MEKELLE UNIVERSITY

FACULTY OF DRYLAND AGRICULTURE AND NATURAL RESOURCES

DEPARTMENT OF ANIMAL, RANGE AND WILED SCIENCE

Field Trip Report

For the Course: Advances in Range Rehabilitation and Improvement
By: Tekleab Serekebrhan

ID.No.FDA/PS0016/98
email- agarfa1994@yahoo.com

Submitted To: Dr. ABULE EBRO

(Adami-Tulu Agricultural Research Center)

email- abule_ebro@yahoo.com
October 2006

Range Rehabilitation and Improvement- field report by Tekleab S.

Introduction
The Ethiopian lowlands are known for having a large number of livestock and a home to a diverse array of pastoral people who depend to a high degree on livestock for their sustenance. These livestock depend nearly exclusively on native vegetation for forage, and net primary production is highly variable over time and space. (Coppock 1994) Livestock provide subsistence employment and investment opportunities and a source of meat, milk and fiber for residents of the pastoral area. Most rangelands of the world are located in relatively harsh remote and arid and semiarid areas. As one of the world rangeland the Borena rangeland is dominated by arid to semiarid climates. Annual mean temperatures vary from 19 to 24C and has bimodal average of 700 mm annual rainfall.

During preparing this paper I have use some articles of Coppock D Layne (ed.). 1994. The Borena Plateau of Southern Ethiopia: Synthesis of pastoral research, development and change, 1980-91. ILCA (International Livestock Center for Africa), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

The tour was started with a two and half a day bus trip from Mekelle University on October 14 2006 aiming at transforming what we learn in theory in to the real practical activity in the research site of the Adami Tullu Agricultural research center, visiting the Borena rangeland and other livestock based enterprises (slaughtering house, feed processing plant, animal farms and research institutions)

On the day one of our arrival to the Adami Tullu Agricultural research center, Dr. Abule Ebro, Head of the center address a welcomed message and invited us to visit the research center. The research center is located at about 167Km south of Addis Ababa on the Awassa road. It has bimodal, unevenly distributed rainfall with n average of 760.9 mm annually. The center was established as a testing site for Holleta Agricultural Research center in 1968 on 40 hectares of land. Currently owns a total lad area of 300 hectares. Towards the end of 1993, the center was transferred to Oromia Agricultural Development Bureau with its

Range Rehabilitation and Improvement- field report by Tekleab S.

infrastructure and research programs the center currently is under the oromia Agricultural research Institute. Vision of the center is Food self-sufficient and secured Community in arid and semi arid agro ecological zones of Oromia The center has seven Research Divisions namely: 1. Livestock production and Management( LPM) research division 2.Animal genetics and breeding research Division 3.Animal feeds and nutrition research division 4. Animal health research division 5. Horticultural research Division 6. Socio-Economics research division 7. Research and Extension Liaison Division Then after the practical activity continue for three days. The practical activity was performed with appreciable follow up of the instructor and additional two assistances from the research center namely Ato Assefa and ato Abdu from October 16 to 18, 2006 mainly focused on the Range land vegetation evaluating parameters. Some of these include Determination of: 1. frequency and density of herbaceous species using quadrates 2. overall cover, by species and percentage frequency using the line intercept method 3. species composition, basal cover and percentage bare ground using the wheel point method 4. percentage species composition (frequency) using the step point method 5. woody vegetation density using the point center quarter /PCQ method 6. yield of herbaceous species using quadrates, calculate grazing capacity. 7. species composition and yield using the dry weight rank method. 8. woody vegetation density and browse production The next practical activity was visiting the Borena rangeland, which is located in the southern part of Ethiopia. The borena Rangeland occupies 7 to12% of the Ethiopian and 25% of the Oromia Regional state land Coverage. In this visit we observe 1. Some Rangeland Resources a. Encroachment and impact of human interference

Range Rehabilitation and Improvement- field report by Tekleab S.

b. Sode salt source pond c. Water well and its management d. wildelife 2. The Ex- SORDU Project office 3. The Yabelo Pastoral Research Center

1. Rangeland Resources
The Borena range condition is currently becoming deteriorated from time to time and is dominated by woody species. At the time of visit around the roadside, which was visible to our naked eye, there was almost no ground grass cover under the woody plant canopy even if the season was rainy season. As to my observation what I admire and appreciate in the borena Rangeland is that the weed incursion condition by exotic species that believed to be introduced to Ethiopia and overriding almost all over other part of the country is extremely different. Because I do not seen such dominant exotic weeds like Perthineum, Datura stramineum (Ate faris), and Calotropis procera, which grow on roadside. However the local woody spices are dominating the range land are acacia species and requires controlling mechanism

1.1 Encroachment Looking upon rangeland encroachment and impact of human interference the Borana range land is highly affected by woody encroaching species like Acacia drepanolobium, A brevispica A. tortolis, A. busay Invade and dominate the major part of the rangeland.

