Water spreading weirs altering flood, nutrient distribution and crop productivity in upstream–downstream settings in dry lowlands of Afar, Ethiopia

Getnet, M and Amede, T and Tilahun, G and Legesse, G and Gumma, M K and Abebe, H and Gashaw, T and Ketter, C and Akker, E V (2020) Water spreading weirs altering flood, nutrient distribution and crop productivity in upstream–downstream settings in dry lowlands of Afar, Ethiopia. Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems (TSI). pp. 1-11. ISSN 1742-1705

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Abstract

Afar in Ethiopia is a drought prone area characterized by low rainfall, high temperature and suffering from flash flood emerging from adjacent mountains. We introduced a flood barrier, water spreading weirs (WSWs) in 2015 to convert floods to a productive use and assessed its effect in 2016 and 2017. WSWs resulted in deposition of sediments where sand deposition was higher in the upside of upstream weir whereas silt and clay deposition was prominent at the central location between the two weirs. There was a moisture gradient across farming fields with volumetric water content (VWC) at 20 cm depth varying between 10 and 22% depending on the relative position/distance of fields from the WSWs, consequently, effecting significant difference in yield between fields. There was a positive relationship between VWC made available by WSWs at planting and the yield (P < 0.001, r = 0.76) and biomass productivity (P < 0.005, r = 0.46). WSWs created differing farming zone following soil moisture regime, affecting grain and biomass yield. In good potential zones with high moisture content, the WSW-based farming enabled to produce up to 5 and 15 t ha−1 yr−1 of maize grain and biomass, respectively, while in low potential zones there was a complete crop grain failure. The system enabled pastoralists to produce huge amount of biomass and grain during Belg (short) and Meher (long) growing seasons that was stored and utilized during succeeding dry periods. Furthermore, the practice ensured a visible recovery of degraded rangelands. This was evident from the filling up of the riverbed as well as the two WSW wings with 1 m high and about 450 m length each with fertile sediment from Belg and Meher seasons of 2016 and 2017. Hence, future studies should analyze the sustainability and the potential of flood-based development at large scale.

Item Type:	Article
Divisions:	Research Program : East & Southern Africa
CRP:	CGIAR Research Program on Water, Land and Ecosystems (WLE)
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Afar, agropastoral, biomass, degraded, rangeland, flood, gradient, maize, pastoral, productivity, soil, moisture
Subjects:	Others > Floods Others > GIS Techniques/Remote Sensing Others > Plant Nutrition Others > Crop Yield Others > Drought Others > Ethiopia
Depositing User:	Mr Arun S
Date Deposited:	04 Feb 2020 10:56
Last Modified:	04 Feb 2020 10:56
URI:	http://oar.icrisat.org/id/eprint/11363
Official URL:	https://doi.org/10.1017/S1742170519000474
Projects:	UNSPECIFIED
Funders:	UNSPECIFIED
Acknowledgement:	This project is conducted with the financial support of GIZ-SDR Ethiopia and the CGIAR Research Program on Water, Land and Ecosystems (WLE). The authors are thankful to all the GIZ-SDR staff, Pastoral Agropastoral Development office (PADO) at Chifra district, Woldia University, Wollo University, Sirinka agricultural research center, APARI and the local community for all support and enthusiastic collaboration during the field work.
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