Net beneficial outputs)» -----------------------------------

∑(Depleted water)

Soil Carbon Sink • Soil organic matter is the largest global terrestrial

carbon (C) pool and is a source of CO2, CH4• Soil management affects the amount of C held in soil

and the greenhouse gas emissions from soil. • Soil water management dictates soil-based emissions• Conventional tillage practices such as the use of plow,

lead to a steady loss of soil C to the atmosphere.

Building on traditional innovations (water management)

Photo Courtesy: Mr Admasu

Micro dose

Zai

Identifying where water saving could be at farm and landscape scales?

High unproductive water losses = indicator of productivity gap

Lenche Dima - all cropland

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

evap

orat

ion

trans

pirat

ion runo

ff

deep

perc

olat

ion

flow

s pe

r HH

(m3)

livestock

crops

Kuhar Michael - all cropland

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

1600

1800

evap

orat

ion

trans

pira

tion

runo

ff

deep

perc

olat

ion

flow

s pe

r HH

(m3)

livestock

crops

maintenancewalkinggrowthfeedinglactationpregnancydraught powertransport

12%

7%

4%

3%

2%1%1%

70%

~ ¾ of energy spent on maintenance

Livestock energy budget

crop residuesgreen foragegrazinghayweedstree fodder

67% 1%

17%

7%

3%5%

67% of feed from crop residues low quality: 5.8 – 7.4 MJ ME kg-1

Productivity gaps and losses..

E.g. Watering Points for Improved Livestock Production

Energy for walking is reduced from 1956 MJ ME / TLU to 584 MJ ME / TLU per year (Milk equivalent of 252 litre)

Survey: milk production increased from 343 liter to 463 liter per lactation per cow

Water: no change in water depleted for feed production

Milk water productivity per cow improves by 35% (survey)

Herd Parameter

SpeciesCattle Sheep Goat

Incoming

% Births 92 84 86

% Purchases 3 8 8

% Others 5 8 6

Outgoing

% Deaths 25 44 52

% Sales 66 22 34

% Others 9 34 14

Source: Asfaw and Jabar, 2007

Reducing Livestock Mortality (diseases)

Cattle classesPoor farmers

Better off farmers

Juveniles (males and females

0.09 0.22

Sub-adults (females)

0.15 0.22

Adult (females) 0.10 0.15

Sub-adults (males)

0.10 0.15

Adult (males) 0.05 0.10

Cattle mortality rates for poor and better-off farmers

Causes of cattle deaths for poor and better-off farmersFarmer category Responses

N Percent

Poor cattle cause deaths

disease46 79.3%

feed shortage / drought

5 8.6%

plant poisoning 6 10.3%

beaten by herders

1 1.7%

Total 58 100.0%

Better-off[KD1] 

cattle cause deaths

disease22 88.0%

plant poisoning 1 4.0%

bad weather conditions

1 4.0%

fell in a ditch 1 4.0%

Total 25 100.0%

Political change

Women’s empowerment

Good Leadership

Institutional changes

Feed management

Water management

Animal productivity

1.Technologies 2. Institutions

More grain and livestock product per unitof investment of labour, waterand land

Community Innovation &empowerment

Impact•Poverty•Environment•Resilience

Targeting and

dissemination

WP

3. Supportive policy

Amede et al., 2009

Towards Water Productivity

Challenges in Agricultural Water Mangnt

Competing and increasing demands

Low water productivity: incentives to use

inputs; fluctuating markets

Weak institutional linkages

Moving into non-conventional frontiers

Dealing with diversity & land use complexity

Communities taking charge slowly

Forming and maintaining partnership for

efficient use

Weak research in water mangnt

Pastoral Dry-land systems

•Drought needs to be seen as a normal and often predictable event, and efforts must be focused on strengthening response capacity while at the same time continuing long-term development efforts.

•There is an urgent need to promote ‘joined up’ humanitarian and development interventions based on a sound understanding of local livelihoods systems.

• Drought Management systems, with emphasis on water and land management

More information

Livestock Water Productivity The Rangeland J ournal Special I ssue Volume 31 Number 2

Edited by: Tilahun Amede Brien E. (Ben) Norton Deborah Bossio

100 pages Publisher: CSIRO PUBLISHING J une 2009

http://www.publish.csiro.au/nid/20/pid/6106.htm

Thank you !

“These aid and research organizations belong to us, and it is our responsibility to make them work... We are able to do so only when the weather is not disturbing. If the climate keeps changing we will pack and they will pack.”

Human and livestock population in the pastoralist systems of Ethiopia