Analysis of gaps and possible interventions for improving water productivity in crop livestock systems of Ethiopia

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cg.contributor.affiliationInternational Livestock Research Instituteen
cg.contributor.affiliationInternational Water Management Instituteen
cg.coverage.countryEthiopia
cg.coverage.iso3166-alpha2ET
cg.coverage.regionAfrica
cg.coverage.regionEastern Africa
cg.creator.identifierKatrien Descheemaeker: 0000-0003-0184-2034
cg.creator.identifierAmare Haileslassie: 0000-0001-5237-9006
cg.identifier.doihttps://doi.org/10.1017/s0014479710000797en
cg.issn0014-4797en
cg.issn1469-4441en
cg.issueS1en
cg.journalExperimental Agricultureen
cg.subject.ilriWATERen
cg.subject.ilriLIVESTOCKen
cg.subject.ilriCROP-LIVESTOCKen
cg.subject.ilriLIVESTOCK-WATERen
cg.volume47en
dc.contributor.authorDescheemaeker, Katrien K.en
dc.contributor.authorAmede, Tilahunen
dc.contributor.authorHaileslassie, Amareen
dc.contributor.authorBossio, Deborah A.en
dc.date.accessioned2011-01-14T13:04:04Zen
dc.date.available2011-01-14T13:04:04Zen
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10568/3041
dc.titleAnalysis of gaps and possible interventions for improving water productivity in crop livestock systems of Ethiopiaen
dcterms.abstractLow crop and livestock productivities in the mixed farming systems of Ethiopia hamper efforts to meet the increasing food demands from a stressed natural resource base. Important reasons for the low agricultural productivity are water scarcity and poor spatial and temporal rainfall distribution. Although improving agricultural water productivity would safeguard people’s livelihoods and the environment, the lack of information on best bet interventions and strategies to achieve this impedes targeted decision making. Therefore, the aim of this study was to conduct an ex-ante evaluation of the potential effect of selected interventions on livestock water productivity (LWP) in mixed crop-livestock systems. Baseline data were collected from a water scarce area in the Ethiopian highlands. An analysis of productivity gaps and stakeholder interviews helped to identify promising interventions, which were categorized in three groups related to feed, water and animal management. A spreadsheet model was developed that was composed of the various production components of the farming system, their interactions and influencing factors. By linking water use for feed production with livestock products through the energy supplied by the feeds, the potential effect of interventions on LWP could be simulated. The evaluation showed that the various interventions targeting feed, water and animal management could result in LWP improvements ranging from 4 to 94%. Feed and energy water productivity increased particularly with interventions like fertilizer application, and the introduction of fodder trees, concentrates, improved food-feed crops, and soil and water conservation measures. Combining the different interventions led to a stronger improvement than any of the single interventions. The results of the evaluation can inform policy-makers and development actors on which best bets to promote and invest in.en
dcterms.accessRightsLimited Access
dcterms.available2011-01-14
dcterms.bibliographicCitationDescheemaeker, K., Amede, T., Haileslassie, A. and Bossio, D. 2011. Analysis of gaps and possible interventions for improving water productivity in crop livestock systems of Ethiopia. Experimental Agriculture 47(S1):21-38.en
dcterms.extentp. 21-38en
dcterms.issued2011-01
dcterms.languageen
dcterms.licenseCopyrighted; all rights reserved
dcterms.publisherCambridge University Pressen
dcterms.subjectwateren
dcterms.subjectlivestocken
dcterms.typeJournal Article

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Improving water productivity of crop-livestock systems of Sub-saharan Africa