Fantaw Yimer - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Fantaw Yimer

Agronomy for Sustainable Development

Sustainability

The tef-Acacia decurrens-charcoal production agroforestry system (TACPA system) is a conventional... more The tef-Acacia decurrens-charcoal production agroforestry system (TACPA system) is a conventionally and uniquely adopted indigenous potential climate-smart agricultural technology (CSAT) in northwest Ethiopia. This study investigates factors determining farmers’ adoption and intensity of use of the TACPA system using a descriptive statistic and a double-hurdle model. A total of 326 farming household heads were selected using multistage random sampling from two purposively chosen provinces. The descriptive statistics showed that 64.42% of the local farmers adopted the TACPA system, and the area covered by the adopter was 0.38 ha. Empirical estimates of the first hurdle revealed that credit, plot ownership, association, primary road distance, asset, farming experience, labor, family size, livestock, tenure, and marginal land influenced the adoption of the TACPA system. On the other hand, estimates of the second hurdle showed that the intensity of use of the TACPA system was determined...

Sustainability, 2022

Composting organic waste and human excreta could significantly reduce the amount of waste dumped ... more Composting organic waste and human excreta could significantly reduce the amount of waste dumped and increase soil fertility and agricultural yields. However, studies focusing on the replacement of mineral fertilizer with compost from these resources are rare. The presented study quantifies the potential of human excreta and other organic waste for compost production. During wet and dry seasons, the generation and composition of household solid waste (HSW) was measured from three wealth categories: poor, medium, and rich, as well as the organic waste generated from 20 commercial facilities. Furthermore, the amount of human excreta, when converting unimproved into ecological sanitation facilities, was assessed. The HSW generation was significantly higher in the wet (0.77 ± 0.07 kg fresh weight (FW) cap−1 day−1) compared to the dry season (0.54 ± 0.04 kg FW cap−1 day−1). Organic waste was the main component of HSW in the dry and wet seasons, accounting for 84% and 76% of the total HSW...

Sustainability, 2022

Land-use changes under poor management practices are among the major causes of decline in soil fe... more Land-use changes under poor management practices are among the major causes of decline in soil fertility and agricultural productivity in south-central Ethiopia. Therefore, the study of soil properties variations across land-use types will have implications for planning proper soil management strategies. This study assessed the effects of land-use types on soil physicochemical properties in the Cheha district, south-central Ethiopia. Seven land-use types, eucalyptus plantation, cultivated, grazing, shrub, enset (Ensete ventricosum), khat (Chata edulis), and natural forest, were considered in describing soil fertility. A total of 21 soil samples (0–20 cm depth) were collected randomly from three representative soil sampling plots across each land-use type and examined for their analysis of soil physicochemical properties. Results showed that land-use changes induced significant (p < 0.05) differences in the soil OC, total N, CEC, pH, aluminum saturation, and Fe among land-use type...

Journal of Environmental Quality, 2021

Ecological sanitation via thermophilic composting could be a promising solution to the lack of sa... more Ecological sanitation via thermophilic composting could be a promising solution to the lack of sanitation and limited access to fertilizers, particularly in developing countries. Here, we conducted a 185-day thermophilic composting experiment with human excreta, and separately with cattle manure, mixed with kitchen scraps, teff straw, sawdust and biochar by using an appropriate-technology approach. We followed the dynamics of the most important macronutrients (N, P, K), temperature, moisture, pH, electrical conductivity, cation exchange capacity, as well as content of organic matter, organic C, Ca, Mg, and micronutrients throughout the process. Low N (<47%), P (<9%), K (<11%), Ca (<18%), and Mg (<21%) losses and the temperature profile indicated a well-functioning thermophilic composting process. Compost temperature reached values above 60°C for 7, 6, 5, and 8 consecutive days for treatments containing human excreta, human excreta amended with biochar, cattle manure, and cattle manure amended with biochar, respectively, suggesting a final compost product free of pathogens. The compost mixture with cattle manure and biochar reached a significantly higher temperature than the same variant without biochar, with a maximum value of 65.9°C on day 6. For all treatments, final germination index values >100% indicated compost maturity and absence of phytotoxic substances. Biochar addition reduced losses of organic matter (18-23%), C (33-42%), N (49-100%), and decreased the amount of extractable NO3 - (32-36%) in the final compost. The tested ecological sanitation concept via thermophilic composting is thus a promising strategy to improve access to cheap fertilizer by safe and sustainable sanitation and waste management. Thermophilic temperature during composting suggests a safe treatment of human excreta. Phosphorus and K were preserved during composting, while Ca and Mg losses were low (<18%). Biochar reduced losses of organic matter (18-23%), C (33-42%) and N (49-100%) during composting. Biochar amendment reduced extractable nitrate content of the mature compost by 32-36%. Recycling nutrients from human excreta by thermophilic composting can improve food security. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

