Diagnostic significance of complete blood cell count and hemogramderived markers for neonatal sepsis at Southwest Public Hospitals,Ethiopia

BACKGROUND Neonatal sepsis is defined as an infection-related condition characterized by signs and symptoms of bacteremia within the first month of life.It is the leading cause of mortality and morbidity among newborns.While several studies have been conducted in other parts of world to assess the usefulness of complete blood count parameters and hemogram-derived markers as early screening tools for neonatal sepsis,the associations between sepsis and its complications with these blood parameters are still being investigated in our setting and are not yet part of routine practice.AIM To evaluate the diagnostic significance of complete blood cell count hemogramderived novel markers for neonatal sepsis among neonates attending public hospitals in the southwest region of Oromia,Ethiopia,through a case control study.METHODS A case control study was conducted from October 2021 to October 2023 Sociodemographic,clinical history,and laboratory test results data were collected using structured questionnaires.The collected data were entered into Epi-data 3.1 version and exported to SPSS-25 for analysis.Chi-square,independent sample ttest,and receiver operator characteristics curve of curve were used for analysis.A P-value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant.RESULTS In this study,significant increases were observed in the following values in the case group compared to the control group:In white blood cell(WBC)count,neutrophils,monocyte,mean platelet volume(MPV),neutrophils to lymphocyte ratio,monocyte to lymphocyte ratio(MLR),red blood cell width to platelet count ratio(RPR),red blood width coefficient variation,MPV to RPR,and platelet to lymphocyte ratio.Regarding MLR,a cut-off value of≥0.26 was found,with a sensitivity of 68%,a specificity of 95%,a positive predictive value(PPV)of 93.2%,and a negative predictive value(NPV)of 74.8%.The area under the curve(AUC)was 0.828(P<0.001).For WBC,a cutoff value of≥11.42 was identified,with a sensitivity of 55%,a specificity of 89%,a PPV of 83.3%,and a NPV of 66.4%.The AUC was 0.81(P<0.001).Neutrophils had a sensitivity of 67%,a specificity of 81%,a PPV of 77.9%,and a NPV of 71.1%.The AUC was 0.801,with a cut-off value of≥6.76(P=0.001).These results indicate that they were excellent predictors of neonatal sepsis diagnosis.CONCLUSION The findings of our study suggest that certain hematological parameters and hemogram-derived markers may have a potential role in the diagnosis of neonatal sepsis.

Households Hunger:The Key Attribute to Anthropometric Failures of Children in West Oromia(Ethiopia)

Poor nutrition is the underlying cause of child death.However,comprehensive data showing the relationships between dietary-practices,food security,and nutritional status are scant.The present study aimed to examine the association of inappropriate feeding practices and household-hunger with anthropometric measures in children aged 6–23 months.A cross-sectional survey was conducted on randomly selected 525-households.Semi-structured interviewer-administered questionnaires were used to gather data on socio-demographic,child health,dietary-practices and household-hunger.Weight and height/length of the children were measured and analyzed using the new World Health Organization(WHO)Growth Standards.The prevalence of stunting,wasting and underweight as well as composite index of anthropometric failure(CIFA)were used to indicate under-nutrition.The overall prevalence of inappropriate feeding practices was 22.9%,rate of moderate households-hunger was 12.4%,and the prevalence of stunting,underweight and wasting was 16.2%,6.9%and 6.3%,respectively,while the CIAF was 21.3%.The prevalence was significantly higher in young children aged 12–23 months than in infants aged 6–11 months.Children from households experiencing moderate hunger had significantly higher risk of being stunting(OR:10.20;95%CI:2.00–51.50),underweight(OR:3.89;95%CI:1.40–10.90),wasting(OR:1.97;95%CI:0.99–3.90),and CIAF(OR:1.90;95%CI:1.05–3.45),than those residing in households experiencing no or mild hunger.Multi-disciplinary approaches are required to improve household food-security and child dietary practices,thus the nutritional status among young children.

