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Project/Programme Update
A group of researchers, one each in Botswana, Rwanda and Zimbabwe, who were commissioned by OSSREA to carry out research on natural resources management in their respective countries, have now submitted the reports of their findings to OSSREA. The main thrust of the research project was to find out whether the National Environmental Action Plans and National Conservation Strategies have worked and, if not, why they have not. These activities are a continuation of similar researches carried out recently in Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia. The case studies from the latter countries were published in 1999. The reports from Botswana, Rwanda and Zimbabwe are currently being edited for publication by OSSREA under its Environmental Forum Publications Series.
The Consolidation Budget of Dryland Husbandry Project (DHP) Approved
The Consolidation budget of DHP was approved in July 2002 by the Swedish International Development Co-operation Agency, Sida, to implement DHP activities in the years 2002 and 2003. The contribution by Sida is provided to support and administer a network of research institutions in the Horn of Africa that work on dryland pastoral issues. DHP focuses on grassroots based field trials and extension methodology in pastoral systems. DHP works in Kenya, Ethiopia, Sudan and Uganda. The total external budget contributed by Sida is Swedish Kronor five million three hundred thousand (SEK 5,300,000) during the calendar years of 2002-2003 (1 January 2002 - 31 December 2003).
7th Dryland Husbandry Project (DHP ) Regional Meeting
The 7th DHP Regional Meeting will be held in northern Ethiopia. The opening of the meeting will be in Aba’ala, North Afar, the DHP-Ethiopia project area. Subsequent meetings will be held in Mekele University, Mekele, the focal DHP institution. The meeting will host members of the National Steering Committee that come from each DHP country and those beneficiaries in the pastoral and agro-pastoral areas of DHP Ethiopia. About 25 persons are expected to participate in the regional meeting. The preliminary agenda of the meeting are: brief up-date of country DHP activities, observations and opinions on the consolidation phase, making the consolidation phase achieve its objectives, etc.
Visits by Dryland Husbandry Project (DHP) Regional Co-ordinator
The DHP Regional Co-ordinator, Dr. Tegegne Teka, visited DHP Sudan in May/June 2002. The objectives of the mission were: to discuss the management and finance of DHP Sudan, monitoring DHP activities at the field level, discussion and prioritisation of DHP Sudan consolidation phase activities and the 7th DHP Regional Meeting. The Regional Co-ordinator had separate discussions with the National Steering Committee of DHP Sudan, the Field Management Committee representative, DHP Sudan National Co-ordinator and the Project Manager.
The DHP Regional Co-ordinator also participated in a training workshop in Texas, USA, in June/July 2002. The workshop was on “Sustainable Agroecosystems in Semiarid Regions of the United States”. The objectives of the workshop were to exchange ideas with senior researchers in dryland agriculture and to learn how farmers and researchers in an advanced economy like the USA addressed drylands, and how they used water in semi-arid areas in an environmentally sound system. Irrigation was also discussed and observed at the field level. A paper on the concepts, objectives and regional activities of DHP was presented at the workshop.
During the field visit, about 25 participants of the workshop travelled more than 5000 km through parts of the five USA States: Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, Kansas and Oklahoma. Senior professionals of West Texas University travelled with the workshop participants to the five States and explained the climate, vegetation, the dryland agriculture, irrigation, etc. Visits were also made to research centres and extension stations, farmers’ fields, and agribusiness facilities.
The annual precipitation for the various sites visited is from 400 to 850 mm. Major crops are wheat, sorghum, cotton, and corn/maize. One important aspect of dryland agriculture in the five States is the use of non-tillage agriculture. This system of agriculture has been utilised by few farmers in the five States despite the good returns in production and the benefits it brings to soil and the environment. The non-tillage agriculture has strong support by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Research Centres. Livestock is also an important part of the US semi-arid regions and includes cattle, sheep, and goats.
The principles and the methodology used in the semi-arid areas in the USA are very useful. However, their immediate use in the Horn and East African countries could be difficult. Dryland agriculture in the five States visited in the USA is capital intensive, uses high inputs, is closely related to high level researches/scientists and research outputs, and the technology used in irrigation is digital/computerised. Irrigation agriculture is office or home-controlled. Some of the farmers have MSc in agriculture and are able to handle computerised irrigation system.
A paper on OSSREA’s Dryland Husbandry Project was presented at the workshop. It is titled: Dryland Husbandry Project (DHP) in the Horn of Africa. DHP and its methodology were introduced to the many participants that came from 12 countries. The DHP brochure was distributed at the workshop. OSSREA, DHP Regional Office, and DHP countries and Sida/SAREC were explained to the participants.
The workshop participants were able to observe that dryland agriculture in the five US States is not efficient, i.e., in the use of capital and other investments on land. Dryland agriculture is operating because of the subsidy of the US Federal Government which in turn results in the production and supply of cheap food to the urban population. One must also note that the percentage of agricultural population in the USA is about 3%.
Four rolls of photographs have been produced from the visit in the five States. The album of photographs will be shown during the DHP 7th Regional Workshop (October 2002). Some of the photographs, if requested by the DHP countries, could be reproduced.
Some papers on sustainable agro-ecosystems in semi-arid regions in the USA have been collected. Selected papers will be displayed at the 7th DHP Regional Workshop. If participants want copies of the papers, they will be reproduced and sent to the country DHP.
The workshop was educational. The workshop also shows that there is another alternative in exploiting and utilising dryland agriculture. This is possible if there is water, over-ground or under-ground, technology and know-how. The participation of other members of Dryland Husbandry Project in the workshop could add a new dimension to their knowledge and could be useful to their strategy and future plans in dryland agriculture.
West Texas University Continuing Education has given Certificates to all the participants for the 80 hours of training in Sustainable Agroecosystems and Environmental Issues.