This study addressed the effects of landscape positions on morphological, physicochemical propert... more This study addressed the effects of landscape positions on morphological, physicochemical properties of soils in the Main Rift Valley of Ethiopia. Three landscape positions: upper, middle and lower; and three profile horizons: A, B and buried Ab were considered along a transect line. Nine soil profiles; three in each landscape position, were opened, described and samples collected from each of the observed diagnostic horizon and analyzed. The average thickness of the Ahorizon was 34 cm in the upper, 10 cm in the middle and 50 cm in the lower landscape positions. Gravels and high sand fractions (average, 41.4%) dominated the B-horizons, indicating the low rate of weathering. The clay fractions and soil bulk density (p<0.001), available water capacity (AWC) (p=0.050), soil organic carbon (SOC) and total N (p= 0.004 and 0.025, respectively), Available P (p=0.004), Exchangeable Ca2+ (p=0.019) and CEC (p=0.010) varied significantly with horizons. Landscape positions also influenced th...

Journal of Degraded and Mining Lands Management, 2020

This study was conducted to investigate the effect of level soil bund stabilized with Vetiver gra... more This study was conducted to investigate the effect of level soil bund stabilized with Vetiver grass and soil bund age on selected soil physicochemical properties on Somodo watershed, Jimma Zone, South-western, Ethiopia. A reconnaissance survey was conducted to identify a representative sampling site. From the selected sampling site croplands with level soil bund aged three years, six years and adjacent untreated cropland were identified. A total of 108 composite soil samples (3 treatments * 6 replications * 2 depths * 3 zones) were collected. Soil samples were analyzed following standard laboratory analysis. Ages of level soil bund (LSB) significantly affected SMC (soil moisture content) (p<0.01), BD (bulk density) (p<0.01), and SOC (soil organic carbon) (p<0.01). Zones showed significant difference in sand content (p<0.05), SMC (p<0.01), BD (p<0.05) and SOC (p<0.01). Moreover, the soil depths also significantly influenced silt content (p<.05), SMC (p<.01)...

Level soil bunds (LSB) and stone bunds (SB) have been widely implemented in Bokole watershed with... more Level soil bunds (LSB) and stone bunds (SB) have been widely implemented in Bokole watershed with World Food Programme (WFP) support since 2000-2001. However, the performance of structures against the target has not been studied. This study assessed farmers’ opinion on the effect of soil and water conservation (SWC) structures, particularly level soil bunds and stone bunds, in improving agricultural crop production. A household survey was carried out by stratified random sampling. Twenty-seven percent of the farmers who adopted SWC structure (29 households from the upper watershed and 62 households from the lower watershed) were randomly selected and interviewed. Three group discussions were also conducted. Based on their own indicators, a high proportion of those interviewed (79.3% in the upper and 87.1% in the lower watershed) had a positive opinion about LSB and SB on their cropland, in relation to its role in improving soil fertility and crop production. Ninety-three percent of ...