In the Borena rangeland not only the woody species encroaches the range area. but also some settlement and military camps also contributes their part in reducing the grazing area and facilitate the deterioration. This is observed near to the Moyale town.

There is also a large number of termite made blocks in the range land which almost dominate the potential grazing area and cause shrinkage of grazing areas. The other thing, which we observe, is the effect of un-coordinated or less followed up range treatment that previously practiced on the rangeland.

Range Rehabilitation and Improvement- field report by Tekleab S.

Figure 1. Acacia drepanolobium - Borena rangeland encroaching plant

During our tour around Mega the rangeland was treated by clearing woody plants. but because of lack of Continues follow up or additional/supplementary treatment which assist the original treatment the previously cleared area becomes fully covered by one dominant species which is thorny, unpalatable, and the same height encroaching plant

called acacia drepanolobium . As Dr. Abule told us the same height indicates that it grow at the same time which in turn implies it grow after some treatment- but with lack of effective and efficient control and management after application. And some local people told us this happened because of banned of fire, a method their fathers do to control such problems.

1.2. The salt house (Chew-bet) The borena rangeland .the nature gifted the community with a natural salt sources pond in the locality called Sode. The salt source pond is expected as it is created by volcanic activity before 500 years ago. it is highly steep and well submerged crater which excepted about 300 meter bellow the top ground surface (mouth) of the crater to the salt source pond . When observed from the top mouth down ward to the pond the salt source is deep black colored spot and the people who extract salt from the pond looks as a point which approves how far it is from

Range Rehabilitation and Improvement- field report by Tekleab S.

the top surface to the sources pond. It take 40 minute to the down ward and one to one and half hour to climb up the salt source pond which indicate its difficulty and also its distance from the top to the pond. The vegetations that found in the depression sidewall are typical to that locality and are salt tolerate.

Figure 2. Chew-bet - Borena rangeland salt source pond at the back the people. As the local people mentioned the benefit they gain by using the salt are: o Increase in milk yield o Improve meat taste (quality) o Medicinal value (the water and vegetation are used to heal at least three locale diseases

1.3. Water sources The water resource on the rangelands is the most fundamental factor that determines the existence of human and livestock in such locality, which usually characterized by uneven and erratic rainfall, resulted in scarcity of surface water.

During our trip the season of Barena rangeland was within a short term rainy season and as the local people says the some amount of water is available on the ground source and

Range Rehabilitation and Improvement- field report by Tekleab S.

also the livestock satisfy their water need from the green grass and browsable plant during this rainy season. The grasses are also well adapted to that locality and they grow and complete their life cycle with in short period of time which help the animal to satisfy their water requirement at some level.

Helland, 1980b as cited by Coppock (1994), The Borena mostly use ponds in rainy periods and wells in dry periods to supply water for people and animals. These sources have different costs and benefits. The ponds are easily accessed but are available for only a short period of time. Animals and people enter the well site by traveling down a long (i.e. 50 to 150 m) narrow ramp flanked by high earthen walls. An individual on duty at the gate regulates entry of herd to the well in the prescribed order to be watered. The drinking area for animals is a large flat platform (dargula) some 5 to 10 m below the ground surface. The well consists of several parts. The water source (madda ella) is accessed by a shaft up to 30 meter deep. At the top of the shaft is a large storage basin (of hundreds of liters capacity) called fetchana, several meters above which is a system of clay watering troughs (naninga) that services up to several dozen cattle and other stock at a time. Currently the naninga is reinforced by cemet.

Figure 3 Tulla of Borena from the gate ramp to the sources (front view)

The wells are usually a permanent source of water, but require a large input of labor to lift water to the surface. A chain of 5 to 20 people stands on lashed wooden platforms or

Range Rehabilitation and Improvement- field report by Tekleab S.

rocky protrusions in the shaft and pass water from the madda ella to the fetchana. One to three more people pass water from the fetchana to the naninga using small durable leather buckets (2 to 5-litre capacity). So that a continuous and coordinated supply of labor is thus essential to the smooth functioning of tula wells. Labour is also needed to regulate animal traffic, constantly sweep the ramp and platform of loose soil, and collect manure.

