Soil and erosion features of the central plateau region of Tigrai, Ethiopia

Virgo, K.J.; Munro, R. Neil

doi:10.1016/0016-7061(78)90040-x

Cited by 90 publications

(63 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…km, with a population of more than 3.3 million and annual population growth rate of 3 per cent. The topography of the region is characterized as a mountainous plateau and the climate as tropical semi-arid (Virgo and Munro, 1978). Annual rainfall ranges from 450 to 980 mm with significant spatial and temporal variability (Gebremedhin, 1998).…”

Section: The Settingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Community natural resource management: the case of woodlots in Northern Ethiopia

Gebremedhin¹,

2003

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ABSTRACT. This paper examines the nature of community management of woodlots and investigates the determinants of collective action and its effectiveness in managing woodlots, based on a survey of 100 villages in Tigray, northern Ethiopia. Despite limited current benefits received by community members, the woodlots contribute substantially to community wealth, increasing members' willingness to provide collective effort to manage the woodlots. We find that benefits are greater and problems less on woodlots managed at the village level than those managed at a higher municipality level, and that the average intensity of management is greater on village-managed woodlots. The factors that do significantly affect collective action include population density (higher collective labor input and lower planting density at intermediate than at low or high density), market access (less labor input, planting density and tree survival where market access is better), and presence of external organizations promoting the woodlot (reduces local effort to protect the woodlot and tree survival). The finding of an inverse U-shaped relationship between population density and collective labor input is consistent with induced innovation theory, with the increased labor/land ratio promoting collective effort to invest in resources as population density grows to a moderate level, while incentive problems may undermine collective action at high levels of population density. These findings suggest collective action may be more beneficial and more effective when managed at a more local level, when the role of external organizations is more demand-driven, and when promoted in intermediate population density communities more remote from markets. In higher population density settings and areas closer to markets, private-oriented approaches are likely to be more effective.

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Section: The Settingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Community natural resource management: the case of woodlots in Northern Ethiopia

Gebremedhin¹,

2003

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“…Due to a large intra and inter annual rainfall variability (20 to 40%), the region is exposed to severe moisture deficiency during the growing season which is only 45 to 120 days (Gebreegriabher et al, 2009). The rainfall is erratic with more than 75% of the rains falling at intensities larger than 25 mm/h inducing severe soil erosion (Virgo and Munro, 1978). Nyssen et al (2005) showed that even low intensity rainfalls have a bigger drop size resulting in high rain erosivity.…”

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Tigray is characterized by a cool tropical semi-arid climate with extreme rainfall variability. Annual average rainfall varies between 500 to 800 mm (Virgo and Munro, 1978). Most rainfall (>85%) occurs during July and August (Gebreegziabher et al, 2009;Gebreyohannes et al, 2012).…”

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of land use, slope gradient, and soil and water conservation structures on runoff and soil loss in semi-arid Northern Ethiopia

et al. 2013

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Land degradation and recurrent drought are the major threats to rain-fed agriculture in the semiarid Ethiopian highlands. To reduce the risk of crop failure induced by moisture stress and to bring food self sufficiency through irrigation, water harvesting has become a priority in theGebeyehu Taye, Poesen, J., Van Wesemael, B., Vanmaercke, M., Daniel Teka, Deckers, J., Goosse, T., Maetens, W., Nyssen, J., Hallet, V., Nigussie Haregeweyn, 2013. Effects of land use, slope gradient, and soil and water conservation structures on runoff and soil loss in semi-arid northern Ethiopia. Physical Geography, 34(3), 236-259.2

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“…Prenant en compte le potentiel climatique et édaphique du couvert forestier en Éthiopie, 40 % correspondrait approximativement au couvert forestier au moment de l'introduction de l'agriculture (Von Breitenbach, 1961). Depuis les premières études réalisées par Hurni (1975Hurni ( , 1978Hurni ( , 1983 et Virgo et Munro (1978), de nombreuses études sur l'érosion en Éthiopie ont été menées. Les études sur des parcelles expérimentales par Herweg et Ludi (1999), SCRP (2000), Nyssen et al (2009c) et Gebeyehu Taye et al (2013 montrent des taux d'érosion très variables (0-200 t/ha/an) en lien avec la topographie et l'affectation des sols.…”

Section: La Dégradation Historique Des Terres En éThiopieunclassified

“…Comme les sols ne sont pas limoneux, et portent souvent une couverture pierreuse dense (Virgo et Munro, 1978 ;Nyssen et al, 2002), les profils du sol n'ont pas encore été entièrement tronqués par l'érosion généralement associée aux labours agricoles. Les pratiques agricoles sont bien adaptées à l'environnement : l'outil de labourage, l'araire ou mashrasha, a été développé pendant la période de haute technologie Axoumite ; les systèmes de culture s'adaptent harmonieusement aux chaînes (catena) de sols (Nyssen et al, 2008a), et les systèmes agricoles sont bien adaptés aux variations interannuelles des conditions pluviométriques (Frankl et al, 2013 ;Pietsch et Machado, 2014).…”

Section: Introductionunclassified

Perspectives locales et globales pour la gestion des terres des régions montagneuses du Nord de l'Éthiopie

Nyssen¹,

Frankl²,

Poesen³

et al. 2015

echogeo

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This article considers past and future of land management in Ethiopia, focusing on the northern part of the country. How did soils and forests change over the last century? How do these changes affect the means of subsistence of the population? At the end of the 19th century, there were already gullies in northern Ethiopia, although these had been stabilized around 1935. In the 1960s a reactivation of gullies has occurred. Since about 2000, erosion rates decrease again, in conjunction with an increase in conservation activities and improved vegetation cover. As a result, the total production of cereals in Ethiopia is now higher than ever, and production per capita for 2005-2010 rose by 60% as compared to 1985-1990. Currently there is an increase of exportations of flowers and vegetables, as well as a strong increase in the export of the mild narcotic khat, which requires large amounts of water for growing. International land transactions, which stagnate well below the initial objectives, have not brought improvement to the livelihood of local populations

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Soil and erosion features of the central plateau region of Tigrai, Ethiopia

Cited by 90 publications

References 7 publications

Community natural resource management: the case of woodlots in Northern Ethiopia

Community natural resource management: the case of woodlots in Northern Ethiopia

Effects of land use, slope gradient, and soil and water conservation structures on runoff and soil loss in semi-arid Northern Ethiopia

Perspectives locales et globales pour la gestion des terres des régions montagneuses du Nord de l'Éthiopie

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