EthiopiaEthiopia is the second most populous country in Africa, with more than 114 million people. The capacity to feed its rapidly growing population largely depends on agricultural production in diverse agro-climatic regions. AgricultureAgriculture is undermined by severe land degradationLand degradation, poor input supply systems, and climate changeClimate change and variability. This chapter tries to show the status and challenges in rain-fed and irrigated agricultureAgriculture in the Abbay basinAbbay Basin. The basin is a major contributor of agricultural products for consumption and export. There are distinct orientations of the production system in the basin. The commercially oriented productionCommercially oriented production around North Gondar mainly of sesame and soybean targets the export market and local agro-processing industries. TheCereal-based high production cereal-based high-potential production system produces surplus and supplies agricultural food and raw materials for urban and local markets. Food-insecure areasFood-insecure Areas are characterized by a low level of productivity associated with land degradationLand degradation, climate, and poor socioeconomic status of the community with food gap months. The current/actual production level is very low compared with the potential. There is a huge average yield gapYield gaps of approximately 11.5 t ha−1 for maize, 6.6 t ha−1 for wheat, 4.9 t ha−1 for sorghum, and 3.3 t ha−1 for millet. Furthermore, approximately 77.6% of the basin’s agricultural land is moderately to highly suitable for agricultureAgriculture, showing the potential to improve productivity and production in the commercially oriented productionCommercially oriented production, cereal-based highCereal-based high production potential production system. Furthermore, there has been a remarkable increase in irrigated area over the past decades; however, irrigationIrrigation is dominantly practiced in a traditional way, challenging the sustainable utilization of water resourcesWater resources, particularly under severe stress due to increasing demand and climate changeClimate change, which is anticipated to result in long-term changes in productivity and production. However, the effort to close the prevailing yield gapYield gaps is challenged by poor soilSoil fertility status, low level of input use, poor linkage of stakeholders, and limited access to finance. Therefore, improving the soilSoil health conditions and the seed and fertilizer supply system, increasing financial access, improving the efficiency of irrigationIrrigation and extension service delivery, and creating market linkages are key to transforming the agricultural sector.

Agriculture in the Abbay Basin

章节
发表日期：

2025年

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Mezegebu Getnet,
Shimelis Asseffa

摘要

EthiopiaEthiopia is the second most populous country in Africa, with more than 114 million people. The capacity to feed its rapidly growing population largely depends on agricultural production in diverse agro-climatic regions. AgricultureAgriculture is undermined by severe land degradationLand degradation, poor input supply systems, and climate changeClimate change and variability. This chapter tries to show the status and challenges in rain-fed and irrigated agricultureAgriculture in the Abbay basinAbbay Basin. The basin is a major contributor of agricultural products for consumption and export. There are distinct orientations of the production system in the basin. The commercially oriented productionCommercially oriented production around North Gondar mainly of sesame and soybean targets the export market and local agro-processing industries. TheCereal-based high production cereal-based high-potential production system produces surplus and supplies agricultural food and raw materials for urban and local markets. Food-insecure areasFood-insecure Areas are characterized by a low level of productivity associated with land degradationLand degradation, climate, and poor socioeconomic status of the community with food gap months. The current/actual production level is very low compared with the potential. There is a huge average yield gapYield gaps of approximately 11.5 t ha−1 for maize, 6.6 t ha−1 for wheat, 4.9 t ha−1 for sorghum, and 3.3 t ha−1 for millet. Furthermore, approximately 77.6% of the basin’s agricultural land is moderately to highly suitable for agricultureAgriculture, showing the potential to improve productivity and production in the commercially oriented productionCommercially oriented production, cereal-based highCereal-based high production potential production system. Furthermore, there has been a remarkable increase in irrigated area over the past decades; however, irrigationIrrigation is dominantly practiced in a traditional way, challenging the sustainable utilization of water resourcesWater resources, particularly under severe stress due to increasing demand and climate changeClimate change, which is anticipated to result in long-term changes in productivity and production. However, the effort to close the prevailing yield gapYield gaps is challenged by poor soilSoil fertility status, low level of input use, poor linkage of stakeholders, and limited access to finance. Therefore, improving the soilSoil health conditions and the seed and fertilizer supply system, increasing financial access, improving the efficiency of irrigationIrrigation and extension service delivery, and creating market linkages are key to transforming the agricultural sector.