Figure 4. Schematic diagrams of a tula well on the Borana Plateau: aerial view Source: Cossins and Upton (1985). In Coppock(1994)

Figure 5 Schematic diagrams of a tula well on the Borana Plateau: lateral view. -Source: Cossins and Upton (1985). In Coppock(1994)

Range Rehabilitation and Improvement- field report by Tekleab S.

1.4. Wildlife During the trip some wildlife animals were observed. This indicates the potential of the rangeland to apply or undertake a business enterprise by combining both wildlife and livestock like that of Zimbabwe and south Africa .The lowland regions that support wildlife and extensive livestock operations on native vegetation can also be referred to as rangelands

2. The Ex- SORDU Project

A series of livestock development projects had implemented in the borena rangeland. These projects have attempted to foster more integration between highland and lowland production systems as elements of livestock demand and supply, respectively. Special attention is given to the Southern Rangelands Development Unit (SORDU), which has been the primary development agent in the Borena pastoral system.(coppock 1994)

According to Atlaw Belay, Range management section head describe briefly the situation and activity of the past Southern Rangeland Development Unit (SORDU) of the Third Livestock Development Project (TLDP), and its present status and future intention. These will be discussed bellow. In the past the second and third livestock development projects had a sub division of project in the Southern Rangeland Development Unit (SORDU) making there the center at Yabelo.

SORDU had an average rainfall of 500-700 mm and currently shows a decreasing trend in amount. The Bimodal Rain from march to may the longer rainy season and September to October short rain season (Hagay) but since last three years it is not raining and because of these many peoples are in need of emergency relief food aid due to lose of cattle by drought. The people live in the area are more of pastoralist who drive their livelihood from livestock production and face with constraints live

Range Rehabilitation and Improvement- field report by Tekleab S.

2.1 Water The main water sources are traditional wells, which range from shall depth to deep (need up to 30 persons in series to bring water to the watering troughs or basin. They have also rivers like Damo and Genale but the areas are not suitable for animal and less utilized. The river located in the western part of the rangeland also infested by tsetse, which transmit trypanosomiasis. This enforce the pastoralists to refuse the river to safe guard their animal from health problem

2.2. Hard management The pastoralists have two common hard management systems. These are (1) Wera homestead semisedentary herding system mainly keeps lactating and week animals in their backyard and very close to their village. And (2) Tora- migratory herd system where livestock are herded at far distant from their village and even they may cross the border

2.3. Grazing system The pastoralists have three common practices of grazing systems. (1)Wet season grazing area the animal get water from surface ponds, usually animals grazed away form the deep wells. (2) Dry season mainly in may. During this season both the livestock and the community depend on deep wells called tula and grazing areas will be around the wells. (3) Area enclosure: In this system the community has traditional enclosing systems called Kolo. This could be communal or private owned kolo. One kolo can have an area of one to ten hectares to form quarter to one hectare of protected grazing area. The animals allowed entering the kolo only at time of drought or when they are in problem such conflicts between clans or tribes to minimize risk of both human and animal lose.

2.4 Livestock Development Projects and their role in The Borana rangeland This section will briefly describe some activities of Livestock Development Projects implemented in the Borena rangeland in the past. The first livestock development Project (FLDP)(1958-63). This was lead by ministry of agriculture. It consist the Yabelo Range land pilot project covering an area of 232 Km2 targeted at borena breed conservation project. It was by Ethio-USAID joint project with

Range Rehabilitation and Improvement- field report by Tekleab S.

objective of improve grazing capacity by paddocking. However because the implementation strategies were imported from foreign countries they were not compatible to and refused by the society. The reason for refusal was the society has its own traditional range management practices. In addition to this the out put from the project aggravate rangeland deteriorate due to permanent water sources which leads to overgrazing and trampling of grazing areas around the watering points. We had also observe a pond which was constructed for 3-4 month but still being used by livestock and its surrounding is bare ground with no grass cover. The Yabelo pilot rangeland project was continued until 1965. The Second Livestock Development Project (SLDP) (1973-81): This project was focused on livestock marketing. To achieve this objective the project established a stock root at an average of every 25 Km. the roots was endowed with water, feed and shelter and some of the roots were in Moyale and Hageremariam. The Third Livestock development project TLDP: This project was initiated from Yabelo pilot rangeland project and other projects (i.e. FLDP& SLDP) in 1975 with primary objective of developing infrastructure and natural resource to support livestock production and marketing. The TLDP was a large-scale nation wide Rangeland development intervention consisting three large units namely the Southern Rangelands Development Unit (SORDU), North-east Rangeland Development Unit (NERDU) and the Jijiga Rangeland Development Unit (JIRDU) under the ministry of agriculture. SORDU was the largest unit consisting about 95,000 Km2, and more focus was give to this unit with regard to security of the region. It also takes the largest portion of the found and leading role in coordinating the other two project units. SORDU focused on: 1) Range management Adjusting stock number with water facility Construction of pond and road as intervention Land planning (location of watering points) Veterinary Service Development of fattening ranches that have non-fenced with seven to ten hectares area coverage. These ranches also serve as temporary stock site of bulls for marketing.

