From: Biniam Tekle (biniamt@dehai.org)
Date: Mon Dec 14 2009 - 12:49:38 EST
"The reservoirs can hold anywhere between 50,000 to 350,000 m3 of water and
serve 200 to 350 poor rural households who are now able to irrigate a total
of 35 hectares of agricultural land. Furthermore, the reservoirs and dams
provide a secure source of grazing and water for livestock and also source
of water for domestic/washing purposes"
To see pics click here
http://ifad-un.blogspot.com/2009/12/impact-of-climate-change-on-eritrean.html
Friday, December 11, 2009
Impact of climate change on Eritrean agriculture sector
As world leaders gather in Copenhagen to seal the deal on climate change, I
saw, first hand, the devastating consequences of climate change on Eritrea’s
agriculture and livestock sector.
Crop cultivation and animal husbandry account for 60 per cent of rural
incomes in Eritrea. Recent models and estimates show that the effects of
climate change will have an adverse impact on the country’s agriculture and
livestock sector. Decreases in rainfall and a rise in temperature has
resulted in increased dry spells and decreased soil moisture.
Water scarcity is one of the many challenges that farmers and pastoralist s
face in Eritrea. The country has two perennial river systems, the Setit
River, which forms the country’s border with Ethiopia and drains into the
Nile basin, and the Gash Barka system, which collects the run-off water from
the highlands. All other rivers in the country are seasonal and carry water
only after rainfall, which means that they are dry most of the year. The
country has limited sources of fresh surface water, and although groundwater
can be tapped, quantity and quality may be poor.
Official estimates show average annual rainfall at 400-500mm. However, for
the last two years, rainfall has been erratic and less than above average.
Investing in blue gold improves livelihoods of smallholder farmers
To counter the devastating impact of climate change and to ensure food
security for its people, the government of Eritrea is investing in the
agriculture sector by:
creating small-scale irrigation schemes
building ponds, reservoirs and dams
installing solar panels for water pumps
installing drip, pump and sprinkler irrigation systems
For example in Zoba Debub the livelihoods of 82% of the 750,000 people
living in this zoba depend on agriculture and related activities. Farmers in
Debub and in Ma’ekel and other areas of Eritrea plant cereals such as wheat,
barley, sorghum, taf, millet, maize and also vegetables – tomato, onion,
carrot, potato, cabbage, lettuce and pepper.
In drought-prone Eritrea, livestock are a farmer’s most valuable asset.
Animal husbandry is not only one of the main sources of livelihood for
farmers, but it is also a form of insurance that enables poor rural people
to cope with drought and other disasters.
One of the many challenges facing Eritrean farmers and pastoralists is to
find grazing land and water for their livestock. The reservoirs and the
surroundings provide an invaluable source of water and grazing land for
livestock.
If you’ve ever visited Eritrea, you will be familiar with its arid
landscape. You can imagine my surprise when driving through Zoba Ma’ekel and
- Zoba Debub, against an arid and dry landscape, literally out of the blue I
saw a beautiful body of water surrounded by hectares of emerald green and
lush vegetation. These mini-oas e s which are the result of Eritrean
government’s investment in agriculture are THE source of livelihoods and
food security for poor rural Eritreans.
The reservoirs can hold anywhere between 50,000 to 350,000 m3 of water and
serve 200 to 350 poor rural households who are now able to irrigate a total
of 35 hectares of agricultural land. Furthermore, the reservoirs and dams
provide a secure source of grazing and water for livestock and also source
of water for domestic/washing purposes.
These secure source of blue gold allow farmers to complement their rain-fed
crops - cereals, sorghum and barely - with vegetables such as tomatoes,
lettuce, cabbage, carrots, onions and pepper.
Eritrean farmers use a variety of irrigation methods ranging from drip to
pipe and sprinkler and religiously adhere to the agreed irrigation schedule.
Thanks to a favourable government policy, they have the luxury of not paying
for water for the time being. However, they pay an average of 10,000-15,000
nakfa for a pump and those who have a fuel-run pump benefit from subsidized
fuel.
The farmers are cognizant that their livelihoods depends not only on water,
high yielding seeds and high-value crops but also on making sure that their
pumps are well maintained. To this end they’ve established a revolving fund
which is used exclusively for this purpose.
“Thanks to the reservoir now I have a secure source of water and can
irrigate my 0.25 hectare”, says Woldo a farmer living in the Shmangus-laalay
village. “Now I have three crops instead of one.” Woldo uses a combination
of sprinkler and water pump. “When my crop was germinating, I used water
pump, because sprinklers can damage the crop”, says Woldo. Woldo’s water
pump is run by electricity for which he pays 24 nakfa per hour.
The 350 households living in the vicinity of this reservoir use this body of
water not only to irrigate their plots, but also for their livestock and for
domestic purposes such as for washing.
Before the reservoir was built, Elsa a mother of three, used to wake up at
crack of dawn to go fetch water for washing purposes. Today, in tow with her
donkey and her youngest son, she goes to the lake to collect water. While
the water collecting technique may be rudimentary, it has saved Elsa hours
of walking, allowing her to spend more time at home and to get involved in
agricultural activities.
In the nearby village of Tesazege village, Athaneta and her brother are
cultivating 0.5 hectare of land using the nearby reservoir. “I practice crop
rotation and for this crop cycle I’ve replaced barley with tomatoes, because
I have a secure source of water”, says Athaneta with a smile. “I’ve already
harvested 100kg and expect to harvest another 200kg which I sell for 2 nakfa
per kilo”.
“Thanks to this secure source of water, my brother and I can be sure to have
one cereal crop and two vegetable crops”, says Athaneta.
Habtemariam is a model farmer who has fully taken advantage of the nearby
reservoir and exploited the potential of his 0.75 hectare land, managing to
secure himself and his family a total 5,000 nakfa by planting cabbage,
lettuce and carrot.
Eritrea has the potential of having many more lush, green-emerald mini-oasis
allowing more farmers to systematically cultivate agricultural land, ensure
their food security and earn a secure income.
The government of Eritrea and IFAD are currently designing a national
agricultural water management framework to allow for sustainable and
reliable accesss to water especially in times of drought which unfortunately
due to climate change will be affecting the country more frequently in the
future. This framework will ensure that many Eritrean farmers will have a
better crop to harvest,thus ensuring their food security.
Hopefully the world leaders gathered in Copenhagen will seal the climate
change deal, so that Eritrean women, children, men, farmers and pastoralists
can have a bright future and never again suffer from famine.
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