Ecosystems for water, food and economic development in the Central Rift Valley of Ethiopia Huib Hengsdijk, Dagnachew Legesse, Herco Jansen, Petra Spliethoff, Wolter Scholten, Edwin van der Maden, Tamiru Alemayehu, Petra Hellegers

Content LNV policy questions and needs Introduction Central Rift Valley (CRV) Research approach Some results Policy/research agenda

LNV policy questions and needs FAO/NL Pre-conference ‘Water for Food and Ecosystems’ in Ethiopia, November 2004 Request for collaboration Case study area: Central Rift Valley Horticulture development (export) Food insecure/poverty National Wetland Park Declining surface water tables

LNV policy questions and needs Goal: To strengthen local authorities in the field of environmental management contributing to a sustainable development of the CRV Identify and study interrelated issues Identify options for improved resource use Contribute to policy and research agenda

Study area Catchment area: 1.0 Mln ha Population: 1.5 Mln

Land use 1999 Land use Irrigated land0.6% Intensively cultivated21% Mixed cultivated/wood land42% Swamp/wetland/Lake10% Forest/acacia woodland21% Degraded savanna5% Altitude: m Rainfall: 600 – 1400 mm

Interrelated problems Poverty Lack of employment opportunities Deforestation (charcoal, land clearing) Overgrazing and land degradation Low rainfed productivity Over-fishing of lakes Etc, etc. but most prominent…..

Falling water table Lake Abijata

Research approach Main research question: Cause of declining water tables? Stakeholder analysis (who are water users?) Water consumption Performance: Water, land and labor productivity of water users Historical land use analysis Relation between land use change and hydrology Climate change and variability Alternative livelihood strategies

Research methods Rapid rural appraisal Survey floriculture a.o. on input use Digitalization and analysis of climate data (20 stations) Estimation of irrigation water use Analysis of discharge data of rivers and lakes Water balances for sub-catchments Interpretation satellite images (land use classification) Literature

Research approach People Planet Profit Public sector NGO’s Private sector Science

Research approach: Stakeholder relationships Science: Interdisciplinary science communication Primary stakeholders: Concerned, directly involved Secundary stakeholders: Concerned, not directly involved Society: Societal conditions, all other drivers Society Secundary stakeholders Primary stakeholders Science Society Secundary stakeholders Primary stakeholders Science A dialogue

Research approach: Policy dialogue – collaboration Multi-stakeholder platform ‘Lake Ziway’ DGIS Horn of Africa program Bilateral contacts with Dutch Embassy, MoW, LNV Collaboration with Univ. of Addis Ababa, UTwente, Norw. Univ of Life Sc. Supervision/support of Ethiopian and Dutch students Bill Gates-funded IDE-project on drip irrigation Master Plan development for entire Rift Valley

Some results Increased intensification of land use Irrigated smallholder/state farms are major water users and reason for the drop in water tables Rainfall decreased with 15% during , which further contributed to declining water levels Water & land productivity of rose production > 10 times higher than irrigated smallholder production Labor input (per ha) of rose production > 5 higher than in irrigated smallholder production

Some results: Performance of irrigated smallholder production highly variable. Effect of increasing daily temperature (±1.5°C over the past 30 years) on hydrology? Effect of deforestation and erosion on hydrology?

Policy/research agenda Increase water use efficiency (drip, recirculation systems). Autonomous expansion of smallholder irrigation. Pollution risks associated with greenhouse production needs attention. Expansion of greenhouse production will put pressure on urban and social infrastructure. Alternative livelihood strategies: tourism, rainfed agriculture, fisheries/aquaculture, and Payment for Environmental Services.

Thank you