Climate variability, communities’ perceptions and land management strategies in Lay Gayint Woreda, Northwest Ethiopia

Climate change is one of the life-threatening challenges that face the ecosphere in recent decades. Climate change exacerbates the rate and magnitude of several ongoing land degradation processes. The impact is particularly high in unindustrialized states like Ethiopia. In recognition of the impact adaptation become the policy options to minimize the adverse effects of climate change. The main objective of this research paper is to analyze the determinants of farmers’ choice of land management approaches to climate change in drought prone areas of Amhara region: the case of Lay Gayint woreda, Northwestern Ethiopia. The study employed a multistage stratified sampling procedure (purposive and simple random). Data were obtained from 232 sample households. Primary data were collected from households via questionnaires, interview and focus group discussion. The households’ land management strategies to climate change were summarized by using percentage. Binary logistic regression model was also applied to analyze the factors that influence farmers’ choice of land management strategies. The farming households of the study area have attempted to give response to the impacts of climate change; but their capacity to adapt is challenged by a number of factors. Model results indicate that, Agro ecological setting and non-farm activities are found to be the most statistically significant determinants in the adoption of land management strategies. Solving financial problems, improving extension service, providing timely information and establishing early warning system, livelihood diversification and integrated watershed management practice would enable to increase the adaptive capacity of farmers.

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Land surface phenological response to decadal climate variability across Australia using satellite remote sensing

Biogeosciences Discussions ◽

10.5194/bgd-11-7685-2014 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 11 (5) ◽

pp. 7685-7719 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

M. Broich ◽

A. Huete ◽

M. G. Tulbure ◽

X. Ma ◽

Q. Xin ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Climate Variability ◽

Land Management ◽

Land Surface ◽

Vegetation Index ◽

Southern Oscillation ◽

Quantitative Information ◽

Decadal Climate Variability ◽

Eastern Australia ◽

Phenological Cycle

Abstract. Land surface phenological cycles of vegetation greening and browning are influenced by variability in climatic forcing. Quantitative information on phenological cycles and their variability is important for agricultural applications, wildfire fuel accumulation, land management, land surface modeling, and climate change studies. Most phenology studies have focused on temperature-driven Northern Hemisphere systems, where phenology shows annually reoccurring patterns. Yet, precipitation-driven non-annual phenology of arid and semi-arid systems (i.e. drylands) received much less attention, despite the fact that they cover more than 30% of the global land surface. Here we focused on Australia, the driest inhabited continent with one of the most variable rainfall climates in the world and vast areas of dryland systems. Detailed and internally consistent studies investigating phenological cycles and their response to climate variability across the entire continent designed specifically for Australian dryland conditions are missing. To fill this knowledge gap and to advance phenological research, we used existing methods more effectively to study geographic and climate-driven variability in phenology over Australia. We linked derived phenological metrics with rainfall and the Southern Oscillation Index (SOI). We based our analysis on Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI) data from the MODerate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) from 2000 to 2013, which included extreme drought and wet years. We conducted a continent-wide investigation of the link between phenology and climate variability and a more detailed investigation over the Murray–Darling Basin (MDB), the primary agricultural area and largest river catchment of Australia. Results showed high inter- and intra-annual variability in phenological cycles. Phenological cycle peaks occurred not only during the austral summer but at any time of the year, and their timing varied by more than a month in the interior of the continent. The phenological cycle peak magnitude and integrated greenness were most significantly correlated with monthly SOI within the preceding 12 months. Correlation patterns occurred primarily over north-eastern Australia and within the MDB predominantly over natural land cover and particularly in floodplain and wetland areas. Integrated greenness of the phenological cycles (surrogate of productivity) showed positive anomalies of more than two standard deviations over most of eastern Australia in 2009–2010, which coincided with the transition between the El Niño induced decadal droughts to flooding caused by La Niña. The quantified spatial-temporal variability in phenology across Australia in response to climate variability presented here provides important information for land management and climate change studies and applications.

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Soil Quality Characterization of Mediterranean Areas under Desertification Risk for the Implementation of Management Schemes Aimed at Land Degradation Neutrality

Proceedings ◽

10.3390/proceedings2019030054 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 30 (1) ◽

pp. 54

Author(s):

Eleonora Grilli ◽

Elio Coppola ◽

Tommaso La Mantia ◽

Micòl Mastrocicco ◽

Fernando Pulido ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Social Security ◽

