Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
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C rop Monitoring
Crop performance during the growing season is monitored by the members
of the National Early Warning Committee (NEWC). Land preparation,
planting, and cropping pattern are monitored based on the area prepared
for cultivation as compared with the normal and last-year equivalents.
M oreover, area planted is compared with last year and normal year. Dates
of planting are compared with the seasonal crop calendar to identify any
de lay in planting. Crop conditions during specific phenological phases are
m onitored, and poor/very poor crop conditions are also identified. Based
on such monitoring, recommendations are made for alleviating any crop
da mage. The availability of inputs, such as fertilizers, pesticides, and im-
pr oved seeds and the financial ability of the farmer to use the inputs is
ex plained in the monitoring report. Finally, estimates on crop productions
ar e made and compared with the last year and also with a normal year.
[233
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PgEn
W ater Balance Method
A crop water balance method can also be used to monitor crop perfor-
mance and estimate its production. The full methodology and the table
used in the computation are explained by Frere and Popov (1979). The cri-
teria used to estimate the quality of production is presented in table 17.1.
The NMSA uses this procedure to analyze the current crop situation.
[233
D rought Early Warning System
Early warning systems are established at woreda (district), zonal (prov-
ince), regional, and central levels. The apex body of these systems is Na-
tional Committee for Early Warning that comprises representatives of
the following agencies: Disaster Prevention and Preparedness Commis-
sion (DPPC), nodal officers of Ministry of Agriculture (MoA), Ministry
of Health (MoH), Central Statistical Authority (CSA), Ethiopian Mapping
Authority (EMA), and NMSA. The head of the Early Warning Department
of DPPC serves as member/secretary. The responsibility of the committee is
to coordinate the collection of information and data pertaining to weather,
crops, food and nutrition status, market trends, livestock conditions, and
so on, and to provide periodic information about the occurrence of disas-
ter conditions, scale of their impact, and assessment of food availability in
di fferent parts of the country.
D rought Mitigation
Government responses to drought can be broadly classified into three types
(Parry and Carter, 1987): pre-impact programs, post-impact interventions,
and contingency arrangements or preparedness plans. To alleviate the root
causes of drought and famines that occurred during 1972-73, 1984-85,
and 1993-94 and reduce human suffering, the government of Ethiopia has
 
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