Bikila WarkinehUrgaa Geda2025-08-172025-08-172024-08https://etd.aau.edu.et/handle/123456789/6950The fast-growing Eucalyptus tree is widely practiced and has become part of the farming system, particularly in the central highlands of Ethiopia. This study was designed to investigate the impacts of eucalyptus expansion on food security and crop production, the extent to which Eucalyptus plantation expansion on crop production and to examine farmers’ (respondents') perception fears resulting from Eucalyptus expansion on Farmland and Food Security in the future in Meta Welkite District of the West Shewa Zone. For the study, samples from four Kebeles located within the Woreda were collected due to their large coverage of the dramatic expansion of Eucalyptus farming and hereby high Eucalyptus pole production, incidences of serious competition of eucalyptus with other uses, and the presences of road accessibility for data collection. The sample size was determined by Cluster random sampling and Stratified random sampling technique. Then the sample size was calculated using 10% for each four kebeles and half of the result is sample size was used. The data was gathered by mainly questionnaires, field observation, and interviews and analyzed by different statistical techniques (including frequencies, percentages, ranks and SPSS program). The study through questionnaire, interview, and field observation proved that the farmers in the study area, preferred Eucalyptus plantation expansion on their fertile crop land than cultivating crops at a very fast rate because of the ability to grow in the diversified ecological zone, multi-purpose use, rapid growth and higher biomass production of the tree in a short period for the requirement of fire wood, construction materials and for its highest income generation than crop yields. These benefits which are obtained from the Eucalyptus plantation forced the farmers to expand the plant on their crop lands. Crop fields are decreasing from year to year which is resulting in the reduction of food crops in the locality. The Eucalyptus' expansion effects are Competition effects (rooting and shading impact on crops for nutrients, water, air, sunlight), allelochemicals effects (chemicals that influence the germination, growth, survival, and reproduction of other plants through interfering in cell division, energy metabolism, and nutrient uptake) and long rotation period to generate economic income resulted in decreased crop productivity and occurrence of food security then famine. If the plantation expansion continues in the present rate, the remaining could be covered in a short period. The future food security of the community as well as the next generation of the area would be under question.So all the concerned bodies in the area should take part in stopping of the expansion of Eucalyptus on fertile crop land.en-USEucalyptusExpansionFood Security Impacts and Land Use ChangeThesis