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Range Rehabilitation and Improvement- field report by Tekleab S.

Livestock marketing and export to reduce land degradation by overgrazing. 2) Feedlot program making its Head office at Awassa and was center area for Shoa, Sidamo and Arisi administrative regions at that time. It involves Track facility for cattle transportation Developing cooperatives and linkage between the pastoralists and highland merchants. 3) Trial and Study program This was done by integration of SORDU and ILRI (the then ILCA) for ten years. 4) Training program Providing training for the community and supporting researchers and academic fellowship. All the above-mentioned programs and activities of SORDU were supported by USAID

2.5 Dituyara ranch Dituyara ranch One of the SORDU Component and still functional It is Borena breed bull conservation ranch and established at the locality of the previous Yabelo pilot project because the area has better potential for forage production and less interfered by community .In this ranch only Borena bulls are kept and the heifers send to Abernosa ranch.. The ranch has fenced 5000ha of land equipped with watering trough, crashes, and deeding bath and other facilities It is dual-purpose ranch maintaining large number of Zebras (Wild Animal), which indicated the opportunity to integrate wiled life with domestic animals. The ranch has potential grazing resource with key grass species and shrub diversity. The ranch also used to test range practice trials like range firing and other research activities.

2.6. Status of SORDU The SORDU Pilot Project during FLDP was activated within 100Km radius around Yabelo. Since 1988 by taking initiation from TLDP with objective of food security having a strategy of local community should utilize their own resource energy and indigenous knowledge. It also focused on

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Range Rehabilitation and Improvement- field report by Tekleab S.

Animal production and animal health Establishment of well organized pastoral association by promoting cooperatives Maintenance of infrastructures (roads and watering points) Cooperatives and marketing facilities

Monitoring and evaluations of Range land management involving Range research, management, planning and trend monitoring These activities continue up to 1996 and phase out by the rationalization (decentralization) policy of the Ethiopian government.

Then after SORDU shift to Oromia Agricultural Office financed by the regional government using the resources of the previous project. Currently it is under Oromia Pastoral Commission and the duties are the same but at lower level because of capital deficiency. As a result of budget constraints the resource are becoming worn out and no maintenance and many experienced staffs are departing.

Reformation SORDU also tries to undertake a reform aiming to transform the site in to other form activity. Some of the intended transformations are: 1) Upgrade into Technical and vocational Training Center to produce skilled manpower to pastoral communities of the Borana Burji and Bale Zones pastoralists. However the regional government does not yet accept this. 2) Regional Diagnosis Laboratory is approved and is starting its duty 3) Infrastructure crue- to serve as the main organization, which performs infrastructures development in the pastoral areas having a mobile working unit to plan, develop, Construct and maintenance of infrastructures mainly watering points and roads.

2.7. Problems of the SORDU Rangeland. The major problems happened to the rangeland which is managed by the SORDU are 1. The bush encroachment it is evading the range alarminingly it was 40% in 1980 s but with in 20 years the bush covers 82% of the range area. The condition trend is

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Range Rehabilitation and Improvement- field report by Tekleab S.

down ward at rate of 58 %. This indicated less intention is given to improve or maintain at least the existing status. This approved by of the seven woredas located with in the Rangeland unthreatened area covers only 17% of the total borena range land is telltale wereda. The other woredas are threatened even up to 50% of there total coverage 2. Cultivation encroachment associated with sedentarisation and settlement 3. Population growth of both human and animal. This results in reduction the grazing land to be used for other activities like settlement and military camp.

Regarding bush encroachment, control and management are maintain and tried in smallscale level and chemical method was effective but not economical. As the Range section head told us. Previously during the period of king Haileselasie the pastoralists were practicing fire to get lash grass to their animals. This in turn controls the bush. However after the banning /inhibition / of using fire the bush encroachment get an opportunity to dominate over the rangeland.

At this time even burning will be allowed it will not be successful because there is almost no grass cover under the bush canopy to apply fire. The only option is enclosure of some season to get ground grass cover but because of increased in livestock population and feed shortage the pastoralist will not allowed to burn the grass so it is becoming more complicated and the bush is almost reaching at its niche.

