Household determinants of continued adoption of sustainable land management measures in central Ethiopia.

The government of Ethiopia has undertaken several projects to restore degraded farmlands using a variety of sustainable land management (SLM) techniques. One of the critical elements of the program was the rehabilitation of farmlands using physical soil and water conservation (SWC) strategies. This study examines household determinants of continued SWC adoption performances using areas representing a variety of contexts. The analysis was conducted using a binary logit model based on data collected from 525 sample households in two districts, namely Kewet and Sebeta-hawas. Of the study participants, 276 households were from the Kewet district in the Amhara region, and 249 households were from Sebeta-hawas in the Oromia region. The study findings revealed a significant difference between sampled households in the study areas regarding continued adoption performances, i.e. (25%) in the Sebeta-hawas and (41%) in the Kewet districts. Among others, productivity gains, consistent follow-up, sufficient farm labor, livestock holding, assistance-free efforts, the experience of soil erosion risks, and sloppy farm plots provided incentives for households to embrace the already introduced measures. Aside from that, there appeared to be differences in the relative contributions and significance of determinants influencing the likelihood of continued adoption. The important conclusion is that adoption effectiveness may differ under different circumstances and agro-ecosystems. Variables influencing continued adoption are also context-specific. Thus, decision-makers should consider contextual variations in designing policies and strategies that promote adoption continuities and utilizations.

Adoption of improved cook stoves by households in informal settlements of Woreda 12, Yeka subcity, Addis Ababa.

Background: This study analyzed the factors affecting the use of improved cook stoves (ICS) in informal settlements of Addis Ababa based on the data generated from 450 households drawn from Woreda (Woreda is a local term used to describe the lowest administrative unit of Addis Ababa City Administration, Ethiopia.) 12 of Yeka subcity. It examined the interactive effect of households' socio-economic backgrounds and energy sources on the adoption of ICS. The data were analyzed using descriptive methods and the multinomial logit model. Results: Demographic and economic factors such as sex of the household head,[Household head is the one who has an income and decision-making power in family affairs (a husband for married people)], family size and family income have no relationships with households' ICS use while education level, number of years lived in the area, type of home owned, and stove-operating costs have a significant influence on the choice of an ICS. Households that live in a good home (made from wood and cement) used more Mirt (Mirt is an improved firewood stove mainly used to bake Injera and bread.) and Lakech [Lakech also called Tikikil is an improved charcoal stove used to cook different kinds of dishes (non-Injera)] stoves than the traditional three-stone stoves. On the other hand, household heads with higher levels of education and who have lived more than 7 years in the area in a better home owned more ICS than the traditional three-stone stoves. Conclusions: The availability, affordability, durability and simplicity to operate stoves, and subsidies affect the choice of an ICS. Energy sources that are commonly used by households in informal settlements also have a strong influence on the choice of energy-efficient stoves. Compared to ICS, heavy use of traditional three-stone stoves by households that already have access to electricity, directs government policies to focus on providing reliable electric service and subsidize those using ICS.

Adapting the current mass mobilization approach in Ethiopia to enhance its impact on sustainable land management: Lessons from the Sago-kara watershed.

This paper analyses the effect of an adapted - more participatory and more integrated - mass mobilization training approach on Ethiopian farmers' motivation to practice integrated farming and invest in Sustainable Land Management (SLM). It is based on the results of an experiment carried-out in the Sago-kara watershed in the Central highlands of Ethiopia, in which a group of 26 farmers received an adapted training at the start of the mass mobilization campaign in 2016, which aimed to strengthen farmers' knowledge and awareness about natural resource management, drought mitigation and integrated farm planning. One year later, both qualitative and quantitative data were collected through group discussions, field observations and household surveys. For the before-after comparison we used descriptive statistics to analyze the data; the with-without comparison (with a control group) differences were statistically tested at 1% and 5% probability levels. The results show that the adapted training approach enhanced awareness of farmers, created motivation for integrated farm management and fostered implementation of SLM practices in the field. Most interesting is that farmers who followed the training better plan for drought mitigation and are more aware of the possible effects of drought on their farming activities. The study concludes that the current mass mobilization approach in Ethiopia can have more impact on SLM if it would pay serious attention to: 1) creating awareness on the causes and effects of erosion and drought focusing on sustainability issues, 2) fostering farmers' intrinsic motivation to be good stewards of their land; 3) training in integrated farm planning, and 4) developing farm plans based on farmers' visions for resilient farming. In order to make agricultural extension in Ethiopia more effective, one has to start with capacity building of the rural extension staff in participatory training methods, followed by empowering and motivating farmers for SLM. This will not only lay a foundation for sustainable agriculture and more food security on the farm, but is also crucial for the scaling-up of resilient farming to watershed and landscape levels in Ethiopia.

Description of long-term climate data in Eastern and Southeastern Ethiopia.

This article presents long-term analyzed climate data from nine weather stations in eastern and southeastern parts of Ethiopia. At the outset of this data process, unrefined meteorological data was obtained from National Meteorological Agency (NMA) of Ethiopia for the analysis. The analyzed data in this article shows patterns of rainfall variability, frequency of drought years, seasonal concentration of precipitation and temperature conditions. As issues related to climate conditions are very intricate, different techniques and indices were applied to analyze and refine the data. The analysis reveals that eastern and southeastern parts Ethiopia are severely affected by recurrent droughts, erratic rainfall, and high and increasing temperature conditions. The long-term (1981-2009) mean annual total rainfall had been fluctuating between about 850 mm and 1350 mm. Most stations receive maximum rainfall in summer (June, July and August) except Gode which gets over 50% of its rainfall in spring season (March, April and May). The inter-annual rainfall difference was found to be very high. The Precipitation Concentration Index (PCI) is greater than 11 for all the stations showing that rainfall is concentrated in a few months. PCI is extremely high (greater than 20) for very dry stations such as Gode. Food production and consumer price index were found to be fluctuating with rainfall patters.