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In this paper we studied the occurrence of ionospheric irregularities over Ethiopia as the consequence of the intense geomagnetic storm of March 2015 and June 2015. Total Electron Content (TEC) data obtained from six Ethiopian GPS reciever stations and those data were used to derive the ionospheric irregularities proxy indices, e.g.,rate of change of TEC (ROT) and ROT index (ROTI). These indices were used to characterize the intensity of the fluctuation of total electron content. ROTI was used as a criterion of ionospheric irregularities that took place during the storm. These indices were characterized along side with the disturbance storm time (Dst),the Interplanetary Electric Field (IEFy) and the SYM-H index (high resolution version of Dst) from ground-based magnetometers to see the effect of geomagnetic storm on horizontal component of geomagnetic field. Irregularities manifested in the form of fluctuations in TEC. Prompt penetration of electric field (PPEF) modulated the behaviour of irregularities during the initial and recovery phases of the geomagnetic storms. As a result,it was observed that the irregularities in the ionosphere of Ethiopia was in the range from weak to moderate. These irregularities generally occurred during the initial and recovery phases of the storm at all selected stations. The effect of electric field is found to depend on the local time at which the IMF Bz turned into southward. Therefore,east - west fluctuating Ey in March storm main phase is associated with suppression of irregularities in all stations and eastward Ey in the main phase of June 2015 is associated with small scale irregularity formation. The generation (inhibition) of irregularities is related to the effect of eastward (westward) storm time electric field disturbance dynamo electric fields and prompt penetration electric fields that created favourable (unfavourable) conditions for the generation of irregularities by uplifting (lowering) the F region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate-induced migration is an increasingly pressing issue in many African regions, as rising temperatures and extreme weather events have caused the displacement of vulnerable populations. This is especially so in Eastern Africa and the Horn of Africa, particularly Kenya and Ethiopia, where extreme weather events have led to rangeland degradation, crop failures, water shortages, and food insecurity. Hence, there is a perceived need to understand these processes better. Against this background, this paper reports on a study investigating the processes associated with climate-induced migration in Kenya and Ethiopia. The research method used consisted of an expert-driven assessment approach, which assesses the causes of climate-induced migration in Kenya and Ethiopia and its human and social implications on local communities. Data were collected from 110 experts residing and working on climate and migration-related issues in Ethiopia and Kenya via e-mail, whose knowledge of the current situation has enabled the identification of some important trends. The results show that climate change is a primary trigger of migration both internally and externally. The high number of migrants, many of whom living within levels of poverty in their home areas is straining resources and services in the receiving regions. Their presence is also leading to increased competition for jobs and resources. Additionally, it has increased urban poverty, as many migrants have little access to living space and health care. This paper provides a welcome addition to the literature in that it lists the causes and implications of climate-induced migration and, by doing so, fosters a better understanding of the current crisis and its implications. The implications of this paper to the overall knowledge of climate change and migration are twofold. First, it highlights the need for governments, international organisations, and other stakeholders better to understand the complex linkages between climate change and migration. Secondly, it shows the usefulness of better recognising how climate change can drive migration and the other factors shaping the decision to migrate. The paper concludes by stating the urgent need for policies and programmes that support climate change-induced migrants. Also, it draws attention to the usefulness of promoting sustainable development in their origin countries and destinations, so that migration is not necessarily perceived as the only response to climate change. A further conclusion is that there is a perceived need for providing access to resources such as education, health care, and livelihood opportunities and establishing mechanisms to ensure a safe and dignified return for those who choose to do so. • Climate change is a significant driver for migration in Kenya and Ethiopia. • Droughts, conflicts, and crop failures are among the key drivers of migration. • Male migration is more prominent than a female one. • Limited access to productive resources leads to outmigration from rural areas. • Lockdowns associated with the COVID-19 pandemic did not cause any major migration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The newest infection is a novel coronavirus named COVID-19, that initially appeared in December 2019, in Wuhan, China, and is still challenging to control. The main focus of this paper is to investigate a novel fractional-order mathematical model that explains the behavior of COVID-19 in Ethiopia. Within the proposed model, the entire population is divided into nine groups, each with its own set of parameters and initial values. A nonlinear system of fractional differential equations for the model is represented using Caputo fractional derivative. Legendre spectral collocation method is used to convert this system into an algebraic system of equations. An inexact Newton iterative method is used to solve the model system. The effective reproduction number (R 0) is computed by the