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EXTENT AND CAUSES OF EUCALYPTUS TREE FARMING EXPANSION IN EZA WEREDA, ETHIOPIA

Belay Zerga

Department of Natural Resources Management , Wolkite University, Ethiopia.

Accepted 04 April,2016

Land use/land cover change is a common phenomenon in all parts of the globe although with varying magnitude. There are several possible causes for these changes, which may have economic, political or social reasons. Eucalyptus tree farming has become the dominant activities next to growing enset in the Gurage Zone in general and the study area, Eza wereda, in particular. The study assessed Extent and causes of Eeucalyptus farming expansion in three selected KPAs (Kebele Peasant Administrations) namely, Zigba Boto (kolla), Shebraden (woinadega) and Koter Gedra (dega). Here dega, woinadega, and kolla represent temperate, subtropical and tropical climatic divisions respectively. In this study both primary and secondary data were employed. Purposive systematic sampling procedure was used to select the three agro-ecological areas of the wereda. In each selected KPAs 180 households were selected. Thus, after selecting households with eucalyptus farms from the list of each KPA, every 5th households were interviewed. Direct observations, discussions with key informants and focus groups were undertaken by the researcher. The required data were also collected using schedule through structured open and close-ended questionnaires. Enset is a perennial herbaceous monocot and a staple food for more than 130,400 people in Eza wereda. These two dominant perennials grow together with other food crops such as cereals, pulses, vegetable, fruits, and chat. The amount of eucalyptus woodlot generally increases with farm size because farmers have better opportunities to grow more trees once they have satisfied their subsistence and cash crop needs. In the study area eucalyptus tree plantation is a well-known emergent and accelerating activity by small holder farmers. Eucalyptus is planted in the form of woodlots, farm boundary, roads sides and around homesteads as a first priority tree species in the three sample Kebele Peasant Administrations (KPAs). Eucalyptus trees are not found within croplands in these KPAs, which could be the result of the fear of competition with agricultural corps, however, they are competing side by side. Eucalyptus camaldulensis (red eucalyptus) grows in kolla and woina dega (but more in kolla zone), while eucalyptus globules (white eucalyptus) grows more favorably in the woinadega and dega zones.

Key Words: Extent of eucalyptus tree expansion, causes of eucalyptus tree expansion, Land use land /land cover change, Economic factors, Eza wereda
 

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April 2016 Vol. 3(2)

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Palgo Journal of Agriculture

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