By JoAnn Adkins
In drought-prone regions of Ethiopia, growing more food could start with something as simple as keeping more rainwater in the ground.
New research co-authored by FIU Earth and Environment professor Assefa Melesse found that changing how farmers plow and protect their fields can help prevent precious rainwater — and the fertile soil and nutrients it carries — from washing away. The result — healthier soil and, for the crop studied in this research, bigger wheat harvests.
Researchers spent three growing seasons in central Ethiopia testing several climate-smart farming practices, both individually and together. The most effective combination increased wheat yields by more than 27 percent while reducing soil loss by 76 percent.
The findings could be particularly important for small farming operations that depend heavily on rainfall. Long dry periods can devastate crops in the region, where researchers say as much as 50 percent to 70 percent of rainfall can be lost before reaching crop roots, taking valuable soil and nutrients with it.
The researchers tested several relatively simple ways to keep more water and soil on farmland. One involved building soil bunds — small earthen barriers across sloping fields that slow water as it flows downhill. Another left wheat residue on the ground to act much like mulch, protecting soil from intense sunlight and pounding rain.
Source : fiu.edu