next-generation matrix approach. Positivity and boundedness, as well as the existence and uniqueness of solution, are all investigated. Both endemic and disease-free equilibrium points, as well as their stability, are carefully studied. We calculated the parameters and starting conditions (ICs) provided for our model using data from the Ethiopian Public Health Institute (EPHI) and the Ethiopian Ministry of Health from 22 June 2020 to 28 February 2021. The model parameters are determined using least squares curve fitting and MATLAB R2020a is used to run numerical results. The basic reproduction number is R 0 = 1.4575. For this value, disease free equilibrium point is asymptotically unstable and endemic equilibrium point is asymptotically stable, both locally and globally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Environmental problems and health risks stemming from the household use of traditional fuels remain a significant challenge for households living in poverty in developing countries. This paper applies a logit model to analyze the driving factors of a household's decision regarding the adoption of solar energy technology. To do this, the study uses cross-sectional data collected from two kebeles in the neighborhoods of Woliso, a town of Oromia regional state in central Ethiopia. The results reveal that a great number of factors were found to have positive effect on solar energy technology adoption. The findings of this paper establish that wealthy and more educated households are more likely to adopt solar energy technology compared to poorer ones. Male-headed households are less likely to adopt solar energy technology compared to female-headed counterparts. The main implication of this study is that there is a scope for poverty reduction policies and adult education that targets household heads and spouses to promote adoption of solar energy technology. Therefore, policymakers could target appropriate measures in order to improve household wealth, education, and awareness. In this way, there is a much higher chance for them to successfully promote solar energy use by rural households. Highlights • Econometric model used to analyze determinants of household solar PV technology adoption. • Increase in the household wealth found to increase the likelihood of solar PV adoption. • Higher level of education of head and spouse increased the odd of solar energy adoption positively. • Education and poverty reduction policies promote household uptake of solar energy technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Ethiopia's food system sustainability was estimated at 0.46 on a 0–1 scale in 2020. • Ethiopia's sustainability falls short of the 0.75 satisfactory benchmark. • Social and Environmental dimensions exceed a discrete sustainability level of 0.5. • Economic, and food and nutrition security dimensions receive low scores, below 0.5. In the face of continuous population growth, environmental degradation, climate extremes and enduring abject poverty, ensuring sustainability of the food system is of crucial importance. As such, developing a comprehensive measure of sustainability has been of a great interest for both researchers and policy makers so as to measure progresses and evaluate the outcomes overtime. This paper attempts to assess the food system sustainability (FSSI) in Ethiopia over the past two decades from 2001 to 2020. A composite index was constructed by aggregating 24 selected food system indicators in the four food system dimensions: environmental, economic, social, and food and nutrition security. 'Distance to a Reference' method was employed for data normalization, whereas equal weighting and linear aggregation methods were used for aggregating the indicators in each dimension. The result showed that in a scale from 0 to 1, better score was achieved in the social dimension (0.66), followed by environmental dimension (0.52), and food and nutrition dimension (0.43), with the least recorded in the economic dimension (0.31) in 2020. The overall Food System Sustainability Index for the most recent year (2020) was estimated to be 0.46 which is far below a satisfactory level of food system sustainability (0.75) as per OECD Classification of Sustainability Indices. The result calls for policy interventions aimed at improving the overall food system sustainability in light of the four food system dimensions, in general, and the weak dimensions, in particular. Given the predictable need for more food production in the face of growing populace, interventions that enhance synergies and limit the potential trade-off among the food system outcomes, as well as striking the right balance should be the policy direction for Ethiopia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biomass remains the most important energy carrier of rural households in low- and middle-income countries, but its indoor combustion has grave impacts on human health and its extraction is associated with negative effects on ecosystems. Currently, robust and comprehensive data are lacking to trace biomass flows from ecosystems to consumption in households and quantify the related services. This impedes analyses of the social and environmental impacts of biomass use. By developing a source-to-service approach, this paper analyses the provision of domestic energy services in three villages in rural Ethiopia using a socio-metabolic perspective. We combine quantitative and qualitative methods to study the dynamics of domestic biomass use for energy and examine social and environmental implications. We find that the average household consumes 84 GJ/year of biomass (15 GJ per capita/year). Space heating, food and drinking water preparation combined require 86% of domestic energy. Improved cookstoves can reduce domestic energy use by 12%. Our results open new avenues for advancing the scientific understanding of rural energy systems dependent on biomass. These insights are essential to enhance research on sustainable energy systems in rural, bioenergy-dependent