Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
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La nd Ownership
Another important factor contributing to drought recurrence is the prob-
lem of land ownership. Investment decisions about land are affected by
tenure security (Place and Hazell, 1993; Gavain and Fafchamps, 1996).
Communal ownership is believed to lead to mismanagement, particularly,
overgrazing and inefficient removal of wood for fuel (Hudson, 1981). The
ability to transfer land sales and leasing also allows lands to be used by
farmers who earn the highest return from it through mobility of draft
animals, farm implements, and labor (Pender, 1998). The system of land
tenure in Ethiopia has had varying and significant impacts on land man-
agement. From a historical perspective, it is believed that Ethiopia's small
holders are uncertain about the security of rights to the land. This has led to
cultivation for short-term needs rather than long-term yield. Accordingly,
no long-term investments (e.g., soil and water conservation measures) are
made that would maintain or boost yields, and this has resulted in ecolog-
ical damage, which has become almost impossible to reverse (Lakew et al.,
2000).
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Long
PgEn
Drought Monitoring Systems
R ainfall Analysis
The NMSA of Ethiopia regularly produces a 10-day bulletin that gives
analysis of rainfall based on the long-term average or normal. This bul-
letin is circulated to a wide range of users, ranging from local development
agents to the decision-makers at national level. The rainfall analysis in-
cludes both qualitative and quantitative evaluations. The onset of a rainy
season is reported as early, normal, or late onset. The rainfall distribution
is expressed as whether it is deficient or excess, erratic or even. The rainfall
is compared with the normal by computing the percentage deviation ( D ).
Depending on the range of D , the area is considered to have more ( D >
125), the same (75 < D < 125), insufficient (50 < D < 75), or below average
( D < 50%) rainfall. If drought continues for consecutive season or years,
it signals an alarming situation.
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N ormalized Difference Vegetation Index
The normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) is a satellite data-based
index widely used to monitor vegetation and drought conditions. The de-
tailed description of NDVI is provided in chapters 5 and 6. There are few
organizations that provide the NDVI analysis. However, the NMSA pro-
duces a regular 10-day bulletin regarding NDVI variation that compares
the current vegetation condition with normal or last-year conditions. The
bulletin is distributed to higher officials and NGOs engaged in early warn-
ing activities.
 
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