Selamyihun Kidanu : Using Eucalyptus for Soil & Water Conservation

Resource degradation is a critical problem in the highlands of Ethiopia. With agricultural productivity lingering behind population growth the gap between the availability and the demand for agricultural land continues to grow. This results in severe land-use conflicts. This thesis discusses the opportunities of a short rotation eucalyptus based agroforestry system to intensify annual sole cropping on the highland Vertisols. A typical Vertisols-Nitosols toposequence in the central highlands of Ethiopia was selected. The productive and protective functions, alternative resource utilization, the farm economics and the allelopathic potential of an Eucalyptus globulus based agroforestry system were investigated. The proposed agroforestry system increases land productivity and the proportion of available water for biomass production without inducing significant nutrient depletion. It is unthinkable to get other species, that can substitute Eucalyptus in a full range of benefits. Eucalypt boundary plantings are also economically viable and wood and wood products from eucalypt boundaries help to reduce pressure on endogenous forests and biodiversity, which has global environmental implications.