2.8. Future option (Recommendation) As the range management section Head mentioned the status of Borena rangeland is highly deteriorated and becomes a headache both to the range professionals and the community. The professionals are debating on the mechanism how to at least maintain the status as it is and reach in agreement to apply the following: Reconsider the old traditional system and retrieve to implement by combining with some scientific finding.

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Range Rehabilitation and Improvement- field report by Tekleab S.

By negotiating the pastoralists involving Administrative officials and local elders to make the wet season grazing areas free human settlement by returning the people to their previous dry season grazing areas.

Community participated development projects.

3. Yabelo Pastoral and Dry land Research Center

Our last visit was the Yabelo Pastoral and Dry land Research Center. Description of the center given by Ato Samuel (head of the center) and ato Sintayehu (staff of the center). The research center is establish in 2003/04 dealing with research activity in pastoral and Arid areas located in the Southern part of Ethiopia as one of the six Arid Zone agricultural research area namely Kaft humera, Semera, Sekota, Jinka and JiJiga

3.1 Research Division It has 6 research wings or divisions, which almost similar to that of the Adamitul research center divisions. These are 1. Natural Resource: deals with soil and water conservation, dry land forestry, agro climate and Rangeland studies 2. Animal Product: deals with Breading and genetics Animal product and by products and Dairy 3. Animal Feeds and Nutrition: - deals with feed resource development in relation to range land 4. Animal Health: - deals with internal and external parasites 5. Dry Land Crop deals with Field crops in pastoral areas (which is ceased currently because of lack of staff) and currently it include horticulture as subdivision 6. Socio Economics: - deals with livestock marketing and extension activities

The center has also Experiment sites one on station and three hectare on field experimental units to carry out research activities.

Most of the research activities are on gaining and survey based results from its younger age of establishment in order to develop base line informations about the borena

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rangeland. Some of the research activities of the center are mentioned in the following table:
Research activities
No. Division/wing 1 Ongoing New Examples Adaptation trial Livestock- crop interaction Inventory of Animal feed in Borena rangeland Current livestock system in Borena rangeland Native grease rehabilitation by seeding

Dry land crop

Animal feed

3 4 5 6

Animal Production: Animal health Natural Resources

2 2 4 2

2 0 3

On station experiments specially like collection of promising species from the rangeland Survey on dilution of Borena breed by phenotypic characteristics Survey economic disease around Borena
Impact of bush encroachment by thinning its effect Livestock crop- intervention (community perception)

Social Economic and Agricultural extension 21

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Livestock marketing system (Around pastoral area and Cross boundary)

Table1. Some research activities of the Yabelo Pastoral and Dry land Research Center.

Of the above mentions activities 34 projects are founded by government and two by Non Governmental Organization (NGO)

3.2 Future plan of the research center Future plan of the Yabelo Pastoral and Dry land Research Center is to be a National Coordination head quarter for Dry land area research activity as of March 21 2006. The Research center has developing bilateral collaborations with some of the institutions that are currently enrolled in the pastoral development activities in the borena rangeland.

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Range Rehabilitation and Improvement- field report by Tekleab S.

4. Extra Visits
After finishing visit of the Borena rangeland, on the way of return to Mekelle University, we visit two livestock related enterprises namely Luna export slaughterhouse PLC and Genesis farm. Both enterprises try their best to produce and deliver organic products to their customers. Luna Export Slaughterhouse P.L.C. located around Modjo, is atypical example of Agricultural Led Industrialization (AgLI) policy of the Ethiopian government and also is an important partner of the pastoral area in reducing overgrazing by off take of large number of livestock (cattle, sheep and goat). To achieve this, the enterprise has five purchasing unit in high livestock populated areas of the country. The Genesis farm established on 37ha located in Debrezeit 45 km south of Addis Ababa. It is taken as a good example of organic product producer in Ethiopia. It perform all aspect of Agriculture including Animal production (poultry, dairy, rabbit), Milk processing, Irrigation based vegetable production, nursery, and marketing of agricultural products. All wastes, leftovers and by-products are recycled and almost no material or waste product is released to the external environment. So it is considered as better example of Sustainable livestock production system in terms of nutrient re-circulation.

Summery and Recomendation

As conclusion even if we miss the visits of feed processing plant and International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), this trip was a wake-up click to most of us who join the livestock production stream. We have seen so many problems and opportunities of the sector. The effect of community excluded development strategies, the gap between pastoral area community and the industry that need input, which should be narrowed by the respective personnels of the government and NGOs in creating a linkage mechanism for the success of AgLI.

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