Iodine deficiency and women’s health: Colonialism’s malign effect on health in Oromia region, in Ethiopia

Objectives: Iodine is an essential nutrient needed for the synthesis of hormone thyroxin. Hormone thyroxin is involved in the metabolism of several nutrients, the regulation of enzymes and differentiation of cells, tissues and organs. Iodine deficiency (ID) impairs the development of the brain and nervous system. It affects cognitive capacity, educability, productivity and child mortality. ID hinders physical strength and causes reproductive failure. The objective of this paper is to explore if the health impacts of ID are more common and severe among women. Design: Using primary data (notes from a visit) and secondary data, this paper examines if the effects of ID are more common and severe among Oromo women inEthiopia. Findings: The health impacts of ID are more common and severe among women. Conclusions: ID is an easily preventable nutritional problem. In Oromia, the persistence of ID is explained by the Ethiopian government’s colonial social policies. Preventing ID should be seen as part of the efforts we make to enhance capacity building, promote health, gender equity and social justice. Implications: Iodine deficiency has a wide range of biological, social, economic and cultural impacts. Preventing ID can be instrumental in bringing about gender equity and building the capacity of people.

Perception of Climate Change and Livelihood of a Farming Community of Maruf Kebele, Central Oromia, Ethiopia

The farmers’ perception of climate change and their response was documented in Maruf Kebele of Central Oromia, Ethiopia with questionnaire survey, focus group discussion and field observation. Over hundred randomly selected households were included;the community typically includes a large proportion of small holder farmers from poorly equipped, land scarce households with low education and economic status. The results indicated that farmers had a good understanding and perception of the impacts of climate change at the local level;many negative impacts of the climate irregularity had been identified by the community, like reduced crop yield, heating/drying up of environment and soil loss affecting natural plant regeneration from the forest soil seed bank, drying up of streams and springs, disappearance of trees and plants, rarity of wild animals and increasing pests/diseases. Farmers were observed to diversify their livelihood options as part of responding to irregularities in the local weather and adopting a number of steps to change agricultural practices. The results indicate the importance of understanding of community perception in designing policies and projects for effective adaptation strategies allowing local participation to cope with the impacts of climate change.

Study on incidence of lamb morbidity and mortality and associated risk factors in the mixed crop‑livestock production system of Gewata District, Kaffa zone, southwestern Ethiopia

Lamb morbidity and mortality cause significant loss in a smallholder production system. A longitudinal prospectivesurvey was conducted on 408 randomly selected farmers located in six purposefully selected kebeles in Gewataworeda from June 2020 to July 2021 to determine the incidence of morbidity and mortality in lambs and to identifyrisk factors. For this purpose, 408 lambs from the Gewata district’s mixed crop-livestock production system wereexamined every day from birth to three months of age. The data was analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier (K-M) method,the log-rank test, and Cox proportional hazards regression. Results showed that the cumulative incidence of allcauseof morbidity and mortality at the end of three month was 12.86% (95% CI: 10.26–16.13%), and 6.86% (95% CI:5.03–9.35%), respectively. Diarrhea was the leading cause of morbidity and mortality, accounting for 49.33 and 50%morbidity and mortality, respectively. Pneumonia was the second most frequent cause of morbidity and death. In theK-M hazard analysis, the greatest risk of lamb morbidity and mortality was observed during the first month of life, andthen the risk decreased significantly as the lamb grew. Of the 17 potential risk factors studied, the multivariable Coxproportional hazards regression model showed that lamb sex, birth weight, umbilical care, time and method of colostrumfeeding were the five predictors that were significantly associated with a higher risk of morbidity, whereas birthweight, lambing difficulty, dams’ parity, method and time of colostrum feeding were the five predictors that weresignificantly associated with a higher risk of mortality. Moreover, a higher risk of morbidity was observed in lambswith methods of colostrum feeding after birth (HR = 3.158;p = 0.000) and with variations in birth weight (HR = 1.418;p = 0.003). Similarly, the mortality risk was 4.926 (p = 0.047), 4.023 (p = 0.012), and 3.206 (p = 0.000) times higher inlambs with lambing difficulties, at the time of colostrum feeding, and by the method of colostrum feeding, respectively.According to this research, lamb morbidity and mortality rates in the study area are significantly high whichhas a great impact on the replacement stock and production. Hence, awareness should be created among farmersconcerning improved lamb management practices.

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.

