Rainwater Management for Food Security and Environmental Services in Ethiopia International Conference on Ecosystem Conservation and Sustainable Development, Ambo, Ethiopia, 10-12 February 2011 Tilahun Amede and Team Nile Basin Coordinator, CGIAR Challenge Program Water for Food

CPWF aims to increase water productivity and resilience of social and ecological systems Through its broad partnerships, it conducts research that leads to local impact and political change

CPWF Consortium Members AREO

Phase 2

Make Choices : Scenarios to 2050 Based on WaterSim analysis for the CA Today CA Scenario Without productivity improvements CA Scenario: Policies for productivity gains, upgrading rainfed , revitalized irrigation, trade

Dependence on rainwater or irrigation agriculture

Water Scarcity by 2020

Stagnant food productivity

Rainfall –Runoff distribution High rainfall variability & unreliability; significant runoff variability Considerable spatial and temporal redistribution is needed for meaningful development

Rainfall variability affecting economies Ethiopia

Key findings -4 : Low storage capacity

Canal water losses due to water surface evaporation and seepage from Guanta small-scale irrigation

Building on traditional innovations (water management) Photo Courtesy: Mr Admasu

SWC affecting land and water productivity (Yihenew etal, 2008) SE X CV (%) 9-yrs soil bund 9-yrs soil bund + vetiver 9-yrs soil bund + lucerne 6-yrs soil bund + lucerne Control (no conservation) Treatments 0.23 12.8 5.5 3.3 5.0 2.4 1.5 OM (%) 0.03 14.17 0.28 0.22 0.28 0.17 0.12 Nitrogen (%) 53.89 8.1 1712.5 1187.5 1878.7 1284.3 561.3 Grain Kg/ha

Micro dose Zai

Effects of Zai on productivity of potato, 2005.

Identifying where water saving could be at farm and landscape scales? High unproductive water losses = indicator of productivity gap

~ ¾ of energy spent on maintenance Livestock energy budget 67% of feed from crop residues low quality: 5.8 – 7.4 MJ ME kg -1 Productivity gaps and losses..

E.g. Watering Points for Improved Livestock Production Energy for walking is reduced from 1956 MJ ME / TLU to 584 MJ ME / TLU per year (Milk equivalent of 252 litre) Survey: milk production increased from 343 liter to 463 liter per lactation per cow Water: no change in water depleted for feed production Milk water productivity per cow improves by 35% (survey)

Reducing Livestock Mortality (diseases) Source: Asfaw and Jabar, 2007 14 34 9 % Others 34 22 66 % Sales 6 8 5 % Others 8 8 3 % Purchases 86 84 92 % Births Incoming Species 52 44 25 % Deaths Outgoing Goat Sheep Cattle Herd Parameter

More information http://www.publish.csiro.au/nid/20/pid/6106.htm

Thank you !