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National Dialogue On Sustainable Agricultural Intensification and its role on the climate resilient green economy initiative in Ethiopia

A recap from Day 1 (23 July 2012)

Ermias BetemariamMeron Mulatu

Lain Wright

Sustainable intensification: Increase production while maintaining ecosystem health

A national platform for institutional learning and policy action on NRM in Ethiopia

Presentation – 23 July 20123

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• Agri., water, forest and food security are well- connected = integrated approach (Rio+20)

• Week institutional linkages & fragmented investment

• Platform: – Guide evidence based policy formulation– Reduce risk of duplications

• Approach: creating portal

Sustainable tree-crop-livestock intensification as a pillar for the Ethiopian climate resilient

green economy initiative –ICRAF led project funded by USAID

Aster G/Kirstos (PhD) and Kiros Meles Hadgu (PhD)Presented at National Dialog On Sustainable Agricultural Intensification

and its role on the CRGE23-24 July, ILRI, Ethiopia

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• SSA poor cereal production (1 t/ha) –major challenge:

• Agroforestry as a solution• Major challenges of environmental

degradation– Agri. Expansion– Free grazing – Lack of tree germplasm

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The status of forestry development in Ethiopia:

Challenges and Opportunities

Wubalem TadesseEthiopian Institute of Agricultural

Researchwubalem16@gmail.com

National Dialog On Sustainable Agricultural Intensification in Ethiopia and its role on the climate resilient green economy initiative in Ethiopia

July 23rd and 24th, 2012, ILRI Campus, Addis Ababa

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• Opportunities– Exclosures– Tree planting in home gardens & woodlots– Why Ethiopia is wood importer?

• Challenges– State of Ethiopian forest: lacks data & updating (old references)– Deforestation– Poor forestry institutions

• Consequences of forest degradation: erosion, siltation, etc.• Integrated approach: forestry, Agri, Industry• More investment in forest research, education and

extension

Importance of Biodiversity for agricultural intensification and climate change adaptation in Ethiopia

Gemedo Dalle (PhD)Institute of Biodiversity Conservation

• Biodiversity values• Critical about “sustainability” & “intensification”

– Intensification may affect sustainability: care to address the issues of small holding farmers

– Researchers should focus on local varieties. There are fast growing tree and shrub species

– Generic erosion to adapt for climate change, disease resistant etc.– Diversification should be considers as a useful pillar in projects.

• Proper valuation of ecosystem services: yield /ha is not sufficient (values of trees on landscapes…)

• Consider the international convention that Ethiopia has accepted• Strong forest institution• BD - Key weapon in the fight against climate change

Contribution of TAF to climate change adaptation and mitigation in Ethiopia

Zebene Asfaw

Hawassa Unversity, Wondo Genet college of Forestry and Natural Resources.

zebeneasfaw@yahoo.co.uk, zebeneasfaw@gmail.com

• Agroforestry (Gedeo) for landscape connectivity, land rehabilitation, nutrient cycling, water quality…

• Diversification (e.g. interventions, income) is key to intensification

• Intensification of agri. Should also give emphasis to already existing AF systems

Forest Policy, Strategies and Laws of Ethiopia: Opportunities and

Challenges to Developing the SectorMelaku Bekele (WGCF-NR, Wondo Genet)

and Habtemariam Kassa (CIFOR, Addis Ababa)

Presentation at the National Dialog On Sustainable Agricultural Intensification in Ethiopia

and its role on the climate resilient green economy initiative in Ethiopia

23-24 July 2012, Addis Ababa

• Forest policy is a process: • Forestry institution vacuum• Forestry proclamation 2007 but forest

directive missing• Monitoring policy outcomes are lacking: policy

implementation is an issue

• Lack of clear data on forestry • Inadequate attention by the planners to the

sector- undervaluation of the total economic values of forest resources

• Forest property rights• Lack of capable institutions• Establishing regular discussion forum

