Resources-, Practices- and Community-based

Rainwater Management Strategies:Insights from the NBDC Sites

Bharat Sharma & NBDC Colleagues

Nile Basin Development ChallengeScience and Reflection WorkshopAddis Ababa, 4-6 May 2011

Conceptual understanding of landscapes

Zone-I, uplands,Rainfed

Zone-II, Midlands,Rainfed

Zone-III, Lowlands/ BottomlandsIrrigated+ Rainfed

Water availability, land/ soil quality, livelihood

options

Rive

r

3 Woredas: Capturing Variability of Blue Nile Basin

Characteristics Jeldu Diga Fogera1. Water Availability Low Medium High

2. Demographic pressure

High Low Medium

3. Ecosystem Highly degraded

Transition Degraded in UC

4. Anchor outputs Potato, Eucalyptus, Livestock

Mango, Maize, Oilseeds

Rice, Vegetables, Khat

7. Future trends-Agric. Declining productivity

Increasing Shifts to vegetables, khat

5. Institutional support Medium Low High

6. Migration Seasonal(with livestock)

Highland-lowland

Labour migration

8. Coverage under SLM-ETH

Yes Yes No

9. Livestock pressure High Low Medium

Jeldu Woreda

*West Shewa Zone. Oromia Region, 2500-3200 m amsl, 202, 655 people

Challenges Opportunities

• Heavy deforestation

• Cultivation on steep

slopes; ~> 80%

• Declining productivity

• Shrinking grasslands

• Acute water shortage

• Inefficient irrigation

• Land conflicts, lease

• Degrading socio-

ecological systems

• Suitable for potato,

vegetable production

• Existing irrigation

cooperatives

• Fair knowledge of SWC

practices

• Good market for inputs,

timber, livestock, milk,

agril. produce

• Good support of EIAR/

HARC, credit , Woreda

institutions

Rainwater Management StrategyIncrease and diversify tree cover, system intensification

including increased storage of

water, transition to new crops/ varieties:

1.Improve cultivation of

Eucalyptus/ other tree species and

control severity of degradation in

uplands. 2. Intensification of agriculture and

livestock in the mid-and

lowlands ; efficient diversion and use of stream

water for high value agriculture

in the valley bottoms.

3. Learn from the experience of Melka village

community for benefit sharing,

impact, outscaling.

Jeld

u

Diga Woreda

*East Wollega Zone. Oromia Region, 1380-2300 m amsl, 68,906 people

Challenges Opportunities

• Continued clearing of forest areas.

• Shrinking grasslands, animal diseases

• Inefficient irrigation schemes.

• Midland- lowland divide.

• Acute poverty/land shortage among the new settlers

• Inefficient markets, poor connectivity.

• Suitable for mango, maize, coffee, oilseeds, vegetable production

• Opportunity for rearing livestock for meat and poultry.

• Good knowledge of NRM, and tree cultivation.

• Innovations and expertise of Harar settlers.

• High quality lowlands for off-season intensification.

• Good connectivity in progress.

Rainwater Management StrategyMaintain/increase forest

cover and environmental

services, increase

productivity of trees, coffee

and livestock, and ability to access new markets:

1.Improve orchard and plantation establishment,

management and rejuvenation of old orchards.

2. Intensification of agriculture,

coffee and livestock in the

mid-and lowlands ; improve

performance of diversion schemes.

3. Engage with and learn from the

experiences of Maddejalala settlement

community for innovation, impact and out-scaling.

Dig

a

Fogera* Woreda

*South Gondar Zone. Amhara Region, 2500-3200 m amsl, 202, 655 people

Challenges Opportunities

• Highly degraded and stony uplands.

• Too-much too-little water syndrome.

• Acute feed shortage for dairy and livestock.

• Groundwater/ stream water too costly to pump.

• Water sharing conflicts • Brokers, private

lenders, land rentals

• Good opportunity for rice, pulses, vegetable production.

• Khat- an established and emerging cash crop.

• Ready market for dairy, livestock products; inputs

• Good support from Woreda admin, University, donors

• Scope for off-farm income sources.

Rainwater Management StrategyIncrease tree

cover and fodder

availability, water storage

and productivity, increase area

under off-season

irrigation; better use of

residual moisture.

1. Upland catchment

management with emphasis to retire highly degraded lands to trees of

economic/ nutrition value.

2. Enhanced water storage for critical

in-season/ off-season irrigation, efficient use of limited off-season water for

high-value agriculture in the lowlands. Rooftop

RWH.3. Make good use of

highly organized Awaramba

community and progressive farmers

for validation, impact and out

scaling .( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJzuiAIMFio&NR=1

Foger

a