Unlocking horizontal and vertical cropping intensification potentials to address landlessness and food security challenges of rainfed crop production systems in Ethiopia: potential, performance, and gap assessment
Knowledge-based evidence about potential and existing rainfed cropping is crucial for decision-making for sustainable land use and food security. Using multi-criteria spatial analysis techniques, this study assessed the current status of cropland availability and projected impacts on future crop pro...
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| Format: | Article |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2024-11-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fsufs.2024.1393124/full |
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| author | Tibebu Kassawmar Tibebu Kassawmar Matebu Tadesse Matebu Tadesse Gizaw Desta Amare Bantider Amare Bantider Ermias Teferi Ermias Teferi Woldeamlak Bewket Woldeamlak Bewket Lemlem Abraha Gete Zeleke Claire L. Walsh Greg O’Donnell |
| author_facet | Tibebu Kassawmar Tibebu Kassawmar Matebu Tadesse Matebu Tadesse Gizaw Desta Amare Bantider Amare Bantider Ermias Teferi Ermias Teferi Woldeamlak Bewket Woldeamlak Bewket Lemlem Abraha Gete Zeleke Claire L. Walsh Greg O’Donnell |
| author_sort | Tibebu Kassawmar |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Knowledge-based evidence about potential and existing rainfed cropping is crucial for decision-making for sustainable land use and food security. Using multi-criteria spatial analysis techniques, this study assessed the current status of cropland availability and projected impacts on future crop production in Ethiopia. The study primarily defined the extent of the Rainfed Cropping Area (RCA) and assessed the performances of different cropping practices. After precisely mapping cultivated area, cropping intensification potentials were estimated. Subsequently, disregarding the existing cultivated area, completely unsuitable areas, and protected and intact forest areas, the potentially available arable land using suitability analysis techniques was determined. In addition, the performance of existing crop production systems was evaluated against the natural potential. The findings reveal that RCA covers ~60% of the country’s landmass, of which cropping is practiced in only 33%. The coverage of Potentially Available Cropland (yet uncultivated) accounts for 16% of the country’s RCA. This is dominantly located in sparsely populated western and southwestern parts of the country. This study confirms that Horizontal Cropping Intensification (HCI) in the RCA of Ethiopia reaches only 33%. On the other hand, Vertical Cropping Intensification (VCI) practices cover only 10%, while about 1/3 of the RCA is suitable for VCI strategies at various levels of suitability. The performance of existing VCI-oriented cropping (which covers only 10% of the RCA) is very poor. Challenges to the use of the available cropland and ways of addressing land shortage for needy farmers are highlighted to inform efforts to readdress landlessness and food insecurity in Ethiopia. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-e4a3e8eb04ca42e2ae300f737705bdb5 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2571-581X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-11-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems |
| spelling | doaj-art-e4a3e8eb04ca42e2ae300f737705bdb52025-08-20T02:22:41ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems2571-581X2024-11-01810.3389/fsufs.2024.13931241393124Unlocking horizontal and vertical cropping intensification potentials to address landlessness and food security challenges of rainfed crop production systems in Ethiopia: potential, performance, and gap assessmentTibebu Kassawmar0Tibebu Kassawmar1Matebu Tadesse2Matebu Tadesse3Gizaw Desta4Amare Bantider5Amare Bantider6Ermias Teferi7Ermias Teferi8Woldeamlak Bewket9Woldeamlak Bewket10Lemlem Abraha11Gete Zeleke12Claire L. Walsh13Greg O’Donnell14Water and Land Resource Centre (WLRC), Addis Ababa, EthiopiaSchool of Earth Sciences, College of Natural and Computational Sciences, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, EthiopiaWater and Land Resource Centre (WLRC), Addis Ababa, EthiopiaCollege of Development Studies, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, EthiopiaICRISAT · Resilient Farm and Food System – Landscapes Soil Fertility and Water Management, Addis Ababa, EthiopiaWater and Land Resource Centre (WLRC), Addis Ababa, EthiopiaCollege of Development Studies, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, EthiopiaWater and Land Resource Centre (WLRC), Addis Ababa, EthiopiaCollege of Development Studies, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, EthiopiaWater