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Genesis of Climate Resilient Highlands Transformation

Kelali Adhana (PhD) Director General

Tigray Science and Technology Agency

July 23, 2012Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

• A climate resilient economy – avert the negative consequence of CC

• Economics of CC• Economic resilience• Environmental resilience

– Strengthening GO an Civil Society organizations– Requires new types of institutional arrangements

• Society resilience:– Policy should consider social resiliency– Indigenous knowledge

• What matters for the highlands matters for the lowlands

Information Needs for Adaptation to & Mitigation of Climate Variability & Change

Dr. Girma Balcha and Gebru Jember

Climate Change Forum-Ethiopia

Gebru_j@yahoo.com

• at least 30 years of change• We don’t have enough met stations- poor

spatial and temporal coverage (modeling as a solution

• Ethiopia trend- – temp increasing but rainfall variability– Future projections: RF will increase

More attention to climate variability than CC

(Ali , 2007)

Need for formulating research/ knowledge-based policy and strategy set up

Sustainable Agricultural Intensification in the Ethiopian Highlands

Tilahun Amede Scientist / Nile Basin Coordinator,

CGIAR Challenge Program Water for Food

• Problem priority: Water scarcity • Water scarcity

– Physical– Economic (e.g. Sahara has huge under ground

water but not economical to use it).

Compare sustainability and intensifications- they may contradict

Intensification is short term- increase productivitySustainability is long term

Approach– Understand systems and the clients– Improving water storage and productivity of

farms, landscapes and basins– Increasing water productivity

• Livestock productivity- reduce distance to watering point

• through enhancing soil fertility (Zn): combining organic and inorganic fertilizers

• We need to make choices: more food per unit of water

– Landscape approaches for intensifications– Functional policies in facilitating incentives

mechanism • Market incentives: infrastructure is rudimentary• Policy incentives• Safety-net options

– Enable local institutions– Scaling up/out/down- good pracitices

Reflections

• What are the challenges to implement Agfor?• Consider the roles of natural & plantation forests [the

topic is intensification- trees outside forest]• Strong forestry institution needed • Wide use of exotic tree species could alter future forest

diversity • Whose task is data base management? At different

levels (e.g. institutions) [BoARD]• Urban forestry: towns are more green than their

surroundings

• Science/research-policy interface: – breaking the academic circle – Policy communication- the national platform is

good– Professional shouldn’t bias decision makers

• Specialization: northern Ethiopia has good potential for grain production that the traditional Agfo might be less feasible [Agofo has still potential in northern Ethiopia- land restoration]

• Eucalyptus as Agroforestry species [used as shelter in wet soils]• Trends in forest cover change = f(Af/reforestation, deforestation)

[number of seedlings plants doesn’t tell the change in forest cover- proper data and documentation needed]

• The proceeding should be shared with policy makers: [policy makers are very much aware and shared with proceedings in the past]

• CC uncertainties should be managed carefully • What is our priority? adaptation or mitigation

[adaptation]• Why farmers are not adopting good practices?• Environmental resilience: ecosystems don’t

bounce back but respond: prepare the community for scenarios than Green Economy– Develop scenario– Prepare packages

• Livestock productivity by reducing walking distance appreciated

• Soil organic matter management: identify the limiting elements (low of the minimum)

• Water scarcity a serious problem: improve water use efficiency- recycling & reuse

• Traditional resilience: traditional knowledge

Common issues shard by the speakers

• Data source/quality• Institutional strength• Small-holders and indigenous knowledge• Proper valuation of forests/biological

resources to ecosystem services• Up/out-scaling of good practices

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Creating synergies

Ethiopian soils: Agriculture Transformation Agency

Red-legacy dataWhite- AfSIS sentinel siteGreen- Millennium Village Yellow- proposed 98 sentinel sites

http://www.africasoils.net/EthiopiaSoils

Final remarks

Good representation of institutions- a good mix. Very informative presentations Much engagement from the audience

Thank you