Conservation tillage is an important strategy for the adoption of soil and water conservation and... more Conservation tillage is an important strategy for the adoption of soil and water conservation and to reduce runoff and soil loss by water erosion. This study was undertaken to validate USLE/MUSLE as affected by integration of conservation tillage with ‘fanya juus’ at Enerata kebele, East Gojjam of Amhara Region. Runoff and soil loss were collected from 38 storm events through isolated trenches for calibration and validation of the models. Input variables required by USLE and MUSLE models mainly rainfall erosivity, soil erodibility, topography of the land, land use and crop management factors were obtained from field measurements. The results showed that both models underestimated soil loss. On average, the efficiency of MUSLE model was 71.5% while that of USLE was 53.5%. This was due to the runoff which was considered as an input for MUSLE model. Runoff was found to be a better indicator than rainfall for soil loss prediction. Overall, the MUSLE model was good to estimate soil loss ...

Background: Climate change and variability has been significantly affecting the Ethiopian agricul... more Background: Climate change and variability has been significantly affecting the Ethiopian agricultural production and thereby smallholder farmers livelihoods. The level of vulnerability varied across agro-ecological zones (AEZs). Identification of difference in the level of vulnerability of a system is important in selecting appropriate and effective adaption options to climate change. Therefore, the aim of this study was to analyze the level of vulnerability of agricultural communities to climate change and variability at micro-scale level in five agro-ecological zones (AEZs) of south Wollo, north east highlands of Ethiopia. Data was collected from a representative of 502 sample households from five AEZs through multi stage random sampling methods. Focus group discussion and key informant interviews were also carried out to supplement and substantiate the quantitative data. The indicator based approach was used to empirically calculate vulnerability. Principal Component Analysis (P...

Eucalyptus saligna is one of the exotic tree species in Ethiopia. Small scale farmers in Ethiopia... more Eucalyptus saligna is one of the exotic tree species in Ethiopia. Small scale farmers in Ethiopia plants Eucalyptus saligna widely compared to other tree species. The major objective of the study was to assess the reasons for the expansion of on-farm plantation of Eucalyptus saligna and its associated nutrient export in Gambo watershed, Arsi Zone Oromia region, Ethiopia. Three Kebeles (Ashoka, Gambiltu and Lepis) were selected purposively from the Gambo watershed. Formal survey was carried out on a total of 117 HHs selected by random sampling procedure. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected through key informant interview, focus group discussion, and household survey, respectively. For nutrient analysis, representative samples from each tree segment (leaf, branch and stem) of different age categories were taken, and diameter at breast height and height were collected from the nine 10*10 m 2 sample plots for aboveground biomass. The results revealed that the main reas...

Global Ecology and Conservation, 2019

International Journal of Hydrology, 2019

Journal of Agricultural Science and Food Research, 2019

Journal of Ecology and Environment, 2018

Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, 2017

International Journal of Climate Change Strategies and Management, 2017

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the patterns and trends of drought incidence ... more Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the patterns and trends of drought incidence in north east highlands of Ethiopia using monthly rainfall record for the period 1984-2014. Design/methodology/approach Standard precipitation index and Mann – Kendal test were used to analyze drought incident and trends of drought occurrences, respectively. The spatial extent of droughts in the study area has been interpolated by inverse distance weighted method using the spatial analyst tool of ArcGIS. Findings Most of the studied stations experienced drought episodes in 1984, 1987/1988, 1992/1993, 1999, 2003/2004 and 2007/2008 which were among the worst drought years in the history of Ethiopia. The year 1984 was the most drastic and distinct-wide extreme drought episode in all studied stations. The Mann–Kendal test shows an increasing tendencies of drought at three-month (spring) timescale at all stations though significant (p < 0.05) only at Mekaneselam and decreasing tendencies a...