Soil Quality ◽

Land Management ◽

Land Degradation ◽

Sustainable Management ◽

Management Strategies ◽

Adaptation Strategies ◽

Mediterranean Areas ◽

Desertification Risk

Soil is a key component of ecosystems as it provides fundamental ecosystem functions and services, first of all supporting primary productivity, by physical, chemical and biological interaction with plants. However, soil loss and degradation are at present two of the most critical environmental issues. This phenomenon is particularly critical in Mediterranean areas, where inappropriate land management, in combination with the increasingly harshening of climatic conditions due to Climate Change, is leading to significant land degradation and desertification and is expected to worsen in the future, leading to economic and social crisis. In such areas, it is of fundamental importance to apply sustainable management practices, as conservation/restoration measures, to achieve Land Degradation Neutrality. This approach is at the core of the LIFE project Desert-Adapt “Preparing desertification areas for increased climate change” which is testing a new framework of sustainable land management strategies based on the key concept that the maintenance of ecosystems quality is necessarily connected to economic and social security in these fragile areas. The project will test adaptation strategies and measures in 10 sites of three Mediterranean areas under strong desertification risk, Alentejo in Portugal, Extremadura in Spain and Sicily in Italy. We present the baseline data of soil quality analysis from 32 sites in the 10 study areas of the project. Key drivers of soil quality and quantity were identified and used as basis to select sustainable management strategies focused on the maintenance, improvement and/or recovery of soil-based ecosystem services, with particular attention to climate change adaptation and land productivity. The final objective of the project is to demonstrate, according to the LDN approach, the best adaptation strategies to recover degraded areas from low-productive systems into resource-efficient and low-carbon economies to preserve ecosystem quality and booster economy and social security

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Role of Sustainable Land Management (SLM) in Adapting to Climate Variability Through Agricultural Practices—Experiences from Ethiopian Highlands

Climate Change Management - Climate Change Adaptation in Africa ◽

10.1007/978-3-319-49520-0_29 ◽

2017 ◽

pp. 475-492 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Georg Deichert ◽

Ashenafi Gedamu ◽

Befikadu Nemomsa

Keyword(s):

Climate Variability ◽

Land Management ◽

Agricultural Practices ◽

Sustainable Land Management ◽

Ethiopian Highlands

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Tree-Based Ecosystem Approaches (TBEAs) as Multi-Functional Land Management Strategies—Evidence from Rwanda

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su10051360 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 10 (5) ◽

pp. 1360 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Miyuki Iiyama ◽

Athanase Mukuralinda ◽

Jean Ndayambaje ◽

Bernard Musana ◽

Alain Ndoli ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Land Management ◽

Management Strategies ◽

Ecosystem Approaches

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Changes in Land Use Influenced by Anthropogenic Activity

Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Environmental Science ◽

10.1093/acrefore/9780199389414.013.37 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Lang Wang ◽

Zong-Liang Yang

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Land Cover ◽

Land Management ◽

Land Surface ◽

Anthropogenic Activities ◽

Urban Expansion ◽

Management Strategies ◽

Terrestrial Ecosystems ◽

Anthropogenic Activity ◽

Management Actions

The terms “land cover” and “land use” are often used interchangeably, although they have different meanings. Land cover is the biophysical material at the surface of the Earth, whereas land use refers to how people use the land surface. Land use concerns the resources of the land, their products, and benefits, in addition to land management actions and activities. The history of changes in land use has passed through several major stages driven by developments in science and technology and demands for food, fiber, energy, and shelter. Modern changes in land use have been increasingly affected by anthropogenic activities at a scale and magnitude that have not been seen. These changes in land use are largely driven by population growth, urban expansion, increasing demands for energy and food, changes in diets and lifestyles, and changing socioeconomic conditions. About 70% of the Earth’s ice-free land surface has been altered by changes in land use, and these changes have had environmental impacts worldwide, ranging from effects on the composition of the Earth’s atmosphere and climate to the extensive modification of terrestrial ecosystems, habitats, and biodiversity. A number of different methods have been developed give a thorough understanding of these changes in land use and the multiple effects and feedbacks involved. Earth system observations and models are examples of two crucial technologies, although there are considerable uncertainties in both techniques. Cross-disciplinary collaborations are highly desirable in future studies of land use and management. The goals of mitigating climate change and maintaining sustainability should always be considered before implementing any new land management strategies.

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Simulation of efficient irrigation management strategies for grain sorghum production over different climate variability classes

Agricultural Systems ◽

10.1016/j.agsy.2018.12.011 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 170 ◽

pp. 49-62 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Kritika Kothari ◽

Srinivasulu Ale ◽

James P. Bordovsky ◽

Kelly R. Thorp ◽

Dana O. Porter ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Climate Variability ◽

Irrigation Management ◽

Management Strategies ◽

Grain Sorghum ◽

Sorghum Production

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Labour Migration in the Middle Hills of Nepal: Consequences on Land Management Strategies

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su11051349 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (5) ◽

pp. 1349 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Stéphanie Jaquet ◽

Thomas Kohler ◽

Gudrun Schwilch

Keyword(s):

Land Management ◽

Management Strategies ◽

Mapping Method ◽

Forest Recovery ◽

Labour Migration ◽

Local Context ◽

Grazing Land ◽

Climate Conditions ◽

Labour Shortage ◽

Qualitative Mapping

Labour migration in Nepal is having profound effects on land management. We take two examples from the hills of Nepal where the increasing trend in outmigration continues unabated and explore its consequences. The purpose of this study is to understand the impacts of the subsequent labour shortage on land management and how it affects households. We used data from two surveys and assessed land use change and degradation with a qualitative mapping method. The findings show that the local context leads to very different strategies in terms of land management. In one study area, land was left to lie fallow without any use, leading to overgrowth and forest recovery due to favourable climate conditions. In the other, land was no longer used as cropland but turned into grazing land with consequences such as land degradation. This study provides strong empirical data and also contributes to the mountain research community by shedding light on the effects of outmigration on land management in the hills of Nepal. We suggest that these effects, including the labour shortage and the increasingly important role of remittances, should be addressed in an integrative but differentiated way that takes into account the regional context.

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