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Ecosystems for water, food and economic development in the Central Rift Valley of Ethiopia

Ecosystems for water, food and economic development in the Central Rift Valley of Ethiopia. Huib Hengsdijk , Dagnachew Legesse, Herco Jansen, Petra Spliethoff, Wolter Scholten, Edwin van der Maden, Tamiru Alemayehu, Petra Hellegers. Content. LNV policy questions and needs

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Ecosystems for water, food and economic development in the Central Rift Valley of Ethiopia

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  1. Ecosystems for water, food and economic development in the Central Rift Valley of Ethiopia Huib Hengsdijk,Dagnachew Legesse, Herco Jansen, Petra Spliethoff, Wolter Scholten, Edwin van der Maden, Tamiru Alemayehu, Petra Hellegers

  2. Content • LNV policy questions and needs • Introduction Central Rift Valley (CRV) • Research approach • Some results • Policy/research agenda

  3. LNV policy questions and needs • FAO/NL Pre-conference ‘Water for Food and Ecosystems’ in Ethiopia, November 2004 • Request for collaboration • Case study area: Central Rift Valley • Horticulture development (export) • Food insecure/poverty • National Wetland Park • Declining surface water tables

  4. LNV policy questions and needs Goal: To strengthen local authorities in the field of environmental management contributing to a sustainable development of the CRV • Identify and study interrelated issues • Identify options for improved resource use • Contribute to policy and research agenda

  5. Study area Catchment area: 1.0 Mln ha Population: 1.5 Mln

  6. Altitude: 1500 - 2400 m Rainfall: 600 – 1400 mm Land use 1999

  7. Interrelated problems • Poverty • Lack of employment opportunities • Deforestation (charcoal, land clearing) • Overgrazing and land degradation • Low rainfed productivity • Over-fishing of lakes • Etc, etc. but most prominent…..

  8. Falling water table Lake Abijata

  9. Research approach Main research question: Cause of declining water tables? • Stakeholder analysis (who are water users?) • Water consumption • Performance: Water, land and labor productivity of water users • Historical land use analysis • Relation between land use change and hydrology • Climate change and variability • Alternative livelihood strategies

  10. Research methods • Rapid rural appraisal • Survey floriculture a.o. on input use • Digitalization and analysis of climate data (20 stations) • Estimation of irrigation water use • Analysis of discharge data of rivers and lakes • Water balances for sub-catchments • Interpretation satellite images (land use classification) • Literature

  11. People Public sector Private sector Science Profit Planet NGO’s Research approach

  12. Society Secundary stakeholders Primary stakeholders Science Society Secundary stakeholders Primary stakeholders Science A dialogue Research approach: Stakeholder relationships • Science: Interdisciplinary science communication • Primary stakeholders: Concerned, directly involved • Secundary stakeholders: Concerned, not directly involved • Society: Societal conditions, all other drivers

  13. Research approach: Policy dialogue – collaboration • Multi-stakeholder platform ‘Lake Ziway’ • DGIS Horn of Africa program • Bilateral contacts with Dutch Embassy, MoW, LNV • Collaboration with Univ. of Addis Ababa, UTwente, Norw. Univ of Life Sc. • Supervision/support of Ethiopian and Dutch students • Bill Gates-funded IDE-project on drip irrigation • Master Plan development for entire Rift Valley

  14. Some results • Increased intensification of land use • Irrigated smallholder/state farms are major water users and reason for the drop in water tables • Rainfall decreased with 15% during 1996-2005, which further contributed to declining water levels • Water & land productivity of rose production > 10 times higher than irrigated smallholder production • Labor input (per ha) of rose production > 5 higher than in irrigated smallholder production

  15. Some results: • Performance of irrigated smallholder production highly variable. • Effect of increasing daily temperature (±1.5°C over the past 30 years) on hydrology? • Effect of deforestation and erosion on hydrology?

  16. Policy/research agenda • Increase water use efficiency (drip, recirculation systems). • Autonomous expansion of smallholder irrigation. • Pollution risks associated with greenhouse production needs attention. • Expansion of greenhouse production will put pressure on urban and social infrastructure. • Alternative livelihood strategies: tourism, rainfed agriculture, fisheries/aquaculture, and Payment for Environmental Services.

  17. Thank you

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