Organic Agriculture for Restoring Degraded Landscapes and Livelihoods:

The Tigray Experience

ETHIOPIAMountainous

1.12 mill sq km>14 mill small-holder farmers

>Cultivated area average 0.94 ha

per family

Ethiopia is the ‘water tower’ of eastern Africa providing over 80% of the waters of the Nile plus water to N Kenya, Somalia and Djibouti.

Tigray

Addis

Land degradation, particularly soil erosion is Ethiopia’s most serious problem

Any and all agricultural improvements need to be based on ecological intensification

Ethiopia’s agrobiodiversity wealth• Over 5,000 years of farmers’ knowledge and skills • Agro-biodiversity wealth

–Vavilov Centre with over 190 crop species still cultivated–Great varietal diversity within crops –Very low use of external inputs, e.g. chemical fertilizer –Farmers’ dislike / distrust of debt

• Governance in the hands of local communities, including farmers’ rights to save, use and sell their own seed

A glimpse of Ethiopia’s agrobiodiversity

wealth

Enset (false banana) above and teff belowA few of the huge range of

sorghum varieties

Local Agroiodiversity for Food & Nutrition Security and Income Generation

Enset: 250 sq m supplies all carbohydrate needed for a family of 5 for a year

• Harvested product can be stored for 15 years• Highly drought resistantTeff: highest value cereal on market (85 USD/t),

compared to maize, (25 USD/t)• High nutritional value, • Harvested grain can be stored for 10 years

without loosing viabilitySorghum: very drought resistant• Many different food and beverages uses

Origin of the Tigray Project

In mid-1990s, ISD asked by the Ethiopian Government for an alternative to the Sasakawa Global approach promoting increased use of chemical fertilizer, but suitable for only about 10% of the country--classified as high production potential areas

• ISD established in 1996 to implement the Project “Sustainable Development and Ecological Land Management with Farming Communities in Tigray” = The Tigray Project

#IFOAMRio@IFOAMorganic

Livelihood and landscape componentsBylaws - communities restore local controlBiological and physical water & soil conservation, through using

multipurpose local trees, i.e. Sesbania and local grassesManaging grazing, stopping access to vulnerable land (watersheds),

so grass, herbs and trees can growRestoring soil fertility through compost, and helping farmers avoid

debt paid for chemical fertilizer

Mature compost Sesbania in flowerMaking compost

#IFOAMRio@IFOAMorganic

Landscape rehabilitation started in 1996, pictured in 2003 (similar examples now seen in many place) throughout

Pond Rehabilitated gullies

Sesbaniatrees and long

grassesComposted fields

growing tef, wheat and barley

Faba bean

Rehabilitated biodiverse hillside

for bee keeping

#IFOAMRio@IFOAMorganic

The 4 Principles of Organic Agriculture Applied

• Ecology – restores and maintains ecosystem services (good soil, water availability, pollinators)

• Health – healthy soil produces disease and pest resilient crops

• Fairness – Involves all social groups in the local communities, women, men, disadvantaged groups such as elderly couples, landless youth, families challenged by HIV/AIDS, etc.

• Care – the communities take responsibility for caring for their environment through bylaws

#IFOAMRio@IFOAMorganic

Wheat infested with stripe rust and sprayed – gave yield of 1.6 t/ha

Wheat grown on composted soil resisting the rust – gave yield over

6.5 t/ha

Impact of compost on crop health & disease resistance, example from 2010

#IFOAMRio@IFOAMorganic

Landscape Benefits of Compost

Carbon brought back to the soil as humusNitrogen in the protein of organic wastes,

including urine, returned to the soil Other nutrients in compost recycled for healthy

growth of crops, animals and peopleWater retention for improved local hydrology,

with raised water tables, longer water flows in streams enabling 2 crops per year

