MULTIPURPOSE FODDER TREES TOWARDS ENHANCING
CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION IN NORTHERN ETHIOPIA
Mulubrhan Balehegn
1and Edem A. Eniang
21Department of Animal, Rangeland and Wildlife Sciences. Mekelle University,
P.O. Box. 231, Mekelle, Tigray Region, Ethiopia. Tel.: +251-914-722499, Fax. +251-034-4-409304
Email: [email protected]
2Department of Forestry and Wildlife, University of Uyo, P.M.B 1017, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State,
Nigeria & Department of Animal, Rangeland and Wildlife Sciences, Mekelle University, P.O. Box. 231 Mekelle, Tigray Region, Ethiopia.
Tel.: +251-911-572720, Fax. +251-034-4-409304.
Abstract
Recognizing that northern Ethiopia will be exceptionally susceptible to climate change and its associated potential impacts as observable from years of repeated cycles of drought, a study of indigenous methods for Evaluation, Propagation and Conservation of indigenous multipurpose fodder- trees (IMFTs) was conducted to assess the role of traditional knowledge in fostering climate change adaptation in a sensitive and fragile agro-ecological system upon which livelihoods depend. An intensive study of communities and forests was accomplished using Ecological surveys and Rapid Rural Appraisal methods to document indigenous strategies for evaluation, propagation, conservation, current forest stock and health, while creating awareness of global climate change impacts and adaptation measures. Analysis of accumulated data was accomplished using SPSS 14.0. Results indicate that some communities of northern Ethiopia living in mountainous dryland landscapes have a rich indigenous knowledge handed down over generations and have been cultivating IMFTs for diverse positive values (cultural, medicinal, fuel, fibre, environmental and livestock feed). Feed value of IMFTs was ranked first, followed by timber quality, biomass production, fencing value, soil and water conservation, ever-greenness and spiritual value, drought resistance and absence of allelopathic effects on under storey plants and agricultural crops. In comparing its multipurpose consumptive qualities, Ficus thonningii scored 8.39, out of 10, followed by Cordia africana (7.03), Eucalyptus cameldulensis (6.85), and Acacia ethabica (6.71). Appreciating these immense values and threats from changing environment, natives intensified propagation F. thoningii to averages of 5-10 cuttings per household per year and have perfected an indigenous protocol for evaluation, propagation and conservation, including care at different stages of growth. This practice has created a forested island and wildlife habitat in the midst of a highly denuded dryland landscape. IMFTs conservation has increased environmental resilience of the area by giving it increased carbon sequestration and adaptability to climatic forces. Therefore, preferred IMFTs should be recognized as main-stream fodder plants and keystone species and adopted in agrosilvopastoral systems for enhancing opportunities offered by indigenous people towards adaptation and mitigation (carbon sequestration) in vulnerable regions.
Introduction
Global climate change poses particular risks to poor farmers in developing countries. The northern Ethiopian region has been severely affected by repeated droughts and associated famines for the past quite few decades. Death of oxen used for plowing land is the worst impact of droughts in Ethiopia. Adaptation to climatic change (repeated droughts) in northern Ethiopia has focused on increasing or at least maintaining feed availability even in the driest years. This has resulted in the incorporation of new set of evaluation criteria for forage and fodder plants by local farmers. Through experience and co-evolving with recurrent drought, farmers in northern Ethiopia and, Ahferom woreda
(the study area) in particular have developed indigenous criteria for selection and evaluation of indigenous fodder trees and shrubs (IFTS) and have also perfected protocol for propagation and effective conservation of such species. Increased utilization of these IFTS selected by farmers as a means of adaptation to recurrent droughts and thus avoiding famines necessitates the need to understand the perceptions of natives, their preferences, and indigenous criteria of selection, exploitation, propagation and conservation.
Many interventions generated by research with the aim of improving the quality of life of traditional people, nutritional status of their livestock etc, in developing countries have failed to realize their apparent potentials when implemented on ad hoc basis. It is now widely accepted that this is because unlike the research generated technologies, farmers try to meet a wide range of indigenous objectives in feeding their animals (Throne et al.,1999) and adapting to existing agro-climatic changes in their localities. Relatively recently, however, it has become more widely appreciated that indigenous people need to balance a complex array of conflicting, multiple objectives and may have access to a sophisticated indigenous knowledge base of their own to live in harmony with nature and that indigenous people are not unknowledgeable about the eco-climatic changes that are taking place in their niches. Farming communities instead, take several sophisticated and interrelated measures for adapting to existing global and local climatic changes.
While work is underway in many places to develop varieties of staple food crops that can adapt to existing climatic changes (Rosergant, 2006), identification and selection of adaptable forage options still remains mainly an indigenous practice. Studying and exposing such indigenous adaptation mechanisms to the scientific arena is therefore a pre-requsite for stronger and adapting future. Several studies in indigenous African and Asian communities have shown that there are diverse array of indigenous criteria and strategies for evaluation, utilization and conservation of IFTS. While these criteria are intriguingly consistent in their nature, are also geared towards, adaptation needs of each agro ecology (Jimenez-Ferrer et al., 2007). While in a number of instances the laboratory nutritive value of IFTS has been found to correlate positively with their value according to indigenous evaluation criteria (Roothaert & Franzel, 2001), there are cases for some species where laboratory nutritive value does not correlate or even correlate negatively with the value of the plant according to indigenous criteria for example Ficus thonningii in Ethiopia (Mekoya, 2008), indicating that farmers, in their quest for adaptation, give less emphasis to conventional criteria (e.g. nutritive value), than survival. Therefore, plants that were ones not even in the list of fodder species could now be the best preferred by local communities.
Generally speaking therefore, since there are many sites specific and traditional indigenous knowledge used by local people for selecting adaptable species, such knowledge that have to be considered and integrated with scientific and conventional criteria of evaluation for better results in identification and promotion of best IFTS that can help farmers all over the world to effectively adapt to global and local eco-climatic changes. This is therefore why this study was made Ahferom district in central Tigray, northern Ethiopia to investigate indigenous peoples’ knowledge on adaptable indigenous fodder trees.
Methodology
The study was conducted among indigenous Tigrigna speaking people in Ahferom woreda central Tigray, Northern Ethiopia. The geographical location of the study area is 14 o 7’00” to 14o38’30” North
and 38 o 56’0” East.The surveyed indigenous people have resided in a typically dry mountainous highland area with altitude range of 2300-3200 masl (meters above sea level) for over 1000 years. The area experiences unimodal rainfall pattern characterized by heavy and repeated hails. The mean annual rainfall ranges between 350-650 mm (BoARD, 2008). The area is typically characterized by repeated droughts with a typical frequency of drought as ones in three years (BoARD, 2008). A reconnaissance visit was organized in Ahferom to familiarize and plan the survey. Intensive field socio-economic and ecological survey was carried out between 2007-2008 using field equipments and structured and semi-structured questionnaire administered to 120 farmers (45% of households). Besides, discussions were held with local development agents, selected knowledgeable individuals and community administrators. Separate interview was also made with selected community elders (>60 years of age) and youngsters (20-25 years of age) to see perception differences between generations and infer information about history of climatic change. Data was analyzed using simple descriptive and inferential statistics and results presented as averages and percentages in tabular forms for ease of interpretation.