Market-oriented livestock production and sustainable watershed management in Astbi and Mieso Districts, Ethiopia: IPMS experience

Market-oriented livestock production and sustainable watershed management in Astbi and Mieso districts,

Ethiopia: IPMS experience

Azage Tegegne, Berhanu Gebremedhin, Dirk Hoekstra, Gebremedhin

W/wahid, Zewdu Ayele, Kahsay Berhe

“Training on Participatory Integrated Watershed Management Planning and Implementation”, Bahir Dar, 22-27 November 2012

Improving Productivity and Market Success (IPMS) Project, International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), P.O. Box 5689, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Corresponding Author: [email protected]

Who is responsible??

Background – Livestock in Ethiopia

Large livestock population - cattle - 50 million, sheep – 25 million; Goats – 22 million; in crop-livestock mixed and pastoral/agro-pastoral production systems.

Semi arid and arid lowlands cover 78 million ha (61-65 % of the land), home for 12% of human and 26% of livestock population; (agro)-pastoral system.

About 80-85% of feed from natural pasture and quantity and quality varies. Feed shortage is a key constraint and producers have developed innovations in feed resources development and feeding systems.

With increased population pressure and over use of natural resources watersheds have reduced productivity often unable to feed the growing population.

Our objective is to share innovative practices in market-oriented livestock production within a watershed context in the dry highlands of Atsbi in Tigray and the semi-arid areas of Mieso in Oromia.

Attributes of Astbi, Tigray study site

Land area 1,223 Km2; Human population 110,578

Altitude - 918-3069 (2212) masl 75% >2600 m

Rainfall 365-678 (537) mm and temperature, 13-25 (17.8) oC

Agro-ecologically classified as- dry highland

Major crops grown are: barley, wheat, teff, faba beans, lentils, field peas, chickpeas, irrigated fruits and vegetables

Livestock resources - Cattle (52,264); Sheep (72,471); Goats (10,427); Camels (1,529); Beehives (6,729)

Attributes of Mieso, Oromia study site

Land area of 2,574 Km2 and human population of 115,568. Altitude - 900 to 1600 masl ; temperature varies between 240C and 280C; annual rainfall -790 mm Agro-ecologically - classified as semi-arid lowland and only 12% land suitable for crop production Major crops - sorghum, maize, teff, sesame, haricot beans and sweet potatoes Cattle (92,411), goats (41,869), camels (11,445) and sheep (7,325) Pastoralists - 80%, agro-pastoralists- 15%, crop-livestock production – 5%. About 73,658 ha (38%) of total land covered by bushes, forests and grazing land, and are the major feed resources (IPMS, 2006).

Watershed

A watershed consists of a steep land as runoff generating and valley bottoms as run-on zones in a continuum fashion.

With increased population pressure, over use of natural resources results in low watershed productivity often unable to feed the growing population.

In this regard, IPMS has been working on watershed based market-oriented crop and livestock commodities development to improve productivity and income of smallholder farmers.

Implemented interventions

Intervention approaches

Potentials, limitations and interventions (including GIS) of market oriented livestock commodities were identified along the value chain framework (VCF)

Natural pasture improvement

Crop residue improvement

Introduction of improved forage species in conserved watersheds

Introduction of cut and carry system of livestock feeding

Interventions implemented along the commodity value chain – Beef and goats in Mieso and sheep and apiculture in Atsbi

Atsbi

Production Systems - crop-livestock system, overgrazing, feed shortage and land degradation

Major livestock commodities - sheep and apiculture

Discussion with experts and the community followed by training and exchange visit programs

FTCs as knowledge centres

Woreda Knowledge Centres – non-electronic and electronic materials

Targeting, selection of suitable forage species, community mobilization and action

