blog




  • Essay / Land degradation in sub-Saharan Africa

    Land degradation in sub-Saharan Africa remains a significant problem by worsening poverty, reducing the availability of environmental goods and services for poor rural households and increasing the labor time required to search for such goods. In the same spirit, it was highlighted that forest degradation promotes rural poverty in sub-Saharan Africa. Rural households in developing countries rely heavily on environmental products such as firewood, fodder and water to meet their daily needs for water and animal feed. Due to the increasing scarcity of pasture, water for an animal can pose a significant burden for poor households, as pasture and water are a key factor in livestock production. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”? Get the original essayIn Ethiopia, the contribution of livestock accounts for 40%, excluding the values ​​of draft force, manure and transportation services. Ethiopia is home to 35 million TLUs, and on average, one TLU needs about 25 liters of water per day. Despite its large population, the contribution would deteriorate. Livestock production in the country depends on the amount of pasture and water. In many studies on Africa, most farmers ranked lack of food and lack of water as the main constraints related to livestock farming. A recent survey in rural areas of Ethiopia and South Africa found that food and water shortages, labor shortages and lack of capital were major constraints limiting production animal. The study found that lack of water and food is common during the dry season compared to the rainy season. The sector is a key player in increasing water consumption and depleting water resources. Humans and livestock suffer from lack of water. Most of the year, animals must travel long distances in search of water. A conclusion on this subject concluded that the most important problems in livestock production were lack of food (100%) and lack of water (27%) in Ethiopia, so livestock suffer from seasonal shortage pastures and water. The availability of crop residues and natural pastures is gradually decreasing due to crop expansion, colonization and land degradation. In the highlands, food and water deficits begin in December–January, when natural pastures are at their lowest and reserves of stored crop residues begin to decline. The report states that of the 16 million hectares of agricultural land, 75% is used for crops while pasture represents 9%. In the same vein, it has been revealed that natural grazing in Tigray is decreasing over time due to chronic degradation and decreasing size of pastures. On this basis, it is estimated that crop residues from cultivated lands contribute only about 45% of the animal feed demand in the region. It is stated that 73% of animal feed comes from natural pastures, 14% from crop residues and the remaining 13% from other food sources. Critical shortage of water and feed for an animal has negative implications on agricultural production. A possible consequence is the reallocation of working time from agricultural activities to the search and collection of these scarce resources. Thus, reductions in agricultural production resulting from a reduction in the labor force will most likely have a negative effect on welfare. Rarity.