areas and may also prove useful in designing policies and innovations to improve provisioning of energy services. [Display omitted] • On average rural households in 3 studied villages in Ethiopia consume 84 GJ/yr of bioenergy • Space heating, food and drinking water preparation consume almost nine tenth of the total domestic energy • Family size, land and livestock assets are all significantly related with energy consumption • Adoption of improved cookstoves can be linked to a reduction in energy consumption of 12% • Combining MEFA and HANPP offers an avenue to analyse bioenergy systems from source to service [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we investigated the occurrence of GPS Loss of Lock(LOL) events and its characteristics in Ethiopia using three dual-frequency geodetic GPS receivers in Bahir Dar (geographic 11.599°N,37.359°E), Debark (geographic 13.150°N, 37.893°E), and Assosa (geographic 10.051°N,34.553°E) during the period from January to December for the year 2015. On average at the three stations,we confirmed that LOL events occurred within the hours of 19:00 LT-25:00 LT,while the maximum number of LOL events had been localized within the hours of 21:00 LT-23:00 LT. This implice that LOL events were more common during the post-sunset hours. On monthly basis, a maximum number of LOL events were observed in the months of April,and March, with a limited number of LOL events observed in the remaining months of the year at low latitudes,such as Bahir Dar, Debark, and Assosa stations. Seasonally, at the three stations and throughout 2015 studied maximum number of LOL occurrences were observed during equinoxes and substantially decreased during solstices. In particular, the months around the December solstice recorded the smallest number of LOL events for each station included here. We found that over the length of the 12 months of data included in this analysis, 551,782 and 160 LOL events had been observed in the Bahir Dar, Debark, and Assosa stations, respectively, inflicting extreme damage to GPS navigation. This implice that Debark station had the most LOL events, while Assosa station had the least number of LOL events, and Bahir Dar station had intermediate number of LOL events. We also found that the majority of LOL events in all stations took place when the elevation angle was low (between 30° and 40°),but Debark also has some LOL cases at higher elevations(greater than 50°) than other stations and Assosa had no LOL occurrences for higher elevations angle. Aside from that, LOL events show special azimuth distribution characteristics, with the discovered LOL events at the three stations concentrated in the northern areas of the sky between North-West and North-East [330°-360°; 0°-30°]. Finally, it may also open up the opportunity of the usage of the quantity of LOL events as a proxy measure of ionospheric irregularity or ionospheric scintillation for low latitudes such as Ethiopia's Bahir Dar, Debark, and Assosa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Provide a mathematical model to describe finely the interactions between the three decision making levels of a supply chain. • Study the transport related decision in the operational, by including a detailed and generic Vehicle Routing Problem, due their great influence on the supply chain performance. • Propose a novel and generic iterative multiscale strategy that decomposes the problem in both time and level of decision. • Demonstrate the relevance of a fine modeling of the operational level on the beneficial consequences on the other decision levels and the quality of the solution. • Consider a real case study to provide decision support for policy makers, investors and stakeholders of bioethanol supply chain in Ethiopia. The optimization of supply chain, a subject of active research in process system engineering, frequently leads to large Mixed Integer Linear or Non-Linear Problems more particularly when applied to realistic industrial cases. In this domain, one main challenge concerns multi scale modeling to accurately integrate the different decision scales (from strategic to operational) and to study the impact of the decision across these scales, in order to effectively contributes to intelligent and coherent decision making. Unfortunately, very few papers cover the three decision levels - strategic (long-term decisions: supply network design), tactical (medium-term decisions: management of network design) and operational (short- term decisions: routing, inventory management...) to have a holistic perspective of the supply chain. Therefore, the first objective of this paper is to model as finely as possible the three decision levels by focusing more particularly on the transport related decision due to their importance on the supply chain performances. As a progress, the Vehicle Routing Problem, one of the most studied problem in logistic and one of the most complex, is integrated into a strategic and tactical model. But, the resulting large-scale MILP model must be solved in a reasonable computational time. To achieve this second objective, we developed a novel iterative multi scale strategy that optimizes the model at two spatial and two temporal scales. This strategy is based on a deep knowledge of the mathematical models and especially of the variables that strongly influence the resolution. The real biofuel supply chain in the Ethiopian country is used to demonstrate the capabilities of the approach, and the improvement in computing time and solution strategy. In addition to the change in the design of the supply chain network, the use of an operational model that finely describes the transport activities shows that the costs related to these activities are often underestimated by a factor between 2 and 3 in the classical models of the literature. The main perspectives of this work are to address the two main shortcomings of the proposal: writing and solving in a reasonable computational time a single model rather than using a decomposition (especially