Rainfall is the most important source of water for crop production in Ethiopia. However, its temporal and spatial variability is leading to serious food shortages and insecurity in the country. This study was aimed at investigating the characteristics of selected agroclimatic variables over the great Rift Valley regions of Ethiopia. Long term (1981–2010) climate data were analyzed for 17 stations selected based on agroecology representation. Selected descriptors for climate variability and the Mann–Kendall trend test were employed. Onset, cessation, length of growing period (LGP), water requirement satisfaction index and dry spell occurrence during the growing period were determined. The results showed low to very high rainfall variability (14–35%), LGP (20–256 days) and dry spell probability (50–100%) during the main season. Significant (P ≤ 0.05) annual and seasonal rainfall trends were observed in some stations. The probability of occurrence of a dry spell during the seasons was found to be a challenge for most of the stations in the mid and low altitude areas of the basins. Consequently, seasonal water deficit was observed in these areas which hampered crop production. Area specific recommendations are thus required based on specific challenges in the study region.
Since 2010, six research organizations in the region have implemented a regional project that sought to combat food insecurity, poverty and climate change by up-scaling Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) technologies across farms and landscapes using the Climate Smart Landscape (CSL) approach. Several CSA technologies were evaluated and promoted across landscapes using this approach with remarkable success. Maize yields in Kenya rose from 0.5 to 3.2 t ha-1 , resulting in over 90% of the watershed communities being food secure. In Madagascar, rice yields increased from 2 to 4 t ha-1 whilst onion yields increased from 10 to 25 t ha-1 , resulting in watershed communities being 60% food-secure. In Eritrea, sorghum yields increased from 0.6 to 2 t ha-1. Farmers in Ethiopia earned US$10,749 from the sale of pasture whilst in Madagascar, watershed communities earned additional income of about US$2500/ha/year from the sale of onions and potatoes during off-season. Adoption levels of various CSA technologies rose from less than 30% to over 100% across the participating countries, resulting in rehabilitation of huge tracts of degraded land. In a nutshell, the potential for CSL in the region is huge and if exploited could significantly improve our economies, lives and environment.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.