Projecting future precipitation change across the semi-arid Borana lowland,southern Ethiopia

Climate change caused by past,current,and future greenhouse gas emissions has become a major concern for scientists in the field in many countries and regions of the world.This study modelled future precipitation change by downscaling a set of large-scale climate predictor variables(predictors)from the second generation Canadian Earth System Model(CanESM2)under two Representative Concentration Pathway(RCP)emission scenarios(RCP4.5 and RCP8.5)in the semi-arid Borana lowland,southern Ethiopia.The Statistical DownScaling Model(SDSM)4.2.9 was employed to downscale and project future precipitation change in the middle(2036-2065;2050s)and far(2066-2095;2080s)future at the local scale.Historical precipitation observations from eight meteorological stations stretching from 1981 to 1995 and 1996 to 2005 were used for the model calibration and validation,respectively,and the time period of 1981-2018 was considered and used as the baseline period to analyze future precipitation change.The results revealed that the surface-specific humidity and the geopotential height at 500 hPa were the preferred large-scale predictors.Compared to the middle future(2050s),precipitation showed a much greater increase in the far future(2080s)under both RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 scenarios at all meteorological stations(except Teletele and Dillo stations).At Teltele station,the projected annual precipitation will decrease by 26.53%(2050s)and 39.45%(2080s)under RCP4.5 scenario,and 34.99%(2050s)and 60.62%(2080s)under RCP8.5 scenario.Seasonally,the main rainy period would shift from spring(March to May)to autumn(September to November)at Dehas,Dire,Moyale,and Teltele stations,but for Arero and Yabelo stations,spring would consistently receive more precipitation than autumn.It can be concluded that future precipitation in the semi-arid Borana lowland is predicted to differ under the two climate scenarios(RCP4.5 and RCP8.5),showing an increasing trend at most meteorological stations.This information could be helpful for policymakers to design adaptation plans in water resources management,and we suggest that the government should give more attention to improve early warning systems in drought-prone areas by providing dependable climate forecast information as early as possible.

A tale of duality:Community perceptions towards the ecotourism impacts on Simien Mountains National Park,Ethiopia

This study aims to analyze how park households perceive the economic,sociocultural,and environmental impacts of ecotourism in Simien Mountain National Park(SMNP),Ethiopia.We combined qualitative and quantitative techniques for data collection.A sequentially embedded mixed design that gives priority to quantitative data was used.We also employed a multistage sampling technique to select respondents from three districts or woredas,namely Debark,Janamora,and Beyeda woredas.Finally,397 participants were involved in the study from a random selection of three villages from each district or woreda.Data were gathered using a survey questionnaire,interviews,and focus group discussions.Data were analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistical methods,including means,standard deviations,analysis of variance(ANOVA),and logistic regression models.The findings from a logistic regression analysis revealed that ecotourism participation had a significant relationship with gender(B=1.850,P=0.023),level of education(B=0.238,P=0.032),geographical location(B=0.420,P=0.041),and occupation(B=0.920,P=0.019).This investigation suggested that males and individuals with a higher educational background are more likely to possess optimistic perspectives concerning the impacts of ecotourism.Furthermore,individuals residing in districts relatively near ecotourism destinations,those engaged in tourism-related work,and younger participants were recognized as having optimistic viewpoints regarding the impacts of ecotourism.In conclusion,the study highlighted the need for collaborative efforts among stakeholders to maximize ecotourism’s benefits and minimize negative effects in SMNP.To achieve this,it is recommended that the Ethiopian Wildlife Conservation Agency,the Ministry of Tourism,and local government should work together to develop sustainable tourism plans that enhance local livelihoods and park conditions.Efforts should focus on increasing the participation of females and individuals with lower education levels through training and resource provision.

Assessment of Household Food Security and Its Determinants in Minjar Shenkora and Ada’a woredas of Central Ethiopia

Food security issues become one of the critical concerns and top priority areas for Ethiopia.This study analyzed rural households’food security status and its determinants in Minjar Shenkora woreda of Amhara Regional State and Ada’a woreda of Oromia Regional State.Data were collected from 240 randomly selected rural farm households.The study employed both descriptive statistics and a binary logistic regression model to estimate the status and determinants of households’food security,respectively.The findings indicated that the average dietary energy available for food secured households was 2,860.6 kilo calorie per day while 1,891.7 kilo calorie per day for the insecure group.According to the findings of the binary logit model,factors such as education level,farm size,livestock ownership,cooperatives membership,off-farm income and credit access have positive and significant effects on household food security.While household size has a negative and significant effect on household food security.The results recommend that interventions should target at improving rural financial services and off-farm activities that increase households’income and focusing on those most significant variables when attempting to enhance household food security.

