The Effect of Climate-Smart Agriculture on Soil Fertility, Crop Yield, and Soil Carbon in Southern Ethiopia

Meron Tadesse, Belay Simane, Wuletawu Abera, Lulseged Tamene, Gebermedihin Ambaw, John W. Recha, Kindu Mekonnen, Getamesay Demeke, Abebe Nigussie and Dawit Solomon
Additional contact information
Meron Tadesse: CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture, and Food Security (CCAFS), East Africa. International Livestock Research Institute, Addis Ababa P.O. Box 5689, Ethiopia
Belay Simane: Center for Environment and Development, College of Development Studies, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa P.O. Box 1176, Ethiopia
Wuletawu Abera: International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), Addis Ababa P.O. Box 5689, Ethiopia
Lulseged Tamene: International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), Addis Ababa P.O. Box 5689, Ethiopia
Gebermedihin Ambaw: CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture, and Food Security (CCAFS), East Africa. International Livestock Research Institute, Addis Ababa P.O. Box 5689, Ethiopia
John W. Recha: CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture, and Food Security (CCAFS), East Africa. International Livestock Research Institute, Addis Ababa P.O. Box 5689, Ethiopia
Kindu Mekonnen: International Livestock Research Institute, Addis Ababa P.O. Box 5689, Ethiopia
Getamesay Demeke: Inter Aide Ethiopia, Addis Ababa P.O. Box 100.231, Ethiopia
Abebe Nigussie: Department of Natural Resource Management, Jimma University, Jimma P.O. Box 307, Ethiopia
Dawit Solomon: CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture, and Food Security (CCAFS), East Africa. International Livestock Research Institute, Addis Ababa P.O. Box 5689, Ethiopia

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 8, 1-11

Abstract: It is critical to develop technologies that simultaneously improve agricultural production, offset impacts of climate change, and ensure food security in a changing climate. Within this context, considerable attention has been given to climate-smart agricultural practices (CSA). This study was conducted to investigate the effects of integrating different CSA practices on crop production, soil fertility, and carbon sequestration after being practiced continuously for up to 10 years. The CSA practices include use of soil and water conservation (SWC) structures combined with biological measures, hedgerow planting, crop residue management, grazing management, crop rotation, and perennial crop-based agroforestry systems. The landscapes with CSA interventions were compared to farmers’ business-as-usual practices (i.e., control). Wheat ( Triticum sp.) yield was quantified from 245 households. The results demonstrated that yield was 30–45% higher under CSA practices than the control ( p < 0.05). The total carbon stored at a soil depth of 1 m was three- to seven-fold higher under CSA landscapes than the control. CSA interventions slightly increased the soil pH and exhibited 2.2–2.6 and 1.7–2.7 times more total nitrogen and plant-available phosphorus content, respectively, than the control. The time series Normalized Difference Water Index (NDWI) revealed higher soil moisture content under CSA. The findings illustrated the substantial opportunity of integrating CSA practices to build climate change resilience of resource-poor farmers through improving crop yield, reducing nutrient depletion, and mitigating GHG emissions through soil carbon sequestration.

Keywords: climate change; climate-smart agriculture; soil fertility; crop yield; soil carbon; soil moisture content (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (8)

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