Promoting ETFF and Tree Planting Event in Acheber Area, Gurage Highlands, Central Ethiopia

Promoting ETFF and Tree Planting Event in Acheber Area,
Gurage Highlands, Central Ethiopia
AUGUST 2007
Report prepared by ETFF Ethiopia

Ethiopia is endowed with a wide variations in climate, topography and soils, as the result the country is one of the few countries in Africa where virtually all major types of natural vegetation are represented, ranging from thorny bushes to tropical forests and to mountain grasslands (Annonymous, 2000). The vascular plant species in Ethiopia is estimated between 6 and 7 thousand of which 12% are endemic. The inventory report of the high forest priority area by Institute of Biodiversity Conservation and Research (IBCR) has indicated that there are about 1017 woody species out of which about 300 are trees (Taye Bekele, 2003).

Though debated in various forum, some sources indicate that about 35 - 40 percent of the country's land area was covered with high forests at the turn of the 19-century (Britenbach, 1961). However, rapid population growth (3 percent per year), extensive forest clearing for cultivation and over-grazing, movement of political centers, and exploitation of forests for fuelwood and construction materials without replanting has reduced the forest area of the country to 16 percent in the 1950's and 3.1 percent in 1982 (UNEP, 1983) and below 2% currently

The massive removal of the forests has resulted in land degradation and loss of biodiversity. The risk of extinction is amplified by recurrent episodes of drought. Annual rate of deforestation in Ethiopia is estimated between 150,0000-200,000 ha (EFAP, 1994). The destruction of woody vegetation which is followed by the tragic drought of 1968-73 in the Sahel that repeated itself in the mid 80’s is typical example of the consequence of crossing threshold of resource tolerance under mounting pressure (FAO, 1989). Soil degradation is the most immediate environmental problem facing Ethiopia. The loss of soil and the deterioration in fertility, moisture storage capacity and structure of the remaining soils, all reduce the country's agricultural productivity. Soil erosion is greatest on cultivated land where the average annual loss is 42 tons per hectare, compared to 5 tons per hectare from pastures. As a result, almost half of the loss of soil comes from land under cultivation even though they cover only 13 percent of the country. It has already been realized that the consequences of soil impoverishment are directly linked to the amount of money invested for purchasing fertilizers or crop failure due to nutrient deficiency (Legesse Negash, 1994).

Addressing this issue requires an integrated effort of all stakeholders linked directly or indirectly with land and resource management.

Description of the area
The Gurage Mountains extend from the Awash river basin in the north to the Hadia zone in the south, partitioning the zone in half. The mountains form a watershed between the Gibe river basin in the west and the great east African rift valley Gurage has three agroecological zones: dega (altitude 2500–4000 metres above sea level) estimated to account for 28.1% of the land area and 20–25% of the population, woina dega (altitude 1800–2400 metres above sea level), which accounts for 64.9% of the land area and 65–70% of the population, and kolla (altitude below 1800 metres above sea level), which accounts for 7% of the land area and 3–5% of the population.

The Gurage people of Ethiopia inhabit an area of land approx. 150km south/south-west of Addis Ababa. They speak a collection of Semitic languages and dialects, collectively known as Gurage, but divided into at least three subgroups known as Northern, Eastern and Western Gurage. The Silte people are considered Eastern Gurage, although the designation Gurage is no longer preferred by many Silte people.

Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gurage

The term Sebat Bet or ‘Seven Houses’ is also a common term, and refers to a confederation of seven Western Gurage tribes. The Gurage groups are the southernmost Semitic languages, and present a complex array of linguistic features and dialectal variation. The Gurage people live a sedentary life based on agriculture, involving a complex system of crop rotation and transplanting. Ensete is their main staple crop, but other cash crops are grown, which include coffee and chat. Animal husbandry is practiced, but mainly for milk supply and dung. Other foods consumed include green cabbage, cheese, butter, and roasted grains, with meat consumption being very limited (also used in rituals or ceremonies).