“一带一路”背景下农业科研院所与埃塞俄比亚合作成效浅析——以中国与埃塞俄比亚旱作玉米技术合作为例

为了提升埃塞俄比亚玉米产业发展水平,响应“一带一路”倡议,执行科技部对发展中国家科技援助项目,河北省农林科学院生物技术与食品科学研究所联合多家科研单位开展了中国与埃塞俄比亚国家抗旱玉米栽培联合技术研究与示范工作。文章阐述了科技合作立项背景、科技合作的重要意义,以及科技合作的主要内容及取得的成效,如引进种质资源、筛选抗旱玉米杂交种、筛选抗旱投入品、配套栽培技术研究与示范等,并提出了建立长期科技合作及交流机制、鼓励科研单位主动“走出去”、加强储备国际科技合作人才等建议,以期为农业科研院所更好地开展国际科技合作提供借鉴。

驻非中资企业人才培养需求及对策研究——以埃塞俄比亚中资企业为例

随着近年来中非合作的持续推进,越来越多的中资企业参与到非洲的基础设施建设、能源开发等领域。但在参与过程中,出现员工技术能力欠缺,中资企业人才需求与当地职业院校人才培养机制不匹配现象。以埃塞俄比亚为例,对职业院校和中资企业开展调研,探讨中资企业对非洲本土技术技能型人才需求。通过调查问卷等形式,对埃塞俄比亚职业教育人才培养实施过程中存在的问题及驻埃塞俄比亚中资企业人才需求进行分析,提出对策建议,以期为非洲选派人员来华留学和鲁班工坊建设提供参考。

基于机器学习和未来气候变化模式的埃塞俄比亚粮食产量预测

对于以农业产业为支柱的埃塞俄比亚,粮食供应和安全对国家安全和人民的生计尤为重要。由于作物生长和气候因素之间的复杂耦合关系,预测气候变化对农作物产量影响具有较大难度,机器学习技术为这种复杂系统变化的预测提供了一种有效途径。本研究利用37个全球气候模式(GCM)的数据以及土壤数据,基于机器学习模型,预测了埃塞俄比亚2021年至2050年5种主要粮食作物在SSP1-2.6、SSP2-4.5和SSP5-8.5情景下的产量变化。经GCM和变量的筛选后,利用梅赫季和贝尔格季中5种主要粮食作物的10个产量数据对直方图梯度提升决策树、极端梯度提升随机森林、轻梯度提升决策树、随机森林、极限树以及K近邻6种机器学习模型进行训练。经过模型评估,选择表现良好的3个模型,采用线性回归算法进行堆叠,然后使用堆叠模型进行预测。研究结果表明,未来30年埃塞俄比亚梅赫季5种主要粮食作物产量变化以增产<2 t·hm^(-2)为主;SSP126情景下的贝尔格季将出现更明显的减产现象,这可能是由于温室效应的减缓降低了CO_(2)的施肥效应。随着人类活动造成的生态环境恶化,研究区农业生产对粮食结构改变和重新分配生产力的需求不断增长,导致农作物生产力向新的适宜地区转移。研究区在SSP126和SSP585情景下将分别因为干旱缓解和温室效应加剧而获得更高的粮食作物生产力。

Antibacterial activities of selected medicinal plants in traditional treatment of human wounds in Ethiopia

Objective:To evaluate the activity of selected Ethiopian medicinal plants traditionally used for wound treatment against wound-causing bacteria.Methods:Samples of medicinal plants(Achyranthes aspera,Brucea antidysenteriea,Datura stramonium,Croton macrostachyus,Acokanthera xchimperi.,Phytolacca dodecandra,Milhttia ferruginea,and Solanum incanum)were extracted using absolute methanol and water and tested for their antimicrobial activities against clinical isolates and standard strains of wound-causing bacteria using agar well diffusion and micro titer plate methods.Results:Most of the plant extracts had antibacterial activities,among which Acokanthera schimperi and Brucea antidysenteriea inhibited growth of 100%and 35%of the test organisms,respectively.Methanolic extracts had higher activities compared with their corresponding aqueous extracts.The most susceptible organism to the extracts was Streptococcus pyogens while the most resistant were Escherichia coli and Proteus vulgaris.Conclusions:This finding justifies the use of the plants in wound healing and their potential activity against woundcausing bacteria.Their toxicity level and antimicrobial activity with different extraction solvents should further be studied to use them as sources and templates for the synthesis of drugs to control wound and other disease-causing bacteria.

