April, 2014 Diga Integrated Termite Management in degraded crop land in Diga district, Ethiopia

Introduction In degraded areas in Ethiopia, termites pose a major threat to : Agricultural crops Forestry Seedlings, Rangelands Wooden structures

In Ethiopia, the problem is most severe in the western parts of the country. A number of factors were the major causes for termite problems in western Ethiopia. These include : Over grazing Deforestation Intensive cultivation Soil degradation

Several attempts were made to reduce damage caused by termites in the country  extensive termite mound poisoning campaigns –by MA,RRC and coffee and tea dev’t  Queen removal  Flooding  Smoking None of these cultural practices were effective.

There is a high demand to develop new management approaches for both termite control and soil fertility improvement. baseline study was conducted to understand the relation between the termite problem and land use. perceptions and knowledge of termites, the severity of the problem and control strategies. Participatory on farm trials were designed to test various options to minimize termite damage and improve soil fertility.

Objective The research consisted of two major objectives : o To explore and understand termite related knowledge, attitudes and practices of key actors in the action-research sites, and o To understand the degree to which termite damage is a constraint to farmland productivity and peoples’ livelihoods, and potential mechanisms to foster uptake of ITM. o To identify best-practices (soil fertility and cropping system combinations) to reduce termite infestation and improves soil fertility

Materials and Methods Study site Diga district (Lalisa Dimtu and Bikla) Lalisa Dimtu located in lower stream NBDC high degradation of crop lands inappropriate cropping system and high termite infestation - leads to low productivity for both crops and livestock Bikla Located in the upper stream of NBDC Degraded soil due to soil erosion, termite infestation High rate of deforestation

Diga District

Baseline study  both primary and secondary data were collected.  For the primary data, participatory, rapid, and mixed-method tools were employed to capture the data required.  Household Survey (HS),  Focus Group Discussions (FGDs), and  Key Informant Interviews (KII) were used at woreda and kebele level

On Farm trial  Maize (Oromiya (BH-543)  Common bean (Nasser)  Treatments and Experimental Design  six treatments  Control ©  Intercrop(IN)  Crop residue (CR)  Crop residue + intercrop( CR+ IN)  cattle manure (CM)  cattle manure + intercrop (CM +IN)

Farmers participation 1 st year 10 farmers 2 nd year 17 farmers

o Design- RCBD o Replication- 10 and 17 o common bean planted - 37 days after maize planting o Spacing o maize - 75 cm between rows and 25 cm between plants o haricot bean -25 cm between rows and 12.5 cm between plants. o net plot size was 5m X 6m (30 m 2 ) o Cattle manure and crop residue - rate of 2 t/ha (6 kg per plot) o DAP- 100 kg / ha( 0.3 kg/plot) and Urea 200 kg /ha(0.6 kg/plot).

Data collection Procedures o In the baseline study, both qualitative and quantitative data were collected. o Soil sampling and Analysis o Soil samples were collected before planting and after harvesting o Crop Data- o Termite data o socio-economic data

Data analysis The qualitative data were analyzed through categorization, summarization and interpretation in line with the research questions while the quantitative data was analyzed using SPSS. SAS version 9.01 (SAS, 2004), LSD was used for mean separation(5% probability level).

Results A. Baseline survey Relation between termites, land use, water and livelihoods Based on the baseline survey - termite is very serious problem for the last years. Severity increase every year

Reasons for termite increases Soil degradation(28%) Deforestation(24%) Over grazing(20%) Population pressure(12%) Drought(8 %) God(4 %) Excess rainfall(3%)

Reasons for facing food shortage in ranking order Poor soil fertility (22%) Termite damage (21%) Land shortage (12%) Oxen shortage (10%) Wild animal damage on crops (7%)

Farmers assessment on control mechanism tried by themselves (% age of farmers

On farm trial Physico-chemical properties of the soils Soils of the study area Acidic pH range ( medium) low to medium in K, Mg and Ca, and P content Low-high organic matter content

Organic matter content and % OM increase

Days to maturity as affected by treatments

Grain yield of Maize(2013)

Grain yield (t/ha)-2013/14

Biomass yield(2013/14 )

Number of termites in the soil after crop harvest

Number of termites observed on the maize plant at maturity

Number of plants damaged

Grain yield loss (%)

Conclusion Termites are major pest in the western part of the country. Farmers reported that corralling, compost, and manure were the most effective soil fertility management practices no control measures are there to reduce the yield caused by these pests in the country Application of cattle manure and crop residue improves soil fertility, grain yield and reduce termite damage.

Future Research outlook Termites are symptoms of land degradation and poor soil fertility. To address this, we need to address the underlying factors. An integrated approach is needed in the future to alleviate the problem of soil fertility and termite infestation. Rate, type and access of organic fertilizers should be studied in the area to improve the fertility of the soil. More detailed research should be conducted to reduce the problem of termites in different locations. Mechanisms should be designed in the future how to scle-out the result obtained.

Cost- benefit analysis should be done to know the profitability of applying organic fertilizers. Other mechanisms of reducing the problem of termites should be designed in the future, like appropriate planting date, agronomic practices. Natural enemies of termites should be identified and characterized in the area.

Thank U