The Gurage are known for their extensive cultivation of the Ensete ventricosum or false banana plant, known as Enset. It is a staple crop in mixed subsistence farming systems in the most densely populated regions in southern and southwestern Ethiopia. Mainly grown for its starch-containing leaf sheaths and underground corm, it also serves purposes like animal feed, uses in households, fiber, fuel and in agriculture. A large number of landraces are cultivated for manifold purposes, as well as for different requirements of site and climate. Enset is grown as a pure stand, or can be intercropped with coffee, banana, fruit trees, timber trees or food crops. In the highlands of Gurage, in Hadiya and parts of Kambata zones in southern Ethiopia, where enset is mainly grown as a monocrop, farmers plant it in rows along the contours. It helps control soil erosion on very steep slopes.

It is a multi-purpose crop grown in Ethiopia that is useful for contour planting and in sustaining soil fertility.

Enset has a strong, wide-spreading, deep roots which bind the soil and protect it from erosion. It is a large, perennial plant, so is useful as a windbreak. The leaves are large and break the fall of raindrops. Because it has deep roots, it remains green throughout the dry season, and the roots recycle nutrients from deep in the soil. Farmers prune the leaves of younger plants and leave them on the ground as mulch. (Sustainable Agriculture Extension Manual 2000International institute of rural construction http://www.iirr.org/Africa/pubafrica.htm#04 )

According to the 1994 Ethiopian census, self-identifying Gurage comprise about 4.3 % of Ethiopia's population, or about 3 million people. The Gurageland is densely populated, and many Gurage migrate to urban areas for work. Orthodox Christianity, Islam, Catholicism and traditional religions co-exist, and there are local political institutions such as the Yajoka (council of elders) and the Gurage Peoples Self-help and Development Organisation (GPSDO). (http://camba.ucsd.edu/gurage/index.php/the-gurage-people)

It is sometimes called the "false banana" because it looks like a banana tree. Ethiopian farmers grow enset for various uses: it provides food, feed, fibre, fuel, medicine and construction materials; it also helps conserve soil and water, and provides shelter for coffee bushes. It is widely planted in Ethiopia, where the fleshy stem is processed into a staple food. It is thought that some 15 million people depend directly or indirectly on this crop. Outside Ethiopia, varieties of enset are planted in gardens as ornamentals.

The current Tree planting mission was initiated by an individual and good will promoter who Contacted ETFF Addis via the office in US. A reconnaissance survey on the vegetation and a quick survey of the ethnobotanical information was carried out by the team from ETFF, Ato Hailu and representatives from local communities.

An impression of the team from the reconnaissance

Despite the breath taking scenery of the area due to the combination of the eye catching landscape, the colorful home garden dominated by Enset and the beautiful hat with circularly thatched steep roofs with pot at apex, the vegetation is highly degraded. Most of the natural vegetation is represented by small patches of remnant Juniperus forests in accessible sites and around the churchyards. The wetland is shrinking than it appears in the topo-map of the area which was published in 1983.

On the other hand, the wetland vegetation in Acheber is suffering from strong population pressure that has resulted in grazing pressure from livestock beyond its carrying capacity. Unfortunately, no part of the wetland is set aside or protected. As the team was informed by the local people, the wetland area is a communal grazing land.

The extensification of agriculture has also a serious impact on the conservation and sustainable utilization of the area. Almost every plot of land is used for farming. In some cases even the trail has also been ploughed. Moreover, a steep slope including mountains peaks are used for cereal farming which have a negative impact in comparison to the root crops..

The above problems are compounded by the strong tendency of the local people towards planting Eucalyptus plantation. The local people are replacing all the available fields including arable lands and farm yards with monoculture of eucalyptus plantation (See previous report). Eucalyptus is planted along river courses, near wetlands, even on farm yards. Due to its economic feasibility, the attitude of the local people changing rapidly in favor of this species

The consequences of the above pressure are not limited on degradation of the land. It has also a direct effect in the water balance of the area that could result in drying up of the perennial rivers and loss of biodiversity. Moreover, the conservation activities that have been carried out were focusing on specific localities. And those initiatives were not consistent and lack addressing the issue at the grass root level. In the absence of timely intervention, the biodiversity and the livelihood of the local people may face irreversible damage.

The following recommendations were made based on the preliminary field observations that were carried out in June 2007:

Increasing awareness: The degree of the threat in the area is not well recognized by most stakeholders. This requires a holistic approach in increasing the awareness of the local people, influential people, etc. various approaches can be used toward this end such as organizing workshop at regional and national level, informing idea promoters on the extent of the threat in the area.

