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Agroecosystem Analysis of the Choke Mountain Watersheds, Ethiopia

Author

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  • Belay Simane

    (College of Development Studies, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia)

  • Benjamin F. Zaitchik

    (Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA)

  • Mutlu Ozdogan

    (Forest and Wildlife Ecology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA)

Abstract

Tropical highland regions are experiencing rapid climate change. In these regions the adaptation challenge is complicated by the fact that elevation contrasts and dissected topography produce diverse climatic conditions that are often accompanied by significant ecological and agricultural diversity within a relatively small region. Such is the case for the Choke Mountain watersheds, in the Blue Nile Highlands of Ethiopia. These watersheds extend from tropical alpine environments at over 4000 m elevation to the hot and dry Blue Nile gorge that includes areas below 1000 m elevation, and contain a diversity of slope forms and soil types. This physical diversity and accompanying socio-economic contrasts demand diverse strategies for enhanced climate resilience and adaptation to climate change. To support development of locally appropriate climate resilience strategies across the Blue Nile Highlands, we present here an agroecosystem analysis of Choke Mountain, under the premise that the agroecosystem—the intersection of climatic and physiographic conditions with agricultural practices—is the most appropriate unit for defining adaptation strategies in these primarily subsistence agriculture communities. To this end, we present two approaches to agroecosystem analysis that can be applied to climate resilience studies in the Choke Mountain watersheds and, as appropriate, to other agroecologically diverse regions attempting to design climate adaptation strategies. First, a full agroecoystem analysis was implemented in collaboration with local communities. It identified six distinct agroecosystems that differ systematically in constraints and adaptation potential. This analysis was then paired with an objective landscape classification trained to identify agroecosystems based on climate and physiographic setting alone. It was found that the distribution of Choke Mountain watershed agroecosystems can, to first order, be explained as a function of prevailing climate. This suggests that the conditions that define current agroecosystems are likely to migrate under a changing climate, requiring adaptive management strategies. These agroecosystems show a remarkable degree of differentiation in terms of production orientation and socio-economic characteristics of the farming communities suggesting different options and interventions towards building resilience to climate change.

Suggested Citation

  • Belay Simane & Benjamin F. Zaitchik & Mutlu Ozdogan, 2013. "Agroecosystem Analysis of the Choke Mountain Watersheds, Ethiopia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 5(2), pages 1-25, February.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:5:y:2013:i:2:p:592-616:d:23391
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    4. Alelgn Ewunetu & Belay Simane & Ermias Teferi & Benjamin F. Zaitchik, 2021. "Relationships and the Determinants of Sustainable Land Management Technologies in North Gojjam Sub-Basin, Upper Blue Nile, Ethiopia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(11), pages 1-19, June.
    5. Muñoz-Ulecia, E. & Bernués, A. & Casasús, I. & Olaizola, A.M. & Lobón, S. & Martín-Collado, D., 2021. "Drivers of change in mountain agriculture: A thirty-year analysis of trajectories of evolution of cattle farming systems in the Spanish Pyrenees," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 186(C).
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    8. Wubeshet Damtea & Dongyeob Kim & Sangjun Im, 2020. "Spatiotemporal Analysis of Land Cover Changes in the Chemoga Basin, Ethiopia, Using Landsat and Google Earth Images," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(9), pages 1-14, April.
    9. Abyiot Teklu & Belay Simane & Mintewab Bezabih, 2023. "Effect of Climate Smart Agriculture Innovations on Climate Resilience among Smallholder Farmers: Empirical Evidence from the Choke Mountain Watershed of the Blue Nile Highlands of Ethiopia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(5), pages 1-26, February.
    10. Amare Tesfaw & Feyera Senbeta & Dawit Alemu & Ermias Teferi, 2022. "Estimating the Economic Values of Restricted Monoculture Eucalyptus Plantations: A Choice Modeling Approach," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(15), pages 1-17, July.
    11. Nigussie, Yalemzewd & van der Werf, Edwin & Zhu, Xueqin & Simane, Belay & van Ierland, Ekko C., 2018. "Evaluation of Climate Change Adaptation Alternatives for Smallholder Farmers in the Upper Blue-Nile Basin," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 151(C), pages 142-150.
    12. Workie, Lamesgin Tebeje, 2017. "Households’ Willingness To Pay For Soil Conservation Practices On Cultivated Land In South Achefer District, Amhara National Regional State Of Ethiopia: A Contingent Valuation Approach," Research Theses 276459, Collaborative Masters Program in Agricultural and Applied Economics.
    13. Alelgn Ewunetu & Belay Simane & Ermias Teferi & Benjamin F. Zaitchik, 2021. "Land Cover Change in the Blue Nile River Headwaters: Farmers’ Perceptions, Pressures, and Satellite-Based Mapping," Land, MDPI, vol. 10(1), pages 1-25, January.
    14. Tsega Adego, 2022. "Characterizing and tailoring climate change adaptation practices into a diversified agroecosystem: an evidence from smallholder farmers in Ethiopia," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 24(11), pages 13173-13197, November.
    15. Amare Tesfaw & Feyera Senbeta & Dawit Alemu & Ermias Teferi, 2021. "Value Chain Analysis of Eucalyptus Wood Products in the Blue Nile Highlands of Northwestern Ethiopia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(22), pages 1-25, November.
    16. Williams, T.G. & Guikema, S.D. & Brown, D.G. & Agrawal, A., 2020. "Resilience and equity: Quantifying the distributional effects of resilience-enhancing strategies in a smallholder agricultural system," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 182(C).
    17. Belay Simane & Benjamin Zaitchik & Jeremy Foltz, 2016. "Agroecosystem specific climate vulnerability analysis: application of the livelihood vulnerability index to a tropical highland region," Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change, Springer, vol. 21(1), pages 39-65, January.

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