AGRICULTURAL GROWTH AND SUSTAINABILITY:

CONDITIONS FOR THEIR COMPABILITY IN THE EAST

AFRICAN HIGHLANDS

CAROLINA DIAZ RUEDA

GEOGRAPHY, CLIMATE, SOILS AND DEMOGRAPHIES:

GEOGRAPHY & CLIMATE:

- Areas above 1500 meters

- With rainfall often ( above 700 ml / year)

- Are the home of diverse languages, cultures and farming

systems.

GEOGRAPHY, CLIMATE, SOILS AND DEMOGRAPHIES:

- Divided in four zones :

1- High-altitude areas are cold and specialized in forestry and

farming.

2- Second high-altitude specialized in crop and livestock.

3- Third altitude zone well watered and warm, specialized in

cereals and pulse.

4- Lowest-altitude zone specilized in bean crop and livestock.

GEOGRAPHY, CLIMATE, SOILS AND DEMOGRAPHIES:

SOILS:

- Are volcanic origin fertile soils

- Are steep areas risk of erosion if they are

cultivated without adequated

soil conservation measures.

GEOGRAPHY, CLIMATE, SOILS AND DEMOGRAPHIES:

DEMOGRAPHIES:

- Good rainfall and productive soils permit these areas to have high population densities.

- Demography is different in each ecological zones:

TROPICAL HIGHLANDS, these high population densities are maintained by

perennial and intensive farm system.

SUBTROPICAL HIGHLANDS, can maintain half the population density of tropical zone because of its cereal- based extensive farming system.

FARMING SYSTEMS:

HIGH-POTENCIAL PERENNIAL FARMING IN THE TROPICAL HIGHLANDS:

- Intensive farming system

- Hoe cultivation

- Horticulture ( tree crops, roots and tubers…)

- Medium to low livestock density

- Dispersed homesteads and settlements

It is a sustainable and productive system if population growth can

be contained.

FARMING SYSTEMS:

CEREAL-LIVESTOCK MIXED FARMING IN THE SUBTROPICAL HIGHLANDS:

- Extensive farming system

- Plowing with oxen or tractors

- Cereal, pulse and oil crops grown in rotation

- Absence of trees and tree growing- High livestock density ( key to generate cash and dung)

- Old and geographically concentrated settlements

- Labor use is low

- Land intensive

- Lack of improvement in agricultural technology

- It has two subtypes:

High-potencial cereal zones.

Low-potencial cereal zones.

FARMING SYSTEMS:

TRANSITIONAL, PERENNIAL, OR CEREAL-LIVESTOCK SYSTEM:

- Intermediate farming system lying between these 2 systems

HIGHLAND-LOWLAND INTERACTIONS:

- Pastoralist in lowlands sell cattle and butter to the highlanders while highlanders sell to them maize.

- The highland farmers cultivate fields in lowlands and exploit woodlands for firewood and coal during the dry season.

- Sometimes there are problems of tenure that tend to undermine this interactive system, but when it operates optimally, both groups tend to benefit.

DEMOGRAPHIC PRESSURE AND LAND USE CHANGES:

SUBTROPICAL ZONE :

- Carrying capacity is being exceeded, resulting in drought, crop failure and famine.- The economic consecuencies are:

- Increase in food imports- Increase in relief programs- Decline in agricultural exports

TROPICAL ZONE :

- This system is more stable and sustainable.

Human welfare, natural resources bases, and forstland have been undermined over the years, and wars and civil strife have only made matters worse.

DEGRADATION AND RESOURCE DEPLETION:

3 MAIN PROBLEMS CONCERNING TO DEGRADATION AND DEPLETION:

1.- Decline of soil fertility and destruction of water catchments:

- In subtropical highlands,

decline is aggravated by topdoil erosion and the removal of woody vegetative cover, crop residue and animal manure.

degradation is caused by long dry season, intensive summer rains and short growing season.

- In tropical highlands,happen the opposite because

they have perennial farming systems; frequent tree planting and maintenance provide good vegetative cover; short dry spells and long growing season; do prevailing soil conservation measures.

DEGRADATION AND RESOURCE DEPLETION

2.- Decline of animal feed resources in the tropical and especially in the subtropical highlands.

This result from a shortage of grazing lands and the reduction of fallows periods in farming systems.

To solve this, the most profitable farming system is a feeding system with fodder grown on soil conservation contours.

3.- Wood depletion that is more acute in subtropical than in tropical highlands.

AGRICULTURAL GROWTH AND SUSTAINABILITY: POTENCIAL CONFLICTS:

AGRICULTURAL GROWTH in the East African highlands can come only:

- Through increased yields ( intensification in tropical highlands)

- Through expansion of cropped area at the expense of forest and

grazing lands ( in subtropical highlands ).

RECOMMENDATIONS:

The subtropical highlands move their land use system to farm forestry and agroforestry for increasing and sustaining yields.

MEASURES that promote agricultural growth:

- Soil Conservation Measures

- Organic matter accumulation through application of compost

- Reduce fallow

- Integration of trees and animals into cropping systems

- Use chemical fertilizers

- Increased crop diversity and intercropping

- Improved markets and marketing

- Use of iirigation when available

RECOMMENDATIONS:

Increase number of rural people THREAT OF FOOD INSECURITY

Poverty alleviation programs may be needed before rural people can

be expected to reduce their mining of the resources base.

Poor people are part of poor environment, and both breed disaster over

time