Useful trees and shrubs for Ethiopia: identification, propagation and management for 17 agroclimatic zones

The tree cover in Ethiopia continues to dwindle every year. The major reason for this resource shrinkage is the increasingly intensive use of land for crop and livestock production. Cutting down trees for fuelwood and construction materials also plays a role. About 92% of the nation’s total energy comes from biomass sources, with wood and tree residues accounting for 77%. Currently, fuelwood is scarce in 75 % of the country. Another factor affecting deforestation is failure by farmers to widely use biological measures, including planting shrubs and trees, to control soil erosion and mitigate land degradation. There are many reasons why farmers have not adopted effective soil conservation over the years. Some of the reasons are of a political nature, such as lack of land and tree tenure. Others relate to lack of information — often farmers do not farmers do not know the species best suited to their areas. Weak extension services have also contributed. Many of the approaches and technical solutions promoted by the extension workers have not attracted farmers’ interest. Regrettably, forestry is not considered as a means by which Ethiopians can fight food insecurity. Yet forestry is the source of diversified high-value industrial commodities that can guarantee economic access to food and improve people’s lives

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