Experience sharing: There are some successful conservation initiatives in the country including some localities in Gurage highlands. Arranging a field visit for the local people that would have the potential to sell the idea with formal and informal means has been proven effective elsewhere in the country. The field visit program should also include the worst scenarios so that the local people could have a better understanding of the consequence of land degradation.

Indigenous tree planting: There is a nation wide movement in the country in planting trees in almost all corners of the country. This is a good opportunity to promote the idea of conservation and sustainable conservation of Acheber and its environs. Until the priority species are identified it is possible to start the tree planting event with planting Juniperus procera and Hagenia abyssinica or other highland trees with objective of initiation of the stakeholders involvement in conservation and sustainable utilization of the natural resources.

Establishment of Nursery bed Instead of starting the nursery bed establishment from scratch, it is better to build the capacity of the local people to produce large number of indigenous seedlings. Since the demand for the Eucalyptus seedling is very high a special support must be designed so that the other indigenous seedlings are produced in sufficient amount. In the long run establishing a nursery bed which is managed by the community is very critical.

Comprehensive inventory and Environmental impact assessment: To make a long term intervention on the conservation and sustainable utilization of the resources comprehensive inventory of the area supported with socioeconomic study is required. This will not lay out a fertile condition for the conservation activities in the area, but also establish a baseline data for various development activities in the area.

Diversifying livelihood opportunity: Based on the results from the inventory and socioeconomic study the livelihood opportunities need to be diversified so as to reduce the pressure on the natural resource of the area. These include selecting and identifying appropriate fruit crops that could be productive in the area with reduce impact on the environment. Most of the home garden crops in the area are not only natural but also produce with very limited impact on the environment. Promotion of these products in turn creates a new market through fair trade.

The current Tree planting was organized as part and parcel of the recommendation made following the survey in June 2007. In light of this purpose the tree planting event has the following objectives:

Sensitizing the various stakeholders on threat and opportunities of the forest and resource of the area.
To encourage the involvement of the local community on the conservation and sustainable utilization of the forests of Bale mountains
To inculcate the notion of conservation activities that will employ the most vibrant and creative segment of the population
On the plating day about 500 seedlings of Prunus African, Melletia feruginia and Erthryna bruceii were transplanted inside school compound and farmers private plot.

During briefing of ETFF objectives, the local people has shown their willingness to join hands with Ato Hailu and ETFF on the shared vision of bringing a measurable change on the conservation status of the area. A number of questions were raised by the local people indicating the lack of baseline dat on the resource base and conservation status of Acheber.

Lessons learned

The local peoples has shown readiness to work together with ETFF to mitaigate the land degradation and issues related with conservation and sustainable utilization of their resource. However, a timely intervention required as it is stated in the previous report.
During the planting event and the subsequent discussion with local people there were a number of questions that were forwarded. Unfortunately, most of the issues were not addressed due to lack of data in the area. A comprehensive vegetation inventory and socioeconomic is very crucial.
The indigenous knowledge need to be documented in more organized way. Farmers was talking about the importance of pilot projects instead of woreda wide activities and focusing on fruit crops. They have also shown their interest to be part of the research and conservation activities.
There are ready groups and individuals who can take the case of ETFF further to the public provided they are given the critical minimum support.

Way Forward

As it is mentioned in the previous sections it is a great opportunity for ETFF to fulfill its objectives at grass root level. There is a nationwide green movement in Ethiopia in relation with the Ethiopian new millennium. The concern of most conservationists is on the sustainability of this campaign. ETFF can fill this gap by mobilizing financial and human resources towards sustaining these efforts. However, these demand unreserved effort from the foundation and strong commitment of all members of ETFF in achieving its objectives that has already been laid on the ground.

By the same token one can also predict the reverse effect if a timely action is not taken. Unless those initiatives are consolidated and strengthen, ETFF might suffer from losing its reputation. Moreover, the local people lose interest in collaborating with other conservation initiatives

References

(Annonymous, 2000

(Taye Bekele, 2003).

(Britenbach, 1961

UNEP, 1983

EFAP. 1994. Ethiopian Forestry Action Program. EFAP, Addis Abeba

FAO, 1989

Legesse Negash, 1994)

Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gurage

Sustainable Agriculture Extension Manual 2000International institute of rural construction http://www.iirr.org/Africa/pubafrica.htm#04 )

to the 1994 Ethiopian census

, (http://camba.ucsd.edu/gurage/index.php/the-gurage-people)