useful for multi-objective optimization) and integrating other decisions at the operational level to not be limited to those related to transportation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Mobile phone based applications are considered by many as potentially useful for addressing challenges and improving the quality of data collection in developing countries. Yet very little evidence is available supporting or refuting the potential and widely perceived benefits on the use of electronic forms on smartphones for routine patient data collection by health workers at primary health care facilities.Methods: A facility based cross sectional study using a structured paper checklist was prepared to assess the completeness and accuracy of 408 electronic records completed and submitted to a central database server using electronic forms on smartphones by 25 health workers. The 408 electronic records were selected randomly out of a total of 1772 maternal health records submitted by the health workers to the central database over a period of six months. Descriptive frequencies and percentages of data completeness and error rates were calculated.Results: When compared to paper records, the use of electronic forms significantly improved data completeness by 209 (8%) entries. Of a total 2622 entries checked for completeness, 2602 (99.2%) electronic record entries were complete, while 2393 (91.3%) paper record entries were complete. A very small percentage of error rates, which was easily identifiable, occurred in both electronic and paper forms although the error rate in the electronic records was more than double that of paper records (2.8% vs. 1.1%). More than half of entry errors in the electronic records related to entering a text value.Conclusions: With minimal training, supervision, and no incentives, health care workers were able to use electronic forms for patient assessment and routine data collection appropriately and accurately with a very small error rate. Minimising the number of questions requiring text responses in electronic forms would be helpful in minimizing data errors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Mental models shape our system understanding and preferences for decision making. • Economic variables were identified as key drivers as well as key sensitivities. • Women's models diverged most frequently from other group models. • Stakeholder groups experienced different degrees and types of social learning. • Individual and group-level mental modeling are complementary approaches. Managing social-ecological systems increasingly requires collaboration among diverse teams with a wide range of worldviews and perspectives. Increased attention to the social and cultural factors that shape environmental outcomes is needed for these collaborative teams to function effectively. Mental models are cognitive representations of the external world which guide an individual's thinking, decision-making, and behavior. They are critical elements of collaborative environmental management because they shape our understanding of social-ecological systems, our perceptions of environmental problems, and our preferences for certain management actions. In this paper, we describe an iterative process of constructing and revising mental models at both individual and small group levels over the course of a year in a community-based conservation area in the Ethiopian highlands. We compared mental models of the conservation area from four groups involved in management to identify commonalities and differences in the way people conceptualize the area. While we found high variability in mental models both within and across groups, most participants perceived social, economic, and political variables to be the key drivers of change in this system. Economic variables were also identified as key sensitivities, along with biotic and livelihood variables. However, groups differed considerably in how they thought about relationships between these variables, particularly political and economic variables. We used interviews with participants to assess how they learned throughout the mental modeling process, finding evidence of changes to stakeholder relationships, system understanding, and the time horizons used in planning. Women farmers differed from other groups at multiple stages in our process, both in the structure of the models they produced and in the social learning they experienced. Our study was strengthened by the iterative process that allowed individuals and small groups to reflect on their own understanding and share it with others, resulting in increased communication, mutual respect, and understanding among members of the management team. These findings point to the complementarity of both individual and group-level mental modeling for nuanced system understanding, and emphasize the need for diverse perspectives in collaborative environmental management in order for holistic understanding of both problems and solutions to emerge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The scale and pace of land tenure change for agricultural development, often known as 'land grabbing' or 'global land rush,' are historically unprecedented. Control over millions of hectares of land has shifted over the past decade for the production of food, fiber, and biofuel. However, the rapidly growing body of research on land tenure change provides few rigorous assessments of deforestation across multiple countries with distinct biophyisical and socioeconomic characteristics. In this paper, based on spatial boundaries of land transactions (LTs) in Cambodia, Ethiopia, Liberia, and Peru, we investigate their association with deforestation using a pixel-based matching approach. Our findings suggest that the context, size, and distribution of LTs and the associated deforestation patterns vary substantially across the four countries. Land tenure change significantly accelerates deforestation in Cambodia and Liberia, but such acceleration is insignificant