African Journal of Environmental Science and Technology, Nov 30, 2013

Journal of Soil Science and Environmental Management, 2015

Agronomy for Sustainable Development

Sustainability

The tef-Acacia decurrens-charcoal production agroforestry system (TACPA system) is a conventional... more The tef-Acacia decurrens-charcoal production agroforestry system (TACPA system) is a conventionally and uniquely adopted indigenous potential climate-smart agricultural technology (CSAT) in northwest Ethiopia. This study investigates factors determining farmers’ adoption and intensity of use of the TACPA system using a descriptive statistic and a double-hurdle model. A total of 326 farming household heads were selected using multistage random sampling from two purposively chosen provinces. The descriptive statistics showed that 64.42% of the local farmers adopted the TACPA system, and the area covered by the adopter was 0.38 ha. Empirical estimates of the first hurdle revealed that credit, plot ownership, association, primary road distance, asset, farming experience, labor, family size, livestock, tenure, and marginal land influenced the adoption of the TACPA system. On the other hand, estimates of the second hurdle showed that the intensity of use of the TACPA system was determined...

Sustainability, 2022

Composting organic waste and human excreta could significantly reduce the amount of waste dumped ... more Composting organic waste and human excreta could significantly reduce the amount of waste dumped and increase soil fertility and agricultural yields. However, studies focusing on the replacement of mineral fertilizer with compost from these resources are rare. The presented study quantifies the potential of human excreta and other organic waste for compost production. During wet and dry seasons, the generation and composition of household solid waste (HSW) was measured from three wealth categories: poor, medium, and rich, as well as the organic waste generated from 20 commercial facilities. Furthermore, the amount of human excreta, when converting unimproved into ecological sanitation facilities, was assessed. The HSW generation was significantly higher in the wet (0.77 ± 0.07 kg fresh weight (FW) cap−1 day−1) compared to the dry season (0.54 ± 0.04 kg FW cap−1 day−1). Organic waste was the main component of HSW in the dry and wet seasons, accounting for 84% and 76% of the total HSW...

Sustainability, 2022

Land-use changes under poor management practices are among the major causes of decline in soil fe... more Land-use changes under poor management practices are among the major causes of decline in soil fertility and agricultural productivity in south-central Ethiopia. Therefore, the study of soil properties variations across land-use types will have implications for planning proper soil management strategies. This study assessed the effects of land-use types on soil physicochemical properties in the Cheha district, south-central Ethiopia. Seven land-use types, eucalyptus plantation, cultivated, grazing, shrub, enset (Ensete ventricosum), khat (Chata edulis), and natural forest, were considered in describing soil fertility. A total of 21 soil samples (0–20 cm depth) were collected randomly from three representative soil sampling plots across each land-use type and examined for their analysis of soil physicochemical properties. Results showed that land-use changes induced significant (p < 0.05) differences in the soil OC, total N, CEC, pH, aluminum saturation, and Fe among land-use type...

Journal of Environmental Quality, 2021

Ecological sanitation via thermophilic composting could be a promising solution to the lack of sa... more Ecological sanitation via thermophilic composting could be a promising solution to the lack of sanitation and limited access to fertilizers, particularly in developing countries. Here, we conducted a 185-day thermophilic composting experiment with human excreta, and separately with cattle manure, mixed with kitchen scraps, teff straw, sawdust and biochar by using an appropriate-technology approach. We followed the dynamics of the most important macronutrients (N, P, K), temperature, moisture, pH, electrical conductivity, cation exchange capacity, as well as content of organic matter, organic C, Ca, Mg, and micronutrients throughout the process. Low N (<47%), P (<9%), K (<11%), Ca (<18%), and Mg (<21%) losses and the temperature profile indicated a well-functioning thermophilic composting process. Compost temperature reached values above 60°C for 7, 6, 5, and 8 consecutive days for treatments containing human excreta, human excreta amended with biochar, cattle manure, and cattle manure amended with biochar, respectively, suggesting a final compost product free of pathogens. The compost mixture with cattle manure and biochar reached a significantly higher temperature than the same variant without biochar, with a maximum value of 65.9°C on day 6. For all treatments, final germination index values >100% indicated compost maturity and absence of phytotoxic substances. Biochar addition reduced losses of organic matter (18-23%), C (33-42%), N (49-100%), and decreased the amount of extractable NO3 - (32-36%) in the final compost. The tested ecological sanitation concept via thermophilic composting is thus a promising strategy to improve access to cheap fertilizer by safe and sustainable sanitation and waste management. Thermophilic temperature during composting suggests a safe treatment of human excreta. Phosphorus and K were preserved during composting, while Ca and Mg losses were low (<18%). Biochar reduced losses of organic matter (18-23%), C (33-42%) and N (49-100%) during composting. Biochar amendment reduced extractable nitrate content of the mature compost by 32-36%. Recycling nutrients from human excreta by thermophilic composting can improve food security. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

