Agro Ecological Region Zimbabwe

Agro Ecological Region Zimbabwe

Agro Ecological Region Zimbabwe

The World Resources Institute estimated in 1998 that the soil erosion was between sixteen and three-hundred times faster that its formation, even more so in mountainous areas. Ethiopia is such an area; the degradation of the environment nets low agricultural production and aggravates the region’s poverty. Additionally, the country has faced droughts and famines in recent years. The International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (Ifoam.org) has published a report that illustrates how much can be done for regions with such severe problems (“Successes and Challenges in Ecological Agriculture: experiences from Tigray, Ethiopia”, IFOAM Publications, 2010).

The Tigray Region

The Tigray region is mostly composed of highland and was considered since 1975 the most degraded. Because of the increased demand for fuel wood and arable land the majority of the natural dryland forest and woodland vegetation disappeared. However, a good part of the region now has better vegetation cover than it used to in 1868; according to studies by Nyssen et al. in 2008 and 2009 (“SCEA”, IFOAM Publications, 2010). This recovery can be attributed in no small part to the ‘Sustainable Development and Ecological Land Management with Farming Communities in Tigray’, commonly known as the Tigray Project.

The Tigray Project started in 1996, an ecological approach towards agriculture to reverse environment degradation and augment crop yields to combat poverty. Its key components are: use of compost, terracing slopes, trench bunds and water ponds; among others. These techniques restore soil fertility, minimize soil erosion while maximizing rain water infiltration and provide means to store rain water for the dry season.