Rehabilitated hillside areas

Phalaris aquatica

Area enclosures

Changes in biomass and forage composition - backyard

Farmland/backyard forage development

Hillside rehabilitation

Gully rehabilitation

Changes in gully stabilization

System intensification -– cut and carry system in bottomlands

Cut and carry system

Cut and carry system - bottomlands

Changes in biomass and forage composition: irrigated sites

Farmland feed resources development

Changes in forage groundcover – slower runoff, higher water infiltration

Changes –in groundwater recharge and streams and spring development

Enriched Biodiversity – linked to apiculture development

Water harvesting

Improved groundwater recharge, shallow wells, water harvesting and Irrigated horticultural crops development

Watershed treatment and apiculture development

Bee forages

Apiculture in area closure

Apiculture development

Queen rearing and training centre

Apiculture products marketing – linkage with processors

Honey shop in Mekelle - branding

Sheep production and marketing

Diversification- Marketing feed for cash income

Monitoring, evaluation and learning for scaling out lessons through field visits and exchange programs

Atsbi –– forage development 2005 - 2009

Forage intervention type Demo area – ha or cuttings

Scaled out coverage – ha, PAs, cuttings

Degraded lands 26 ha 581 ha in 8 PAs, harvest once/yr

Bottomlands; year round cut and carry

69 ha 1746 ha in 13 PAs, harvested 3-4 times/yr

Bottomlands; partial cut and carry

Modified/traditional 5764 ha in 16 PAs

Private plots

Emerged by itself 10 PAs

Irrigated sites and gullies 300 cuttings in FTCs > 45,000 cuttings

Grazing land transformed to cut and carry

95 ha 4 PAs

Changes in biomass yield in the watershed continuum

Changes in forage utilization: Sheep fattening and innovation uptake

Improved forage uptake following demonstration

Apiculture and vegetables development

Apiculture

Currently, there are 19,272 hives and colonies - worth of about USD 1.5 - 1.75 million from honey and colony sale benefiting 10,878 households

Changes – Increased honey productivity from about 5 kg in 1997 to a record high of 80-100 kg/hive/year in 2007; and improved honey quality

Vegetables In 2008, about 11,393 households (33% women) grew vegetables on 1,417

ha with total income of USD 2.5 -3.2 million

Irrigated crop growers earn USD 250 - 350 per household per harvest.

These innovative practices have been scaled up and out among PAs using field visits, study tours and platforms

Mieso, Oromia

Pastoral and agro-pastoral system

Crop-livestock system

Major livestock species - cattle, goats, camels

Feed resources in the crop-livestock system

Participatory assessment of feed resources in pastoral area

Intrusion of undesirable invasive species

Prosopis juliflora

Euphorbia spp. Acacia nubica

Major feeding systems

Re-habilitating degraded rangelands

Fodder enclosure management and strategic use

The size of private enclosures varies from 0.5 to 1.5 ha.

Only 47% practice cut and carry feeding while 53% allow free grazing.

The community also rehabilitated communal hill side grazing lands through planting grasses and leguminous forages; which improved NRM, controlled soil erosion and enhanced soil moisture retention.

The reward from productivity of enclosures is dependent on management and utilization patterns

Crop residue improvement

Sorghum conservation, chopping and urea treatment for improved animal production

Production of food/feed crops

Sorghum, maize, haricot bean and sweet potato production cover 73%, 22%, 3% and 1%, respectively of the arable land area.

They are used as food/feed crops, for cash income, up keep of soil fertility and fulfilling social functions.

Sweet sorghum

Cultivated in crop livestock and agro-pastoralist areas on 80% of the arable land (about 13,000 ha).

Hardy and drought tolerant, survives 7 shocks per cropping season; stays on field for 7 months and produces tillers.

Intercropped with cow pea, pigeon pea, sweet potatoes, haricot beans.

Is palatable, has higher voluntary intake, fresh stalk is eaten by humans and stover is used for construction and firewood.

Inter-cropping sweet sorghum with pigeon pea and Rhodes grass

Sweet potato

Is a food/feed crop often inter-cropped with cereals and is also used for income generation.

Five types cultivated and criteria for selection are early maturity (>120 days), drought resistance, yield and market demand.

Tubers for fattening; leaves and vines for milking animals (increases yield and shortens post-partum anoestrus period).

