Browsing by Author "Bekele, Firew"

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    Effects of Grazing Exclusion on Field Layer Species Composition, Biomass and Selected Soil Properties in Gibe Valley National Park, South-Western Ethiopia
    (Addis Ababa University, 2017-06-05) Bekele, Firew; Nemomissa, Sileshi (Professor); Johansson, Maria (PhD); Bekele, Tamrat (PhD)
    Effects of Grazing Exclusion on Field Layer Species Composition, Biomass and Selected Properties in Gibe Valley National Park, South-western Ethiopia Firew Bekele Abebe, MSc Thesis Addis Ababa University, 2017 Grazing of domestic livestock is one of the most common land-uses in Sub-Saharan Africa. In this study, the effects of grazing exclusion on field layer biomass, litter moisture content, field layer species composition, soil bulk density and soil volumetric water content, soil organic matter and soil pH were investigated using six permanent grazing exclosures situated along an altitudinal gradient in Gibe river gorge, South-western Ethiopia. Species composition was tested by Adonis test and an indicator species analysis was done. Nested anovas were used to examine the effect of grazing on all other parameters. The results showed that after 1.5 years of livestock exclusion, there was a difference in field layer species composition (p=0.022). The significant indicator species for grazed plots was the common grazing weed Leucas deflexa, whilst the most valuable pasture grass Bothriochloa insculpta was the significant indicator species for plots inside exclosures. Field layer cover, grass cover, number of grass species, field layer maximum and average heights were significantly higher inside exclosures than in grazed plots (p=0.020, p=0.004, p=0.008, p<0.001and p<0.001 respectively). Area cover of bare soil was significantly higher in grazed plots (p<0.001). Exclosures had significantly higher grass biomass and soil volumetric water content (p=0.025 and p=0.017 respectively) than grazed plots. These large differences between exclosures and grazed plots showed the large effect of grazing exclosures in changing the vegetation, in an area with relatively high grazing pressure. Excluding an area here from grazing for 1.5 years did not significantly change the number of species, leaf and wood litter biomass, moisture content of four fine fuel biomass fractions, soil bulk density, organic matter content and pH of both 0-5 and 5-10 cm soil layers. However, results indicate a slightly higher soil organic matter and pH, and slightly lower soil bulk density in exclosure plots compared to grazed plots. This finding indicates that these are variables which could become significantly altered by the fences if the livestock exclusion was run over a longer time period.
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    The Impact of Horizontal Urban Expansion on Sub- Urban Agricultural Community Livelihood: The Case of Tabor Sub-City, Hawassa city, SNNPRS, Ethiopia
    (Addis Ababa University, 2010-06) Bekele, Firew; Abdissa, Melese (PhD)
    Throughout the world, we find human being residing either in urban or rural or in betweenperi- urban or peri-rural. Both urbanization and ruralism are counter competing areas whereas the area between is the field of contest. Globally, urbanization has as equal age as the ancient civilization of Babylonians. As it is concomitant with socio-economic development, urbanization has a higher level of development in developed nations than under developed ones.In Ethiopia, although its level is the lowest even among other under developed nations, its rate, however, is the highest and made a country one of twenty-three countries experiencing fast urbanization in the World. As a matter of this fact, Hawassa city is among the Ethiopian urban settings experiencing unprecedented rate of urbanization through expansion. Hence, the objective of this study was to assess the impacts of horizontal urban expansion on peri-urban agricultural community's livelihood in Ethiopia by taking the Tabor sub-city as a case in Hawassa city, SNNPRS. Based on the descriptive research design, the study had applied the mix methods of both Qualitative and Quantitative approaches. A household survey was conducted on 156 households sampled through systematic sampling and non-random sampling techniques. Primary data had been collected through semi-structured questionnaire, semi-closed interview, participant observation and focus group discussion while the secondary one was from different written and documented sources. Having analyzing the collected data through the SSPS software as a model, the researcher had arrived at the conclusion that horizontal urban expansion has adverse impact on the livelihood of peri-urban agricultural community in Ethiopia, as theHawassa city case had shown us. Hence, the livelihood of such community has been at the verge of risk. This negative externality was attributed mainly to lack of urban good governance & lack of effective rules and regulations on land expropriation from and compensation to farmers while the difference in wealth, power, educational background, family size burdens, livelihood strategies and diversity before and after expropriation were determining factors. Thus, it is therecommendation of this study that there is a need to prevail urban good governance to curtail the problem, especially, following participatory approach on stakeholders, particularly, farmers, in to urban development plans and projects, there should exist effective rules and regulations which guide expropriation from and compensation to farmers when their land is expropriated for public interest, there should, also, be consideration of the recipients' interests on kind and quantity of compensation and if money is only possible resolutions on a kind of compensation to farmers', then, pre-trainings and post coaching need to be carried out to enable such community sustain and secure their livelihood in such changed and continuously rechanging urban terrains