Determinants of Smallholder Farmers Adoption of Acacia decurrens in Northwest Ethiopia

Planting a fast-growing multipurpose Acacia decurrens (AD) tree is one of the climate-smart agricultural practices that have been promoted in Ethiopia, which is widely practiced and an important livelihood strategy in Awi zone. However, the extent of its adoption varies considerably among households in the study area. This study investigated the determinants of intensity of adoption of AD among 385 randomly selected rural households in Awi Zone. Data were gathered using a cross-sectional household survey. Descriptive statistics and Two-limit Tobit model were employed for data analysis. The result of the study shows that on average the intensity of adoption of AD was 0.43 (43% of the total cropland area), though majority of the farmers (48.8%) belong to low level of adoption. The result of the analysis shows that being male, educational level, access to seedling, experience in growing the tree, extension contact has positive and significant relationship with the intensity of adoption. Age of head of household, land holding size, livestock holding size, soil fertility status, disease emergence and road distance have negative and significant influence on intensity of adoption. These suggest that expanding road infrastructure, education, access to seedling, secure land property right, disease management, and provision of extension services related to the AD can also improve smallholder farmers’ intensity of AD adoption. The generated information provides a picture of the study area’s situation to the attention of policy makers, development practitioners and institutional service providers to formulate a better policy intervention to sustain smallholder farmers’ AD plantation.

Forest cover change and its driving forces in Fagita Lekoma District,Ethiopia

This study investigated forest cover change and the driving forces behind it in Fagita Lekoma District of Ethiopia that resulted in increased forest cover,which might be uncommon outside this case study area.The LULC change analysis was made from 2003 to 2017 based on Landsat images.Socioeconomic analysis was carried out to identify the major driving forces that resulted in LULC change.A questionnaire survey,focused group discussion,key informant interviews and field observation were employed to analyze the link between LULC change and the driving forces.The 15-year period(2003–2017)image analysis revealed that the coverage of forest lands,built-up areas and grassland has increased by 256%,100%and 96%,respectively,at the expense of cultivated lands and wetlands.The increased forest cover is due to the woodlots expansion of Acacia decurrens Willd,which are designed for sustainable livelihoods and a land revitalization strategy in the study area.Rapid population growth,an increasing demand for charcoal and subsequent market opportunities,preferred qualities of A.decurrens or black wattle to halt land degradation as well as to improve land productivity,have been identified as the major driving forces of forest cover change.Chi squared analysis revealed that:a comparative cash income from the sale of A.decurrens;a dependency on natural forests;the distance from the district administrative center;the size of the active labor force,and the area of land owned have significantly affected the cover change.The major forest cover change is due to the expansion of A.decurrens plantations that have socioeconomic and environmental implications to improve rural livelihoods and revitalize the land.Thus,the positive experiences identified in this study should be scaled-up and applied in other similar settings.

Changes in ecosystem service values strongly influenced by human activities in contrasting agro-ecological environments

Background:Evaluating the impacts of land-use/land-cover(LULC)changes on ecosystem service values(ESVs)is essential for sustainable use and management of ecosystems.In this study,we evaluated the impact of human activity driven LULC changes on ESVs over the period 1982–2016/17 in contrasting agro-ecological environments:Guder(highland),Aba Gerima(midland),and Debatie(lowland)watersheds of the Upper Blue Nile basin,Ethiopia.Results:During the study period,the continuous expansion of cultivated land at the expense of natural vegetation(bushland,forest,and grazing land)severely reduced the total ESV by about US$58 thousand(35%)in Aba Gerima and US$31 thousand(29%)in Debatie watersheds.In contrast,the unprecedented expansion of plantations,mainly through the planting of Acacia decurrens,led,from 2006,to a ESV rebound by about US$71 thousand(54%)in Guder watershed,after it had decreased by about US$61 thousand(32%)between 1982 and 2006.The reduction in natural forest area was the major contributor to the loss of total ESV in the study watersheds,ranging from US$31 thousand(63%)in Debatie to US$96.9 thousand(70%)in Guder between 1982 and 2016/17.On an areaspecific basis,LULC changes reduced the average ESV from US$560 ha^(−1) year^(−1)(1982)in Guder to US$306 ha^(−1) year^(−1)(2017)in Debatie watersheds.Specific ESVs such as provisioning(mainly as food production)and regulating services(mainly as erosion control and climate regulation)accounted for most of the total ESVs estimated for the study watersheds.Conclusions:In most cases,the total and specific ESVs of the watersheds were negatively associated with the population growth,which in turn was positively associated with the expansion of cultivated land over the study period.In Guder,however,ESVs were positively associated with population growth,especially after 2012.This is mainly due to the expansion of Acacia decurrens plantations.Our results suggest,therefore,that future policy measures and directions should focus on improving vegetation cover through planting multipurpose trees such as Acacia decurrens to prevent future loss of ESV in the midland and lowland regions of the Upper Blue Nile basin and beyond.However,caution must be taken during plantation of invasive species as they may have undesirable consequences.