This study addressed the effects of landscape positions on morphological, physicochemical propert... more This study addressed the effects of landscape positions on morphological, physicochemical properties of soils in the Main Rift Valley of Ethiopia. Three landscape positions: upper, middle and lower; and three profile horizons: A, B and buried Ab were considered along a transect line. Nine soil profiles; three in each landscape position, were opened, described and samples collected from each of the observed diagnostic horizon and analyzed. The average thickness of the Ahorizon was 34 cm in the upper, 10 cm in the middle and 50 cm in the lower landscape positions. Gravels and high sand fractions (average, 41.4%) dominated the B-horizons, indicating the low rate of weathering. The clay fractions and soil bulk density (p<0.001), available water capacity (AWC) (p=0.050), soil organic carbon (SOC) and total N (p= 0.004 and 0.025, respectively), Available P (p=0.004), Exchangeable Ca2+ (p=0.019) and CEC (p=0.010) varied significantly with horizons. Landscape positions also influenced th...

Journal of Degraded and Mining Lands Management, 2020

This study was conducted to investigate the effect of level soil bund stabilized with Vetiver gra... more This study was conducted to investigate the effect of level soil bund stabilized with Vetiver grass and soil bund age on selected soil physicochemical properties on Somodo watershed, Jimma Zone, South-western, Ethiopia. A reconnaissance survey was conducted to identify a representative sampling site. From the selected sampling site croplands with level soil bund aged three years, six years and adjacent untreated cropland were identified. A total of 108 composite soil samples (3 treatments * 6 replications * 2 depths * 3 zones) were collected. Soil samples were analyzed following standard laboratory analysis. Ages of level soil bund (LSB) significantly affected SMC (soil moisture content) (p<0.01), BD (bulk density) (p<0.01), and SOC (soil organic carbon) (p<0.01). Zones showed significant difference in sand content (p<0.05), SMC (p<0.01), BD (p<0.05) and SOC (p<0.01). Moreover, the soil depths also significantly influenced silt content (p<.05), SMC (p<.01)...

Level soil bunds (LSB) and stone bunds (SB) have been widely implemented in Bokole watershed with... more Level soil bunds (LSB) and stone bunds (SB) have been widely implemented in Bokole watershed with World Food Programme (WFP) support since 2000-2001. However, the performance of structures against the target has not been studied. This study assessed farmers’ opinion on the effect of soil and water conservation (SWC) structures, particularly level soil bunds and stone bunds, in improving agricultural crop production. A household survey was carried out by stratified random sampling. Twenty-seven percent of the farmers who adopted SWC structure (29 households from the upper watershed and 62 households from the lower watershed) were randomly selected and interviewed. Three group discussions were also conducted. Based on their own indicators, a high proportion of those interviewed (79.3% in the upper and 87.1% in the lower watershed) had a positive opinion about LSB and SB on their cropland, in relation to its role in improving soil fertility and crop production. Ninety-three percent of ...