According to farmers, cows become over fat and infertile when supplemented with tubers, and fattening cattle do not respond to supplementation with leaves and vines.

Sweet potato

Forage integration into cropping systems

Participatory selection of Napier grass varieties

Improved forages – Napier grass

Fodder development

Fodder development

Fodder development- forage integration into cropping system

Construction of ponds and water harvesting structures with feed resource

Diarrhea, pneumonia and tick infestation are major health problems

Use of locally available concentrate feeds and other farmer innovations

Drenching fenugreek powder mixed with water to clean up the digestive system and internal parasites

Feeding maize, haricot bean, sweet potato tubers, grain flours and dough stage maize

Drenching sugar, use of salt, mineral soil and small quantities of di-ammonium phosphate (DAP) to supplement phosphorus

Concentrate feeds – oil cakes

Urea-molasses blocks

Use of fresh human urine and mineral soils

Fresh urine is poured on crop residues and fed to increase feed intake, improve body condition and temperament.

Mineral soil (known as ‘Haya’) fed during the early rainy season to provide nutrients and reduce internal parasite burden.

Use of manure and medicinal plants

Producers indicated manure application improves water retention and utilization, increases grain yield 2-3 folds & biomass yield by threefold.

Use of medicinal plants (‘Harmel’) widely spread innovative practice.

The root is chopped, dried, powdered, mixed with water and administered around onset of short rainy season (March to May) to treat diarrhea and internal parasites.

Tubers shared as gifts and some sold in local markets.

Some medicinal plants

Input supply and services

Input supply and services

Concentrate feed supply system

Rural shops – Private vet drugs and forage seed – agri-business

Improved Production

Cattle fattening (@ 20,000-35,000 Birr/head –

about 2,000 USD)

Improved animal production

Small Ruminants

Regular and strategic destocking

In C-L system cattle fattened during abundant period (July - Nov) and sale between Sept and Dec., using buy-plow-fatten-sale and/or buy-fatten-sale system.

Emerging system - fatten oxen for 3-6 mo by matching with feed availability (June to Nov) and the market.

(Agro) pastoralists annually destock young males before feed exhaustion while in best body condition and fetch higher prices.

Producers at best position to buy grain at cheaper prices as this period coincides with the post harvest period of cereal crops.

Market-oriented production system and marketing groups

Market promotion and linkage – Livestock fair

Marketing and linkages

Market promotion, recognition and linkages – Awards during livestock fair

Beef and goat meat for domestic market

Farmer innovation in Mieso

Fodder enclosure management and strategic use

Regular and strategic destocking (matching livestock number with feed resources)

Supplement locally available mineral soils

Pouring urine/fresh urine from human/ on feeds to enhance intake

Deliberate production of food/feed crops (sweet sorghum, maize, beans, sweet potato)

Use of organic manure on crop fields

Use of supplemental feeds like dough stage maize, sorghum and haricot bean and grains, sweet potato tubers, and various multipurpose leguminous plants

Targeted feeding to specific group of animals like lactating cows, fattening animals

Cut and carry feeding system with proper shade and feeding and watering troughs

Farmer innovation in Mieso

Improving the quality of feed resources through boiling, roasting, soaking, and making flour from grains,

Wilting feeds like sweet potato leaves and vines, various weeds and grasses

Use of salt consistently

Use of locally available medicinal plants as wormicidal and false neem tree seeds against mild level of bloat cases

Improving presentation of crop residues like sorghum stover and maize stalk by chopping

Massaging finished cattle at night

Key issues for integrated approach to commodity development

Knowledge Management

Capacity Development

Commodity NOT Technology Development

Production Technologies

Input supply system and service provision including innovative credit

Marketing and linkages

Lessons for scaling out and up

Conclusions and Outlook

Key factors to stimulate local innovation - economic

incentives, erratic rainfall and drought, food insecurity, strong social bond and agile community asset, etc.

Determination of the community to learn to innovate and internalize innovativeness serve as a spring board in adapting, sustaining natural resources and transforming the livelihoods of the rural community.

Some interesting landscapes

Thank You!!

www.ipms-ethiopia.org