and Land Resource Centre (WLRC), Addis Ababa, EthiopiaDepartment of Geography and Environmental Studies, College of Social Science, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, EthiopiaWondo Genet College of Forestry and Natural Resources, Hawassa University, Hawassa, EthiopiaWater and Land Resource Centre (WLRC), Addis Ababa, EthiopiaSchool of Engineering, Centre of Water, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, United KingdomSchool of Engineering, Centre of Water, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, United KingdomKnowledge-based evidence about potential and existing rainfed cropping is crucial for decision-making for sustainable land use and food security. Using multi-criteria spatial analysis techniques, this study assessed the current status of cropland availability and projected impacts on future crop production in Ethiopia. The study primarily defined the extent of the Rainfed Cropping Area (RCA) and assessed the performances of different cropping practices. After precisely mapping cultivated area, cropping intensification potentials were estimated. Subsequently, disregarding the existing cultivated area, completely unsuitable areas, and protected and intact forest areas, the potentially available arable land using suitability analysis techniques was determined. In addition, the performance of existing crop production systems was evaluated against the natural potential. The findings reveal that RCA covers ~60% of the country’s landmass, of which cropping is practiced in only 33%. The coverage of Potentially Available Cropland (yet uncultivated) accounts for 16% of the country’s RCA. This is dominantly located in sparsely populated western and southwestern parts of the country. This study confirms that Horizontal Cropping Intensification (HCI) in the RCA of Ethiopia reaches only 33%. On the other hand, Vertical Cropping Intensification (VCI) practices cover only 10%, while about 1/3 of the RCA is suitable for VCI strategies at various levels of suitability. The performance of existing VCI-oriented cropping (which covers only 10% of the RCA) is very poor. Challenges to the use of the available cropland and ways of addressing land shortage for needy farmers are highlighted to inform efforts to readdress landlessness and food insecurity in Ethiopia.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fsufs.2024.1393124/fullcroplandpotential croplandintensificationland suitabilityrainfed agriculturelandlessness |
| spellingShingle | Tibebu Kassawmar Tibebu Kassawmar Matebu Tadesse Matebu Tadesse Gizaw Desta Amare Bantider Amare Bantider Ermias Teferi Ermias Teferi Woldeamlak Bewket Woldeamlak Bewket Lemlem Abraha Gete Zeleke Claire L. Walsh Greg O’Donnell Unlocking horizontal and vertical cropping intensification potentials to address landlessness and food security challenges of rainfed crop production systems in Ethiopia: potential, performance, and gap assessment Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems cropland potential cropland intensification land suitability rainfed agriculture landlessness |
| title | Unlocking horizontal and vertical cropping intensification potentials to address landlessness and food security challenges of rainfed crop production systems in Ethiopia: potential, performance, and gap assessment |
| title_full | Unlocking horizontal and vertical cropping intensification potentials to address landlessness and food security challenges of rainfed crop production systems in Ethiopia: potential, performance, and gap assessment |
| title_fullStr | Unlocking horizontal and vertical cropping intensification potentials to address landlessness and food security challenges of rainfed crop production systems in Ethiopia: potential, performance, and gap assessment |
| title_full_unstemmed | Unlocking horizontal and vertical cropping intensification potentials to address landlessness and food security challenges of rainfed crop production systems in Ethiopia: potential, performance, and gap assessment |
| title_short | Unlocking horizontal and vertical cropping intensification potentials to address landlessness and food security challenges of rainfed crop production systems in Ethiopia: potential, performance, and gap assessment |
| title_sort | unlocking horizontal and vertical cropping intensification potentials to address landlessness and food security challenges of rainfed crop production systems in ethiopia potential performance and gap assessment |
| topic | cropland potential cropland intensification land suitability rainfed agriculture landlessness |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fsufs.2024.1393124/full |
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