Conservation tillage is an important strategy for the adoption of soil and water conservation and... more Conservation tillage is an important strategy for the adoption of soil and water conservation and to reduce runoff and soil loss by water erosion. This study was undertaken to validate USLE/MUSLE as affected by integration of conservation tillage with ‘fanya juus’ at Enerata kebele, East Gojjam of Amhara Region. Runoff and soil loss were collected from 38 storm events through isolated trenches for calibration and validation of the models. Input variables required by USLE and MUSLE models mainly rainfall erosivity, soil erodibility, topography of the land, land use and crop management factors were obtained from field measurements. The results showed that both models underestimated soil loss. On average, the efficiency of MUSLE model was 71.5% while that of USLE was 53.5%. This was due to the runoff which was considered as an input for MUSLE model. Runoff was found to be a better indicator than rainfall for soil loss prediction. Overall, the MUSLE model was good to estimate soil loss ...

Background: Climate change and variability has been significantly affecting the Ethiopian agricul... more Background: Climate change and variability has been significantly affecting the Ethiopian agricultural production and thereby smallholder farmers livelihoods. The level of vulnerability varied across agro-ecological zones (AEZs). Identification of difference in the level of vulnerability of a system is important in selecting appropriate and effective adaption options to climate change. Therefore, the aim of this study was to analyze the level of vulnerability of agricultural communities to climate change and variability at micro-scale level in five agro-ecological zones (AEZs) of south Wollo, north east highlands of Ethiopia. Data was collected from a representative of 502 sample households from five AEZs through multi stage random sampling methods. Focus group discussion and key informant interviews were also carried out to supplement and substantiate the quantitative data. The indicator based approach was used to empirically calculate vulnerability. Principal Component Analysis (P...

Eucalyptus saligna is one of the exotic tree species in Ethiopia. Small scale farmers in Ethiopia... more Eucalyptus saligna is one of the exotic tree species in Ethiopia. Small scale farmers in Ethiopia plants Eucalyptus saligna widely compared to other tree species. The major objective of the study was to assess the reasons for the expansion of on-farm plantation of Eucalyptus saligna and its associated nutrient export in Gambo watershed, Arsi Zone Oromia region, Ethiopia. Three Kebeles (Ashoka, Gambiltu and Lepis) were selected purposively from the Gambo watershed. Formal survey was carried out on a total of 117 HHs selected by random sampling procedure. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected through key informant interview, focus group discussion, and household survey, respectively. For nutrient analysis, representative samples from each tree segment (leaf, branch and stem) of different age categories were taken, and diameter at breast height and height were collected from the nine 10*10 m 2 sample plots for aboveground biomass. The results revealed that the main reas...

Global Ecology and Conservation, 2019

International Journal of Hydrology, 2019

Journal of Agricultural Science and Food Research, 2019

Journal of Ecology and Environment, 2018

Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, 2017

International Journal of Climate Change Strategies and Management, 2017

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the patterns and trends of drought incidence ... more Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the patterns and trends of drought incidence in north east highlands of Ethiopia using monthly rainfall record for the period 1984-2014. Design/methodology/approach Standard precipitation index and Mann – Kendal test were used to analyze drought incident and trends of drought occurrences, respectively. The spatial extent of droughts in the study area has been interpolated by inverse distance weighted method using the spatial analyst tool of ArcGIS. Findings Most of the studied stations experienced drought episodes in 1984, 1987/1988, 1992/1993, 1999, 2003/2004 and 2007/2008 which were among the worst drought years in the history of Ethiopia. The year 1984 was the most drastic and distinct-wide extreme drought episode in all studied stations. The Mann–Kendal test shows an increasing tendencies of drought at three-month (spring) timescale at all stations though significant (p < 0.05) only at Mekaneselam and decreasing tendencies a...

African Journal of Environmental Science and Technology, Nov 30, 2013

Journal of Soil Science and Environmental Management, 2015