Opportunistic and other intestinal parasites among HIV/AIDS patients attending Gambi higher clinic in Bahir Dar city,North West Ethiopia

Objective:To determine the magnitude of opportunistic and non-opportunistic intestinal parasitic infections among HTV/AIDS patients in Bahir Dar.Methods:Cross-sectional study was conducted among HIV/ AIDS patients attending Gambi higher clinic from Aprill- May 30,2009. Convenient sampling technique was employed to identify the study subjects and hence a total of 248 subjects were included.A pre-tested structured questionnaire was used to collect sociodemographic data of patients.Stool samples were examined by direct saline,iodine wet mount, formol-ether sedimentation concentration and modified Ziehl-Neelsen staining technique. Results:Out of 248 enrolled in the study,171(69.0%)(90 males and 81 females) were infected with one or more intestinal parasites.The highest rate of intestinal parasites were observed among HIV/AIDS patients(80.3%,151/188),and the infection rate of HIV negative individuals was 33.3%(20/60).Cryptosporidum parvum(43.6%),Isospora belli(15.5%) and Blastocystis hominis (10.5%) were opportunistic parasites that were found only in HIV/AIDS patients.Conclusions: Opportunistic parasite infections are common health problem among HIV/ AIDS patients in the study area.Therefore,early detection and treatment of these parasites are important to improve the quality of life of HIV/AIDS patients.

Influence of topographic aspect on floristic diversity, structure and treeline of afromontane cloud forests in the Bale Mountains,Ethiopia

We studied the influence of east and west aspects on floristic composition, diversity, structure and treeline of afromontane cloud forests at Rira in the Bale Mountains, southeast Ethiopia. In addition, we studied how aspect relates to and/or interacts with other topographic and edaphic factors in influencing vegetation diversity. Strati- fied systematic plot sampling was used to survey the floristic composition, diversity and structure of forests on east- and west-facing slopes. The sample plot size was 20 x 20 m and a total of 36 plots were inventoried. A total of 72 composite soil samples were collected and analysed. Woody species richness of the forest on the east-facing slope was 1.7 times higher than on the west-facing slope. Shannon, Simpson and Log-series alpha diversity indices and evenness of forests on the east-facing slope were sig- nificantly higher than on the west-facing slope. NMDS ordination indicated that the east- and west-facing slopes formed two clusters of species and aspect explained 55.2 % and 10.4 % of the variation in species richness and abun- dance, respectively. There was no significant difference between aspects in stand structure except in dominantheight, which was higher on the east-facing slopes. There was significant interaction between aspect and elevation in influencing woody species diversity. The four plant com- munity groups, which were identified using cluster and indicator species analysis were represented differently on the east and west aspects. The treeline on the east-facing slope （3352 m） was located about 110 m higher than on the west-facing slope （3240 m）. Soil moisture deficiency was unlikely to be a limiting factor on either site. Near the equator, east-west aspect was shown to have considerable impact on floristic composition, diversity, structure, and treeline position of montane forests. Diurnal cloud move- ment patterns and its impact on microclimate of slope aspect should be taken into account in future studies of cloud forest diversity, structure, and treeline position.

Phenotypic diversity in Ethiopian durum wheat(Triticum turgidum var.durum)landraces

The phenotypic diversity of 274 Ethiopian durum wheat accessions was analyzed, taking their geographic origins into account. The aim was to assess the extent and patterns of agronomically important phenotypic variation across districts of origin and altitude classes for major qualitative traits using diversity index and multivariate methods. Eight qualitative and three quantitative traits were scored for 2740 plants and analyzed for diversity. The Shannon–Weaver diversity(H′) index was used to estimate phenotypic diversity. The estimated H′ ranged from monomorphic for glume hairiness to highly polymorphic for other traits. The highest(0.86) H′ was obtained for seed degree of shriveling, possibly indicating the differential responses of the genotypes to water deficit during later growth stages. With respect to district of origin, the highest(0.72) and lowest(0.44) H′ values were obtained for the Bale and SNNP districts, respectively. With respect to altitude, the highest(0.76) and lowest(0.62) H′ values were recorded for altitudes 1600–2000and > 3000 m above sea levels, respectively. Principal components analysis explained substantial variation contributed by district of origin and altitude range. Genotypes were clustered into three groups by districts of origin and altitude class, with relatively strong bootstrap values of 57 and 62 for the former and latter, respectively. It could be concluded that Ethiopian durum wheat landraces are very diverse both within and among districts of origin and altitude classes. This wealth of genetic diversity should be exploited for wheat improvement of yield and for resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses, particularly terminal drought.

Antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of Streptococcus pneumoniae over 6 years at Gondar University Hospital, Northwest Ethiopia

Objective:To assess the magnitude and antimicrobial susceptibility patterns ofStreptococcus pneumoniaeisolates from various clinical specimens.Methods:A record based on retrospectivestudy was conducted at Gondar University Teaching Hospital from September 2007 to January 2012.All patients who visited Gondar University Hospital and provided clinical specimens(body fluids,discharge,swab and blood)for routine bacteriological culturing and antimicrobial susceptibilitytesting were taken for analysis.Clinical specimens were processed for bacterial culture accordingto the standard procedures.Antimicrobial susceptibility test for isolated organisms was doneusing agar disk diffusion method.The data were entered and analyzed using SPSS software version16 package.Results:One hundred and fifty threeStreptococcus pneumoniaewere isolated frompatients who visited Gondar University Teaching Hospital bacteriology laboratory for culture.Majority of the pneumococcal isolates were from inpatients[111(72.5%)],and 74(48.4%)were frombody fluids.Out of the total isolates,93(61%)were found to be resistant to at least one antibioticused for susceptibility testing.Forty eight(43.2%)of the isolates were multi-drug resistant(resistantto two or more drugs).The resistance rate noted for both ciprofloxacin 17(11.1%)and ceftriaxone15(9.8%)were alarming.Conclusions:High proportions of the isolates tend to be increasinglyresistant to the commonly prescribed drugs.The recommended drug of choice like ciprofloxacinand ceftriaxone were found to be less susceptible in the study area.Based on the findings,wetherefore recommend that antimicrobial agents should be inspected for acceptable activity beforethey are prescribed and administered empirically.Further study with a better design and surveyof antimicrobial susceptibility at large scale shoule be performed to draw advanced information.

Optimal parameter selection for qualitative regional erosion risk monitoring:A remote sensing study of SE Ethiopia

Arid and semi-arid regions are susceptible to high levels of erosion. A rapid and cost effective methodological erosion assessment for these regions is required to describe and monitor the processes that control erosion. This study uses remote sensing to describe the contribution of several factors that control erosion. Topography, land use, vegetation density, soil properties and climatic proxies are used to determine erosion risk and to provide basic maps of water and soil conservation practices. A hierarchical decision tree is used to sum and combine the weight of parameters controlling the erosion. The assigned weights of each spatial unit express the susceptibility to erosion. We focus on the catchment basin of the Maleka Wakena reservoir, located in the southeastern portion of the main Ethiopian Rift, where erosion is the major environmental problem. Three different combinations of the dominant controlling factors are yielded in this study. In order to optimize the qualitative erosion risk assessment, each combination is discussed and evaluated depending on the contribution of parameters involved in the erosion process.

Impact of exclosures on wood biomass production and fuelwood supply in northern Ethiopia

In the Ethiopian highlands, communal grazing lands are one of the major land uses, and are source of livelihood for the rural people. Free and uncontrolled grazing in the communal grazing lands is the dominant grazing system. The traditional uncontrolled and free grazing system has caused severe degradation of the grazing lands. As a result, communities have started to establish exclosures and support the restoration of degraded communal grazing lands. Studies have shown that exclosures are effective to restoring degraded communal grazing lands and improving ecosystem services. However, studies that investigate the changes in aboveground biomass following the establishment of exclosures and compare it with fuelwood demand of the beneficiaries in our study area is lacking. Therefore, our study aimed at:(1) quantifying yearly biomass accumulation in exclosures and compare it to fuelwood demand of households that manage the exclosures;(2) assessing household energy sources and their consumption levels. To monitor changes in biomass production with over time, replicated(n = 3) 5 and10 year-old exclosures were sampled. To investigate fuelwood sources and consumption patterns, household surveys, key informant interviews and focus group discussion were conducted. Our results demonstrated that total biomass production increased with exclosure age. In both exclosure, biomass production from Vachellia etbaica was significantly(p \ 0.05) greater than that from Euclea.racemosa. Average daily fuelwood consumption per person was(0.63 ± 0.2) kg day^(-1). This means that the total biomass(27.5 Mg year^(-1)) obtained from 114.6 ha of exclosures covers only 9.4% of yearly fuelwood demand of the residents who manage the sampled exclosures. Nearly all respondents(95%) confirmed that they travel more than10 km day^(-1) to gather fuelwood from surrounding degraded forest patches. We recommend plantings of fast growing native tree species within exclosures and around homesteads to provide a sustainable fuelwood supply and using improved stoves to address the problem of fuelwood shortage. District agricultural offices could provide seedlings of native plant species, while communities provide unpaid labour for planting and managing plantations.