Increased resilience to extreme weather events

Livelihood benefits of compost

Yields of cereals and pulses doubled Soil and crops with increased resistance to wind

and water erosionWater availability improved

Springs reappear, persist and streams run for longer through the year

Water tables raised (farmers dig shallow hand dug wells) Crops survive dry gaps and stay green for 2 weeks longer

than others at the end of rains

#IFOAMRio@IFOAMorganic

Yield of Faba Bean without compost 250kg/ha

Yield of Faba Bean with compost 2,500 kg/ha

#IFOAMRio@IFOAMorganic

Grain yield of 5 staple crops from farmers (2000 to 2006)Based on samples from 900 plots

Barley (n=444) Durum wheat (n=546)

Maize (n=273) Teff (n=741) Faba bean (n=141)

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

3500

4000Check Compost Chemical fertilizer

Crop (n=number of observations/fields sampled)

#IFOAMRio@IFOAMorganic

Additional Livelihood Benefits of Compost

Farmers avoid debt from getting chemical fertilizer on credit – now costing USD 130 per 100 kg – Farmers making bioslurry compost can sell one

sack (approx. 100 kg for ETB 100 or USD 5.8– Competent farmers make 35 to 100 sacks a yearFarmers, particularly women, diversify their production baseWomen say the food tastes better and their families’ hunger is satisfied more easily

#IFOAMRio@IFOAMorganic

Economic benefits of compost

• Inputs (all of which are locally available): – weeds from crop fields– Left over crop residues used as animal feed and

bedding – Animal manure (plentiful)– Vegetable crop residues– Household organic wastes– Labour– Water– Microbial rich soil as an innoculator

Cost benefit analysis for the farmer using chemical fertilizer

• Cost for chemical fertilizer in 2012 was USD 130 per 100 kg

• Average yield of durum wheat grown with chemical fertilizer 1700 kg/ha,

• Sold at USD 50 per 100 kg , farmers income would be USD 850

• Net profit after repaying credit, USD 720

Cost benefit analysis for the farmer from using compost

• Average rate of compost application, 6.5 t/ha• Opportunity cost for making compost

estimated at USD 60 for 6.5 t/ha• Average yield of durum wheat grown with

compost 2500 kg/ha, • Sold at USD 50 per 100 kg , farmers income

would be USD 1,250• As there is no financial outlay, ALL of this

profit stays with the farmer

Mixed perennial and annual crops

Harvested teff field

Fields of mature teff

Fruit tree garden in rehabilitated gully

Water pond for irrigation

Hillside protected from grazing

Farmer Woldu

Planting with Spaceto maximize use of seed and compost

An adaptation of SRI, by growing in rows either from transplanting seedlings or direct sowing, gives

Increased yields with easier and timely management of weeds, pests and easier harvestinge.g. Finger millet and tef, seed rate reduced by 90% compared to

broadcasting, hence more efficient use of seed resources, andGrain and straw yields doubled, i.e. for finger millet from 1.4 t/ha to

3 t/ha grain, and for tef from 1.2 t/ha to 2.5 t/ha or more of grainBecause, root growth greatly increased giving many more

productive tillers (greater root mass = greater shoot mass)

#IFOAMRio@IFOAMorganic

Participatory Planting with Space #IFOAMRio@IFOAMorganic

Productive Tiller Potential of Teffplanted with space and compost

Tiller production increased

At harvest impact of ecological intensification on biomass

#IFOAMRio@IFOAMorganic

Productive Ear/Grain Potential of Durum wheatplanted with space and compost

Ear with 39 grains without space or compost

Ear with 56 grains with space and compost

• Improve and expand extension services (ICT)

• Introduce capacity building (ICT)

• Agriculture is very localized

The Ecological way ahead is: knowledge & people intensive

www.organicfarmermagazine.org www.infonet-biovision.org http://www.biovision.ch

#IFOAMRio@IFOAMorganic

Sue Edwards, with Tewolde Berhan Gebre Egzibher Dereje Gebremichael, Hailu Araya,

and Arefayne AsmelashInstitute for Sustainable Development,

Ethiopiasustaindeveth@ethionet.et /

sustainet@yahoo.co.uk

THANK YOU