in Ethiopia. In Peru, we observe the opposite trend, where areas adjacent to LTs experience higher deforestation than areas within. Our analysis reveals how patterns and outcomes of LTs are linked to country characteristics and contexts, and suggests that sweeping generalizations about positive or negative consequences of LTs on deforestation and possibly other socioenvironmental outcomes need to attend more closely to specific patterns and drivers of LTs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Post-sunset ionospheric irregularities are common features of the equatorial ionosphere that affect radio communication and navigation systems; their triggering physical mechanism is not yet fully understood. Atmospheric gravity wave is considered as a seeding mechanism for the occurrence of ionospheric irregularities (Abdu et al., 2009). To understand the effects of atmospheric waves, characteristics of wavelike oscillation from ionospheric total electron content (TEC) fluctuation that can be obtained from superposition of different oscillation modes have been investigated. Decomposing fluctuating TEC into different oscillation modes and investigating oscillation characteristics of each component is also important to get insight about the characteristics of individual atmospheric waves that may cause TEC fluctuation. In this paper we have investigated characteristics of components of fluctuating TEC obtained from SCINDA GPS receiver installed at Bahir Dar, (geographic coordinate, 11.5°N, 37.6° E, and dip latitude of 2.5°N) Ethiopia during April 2012. First Empirical Mode Decomposition (EMD) has been applied to decompose TEC fluctuation into different oscillation modes that are known as Intrinsic Mode Function (IMF). Hilbert-Huang Transform (HHT) and Continuous Wavelet Transform (CWT) have been applied to investigate the characteristics of wave-like oscillations. Applying EMD on fluctuating vTEC corresponding to a GPS satellite, five components are found. Results from HHT and CWT have shown excellent agreement. In addition, it is found out that the median periods of oscillation of those five components are 9, 17, 47, 78, and 118 min. Of these periods, 17 and 47 min respectively are oscillation periods of components of TEC fluctuation with occurrence frequency of 92% and 91% that may be interpreted as the manifestation of two frequently occurring components of atmospheric gravity waves that are likely generated by the motion of solar terminator. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Drawing on theories used in gamification of learning, four educational games for improvement of school WaSH in Ethiopia were developed and tested. • The games promote hygienic practices and water conservation in schools by introducing low-cost treatment and reuse of handwashing wastewater. • There is a large potential for development, use, and upscaling of educational games for more sustainable WaSH interventions. Worldwide, every year 525 000 children under the age of five die from diarrhoea. The simple act of washing hands with soap and water can prevent more than one-third of diarrhoeal disease cases. In the densely populated urban areas of the developing world, handwashing wastewater is commonly discharged to the environment without any treatment, creating unhygienic situations and breeding places for different vectors and wasting a valuable resource. However, this relatively clean wastewater can be treated and reused using simple technological solutions. The objective of our water innovation is, therefore, twofold: improving children's health through stimulating handwashing at schools while at the same time demonstrating the feasibility of water conservation through low-tech, nature-based treatment and safe reuse of handwashing wastewater for irrigation and toilet flushing. To enhance the intrinsic motivation of children and school staff to adopt this innovation, four educational games were developed drawing on theories used in gamification of learning, such as social learning theory and engagement theories. This paper provides an overview of the games and the main results of the game testing. For promoting hygiene among school children, a board and a card game were developed based on the F-diagram – commonly used by water and sanitation practitioners to illustrate the main routes for pathogen transmissions from faeces. In addition, the system linking handwashing wastewater collection, treatment and reuse for irrigation and toilet flushing was simulated by the development of two board games which targeted school children, school staff and the operators of the treatment system. The prototypes and final versions were tested in two schools in the Oromia region in Ethiopia – while the treatment system (constructed wetland) for handwashing wastewater is located in one school. Children that play-tested the games were generally enthusiastic and eager to play repeatedly, which demonstrated that board and card games are appropriate tools to engage with this young target group. We conclude that there is a large potential for development, use, and upscaling of educational games for more sustainable WaSH interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The research paper investigates the impact of involuntary displacement on households' livelihoods due to railway infrastructure development projects in Ethiopia. The number of people being displaced due to land acquisition, including railway transportation, has been increasing, and the constitutional provision for compensation and resettlement is often inadequate to alleviate the negative effects of displacement. The study employs a quasi-experimental design with propensity score matching (PSM) to examine the impact of railway infrastructure on households' livelihoods in the South Wello Zone, Ethiopia. The study uses household surveys, key informant interviews, and focus group discussions. The results reveal that involuntary displacement due to a railway project significantly and negatively affects displaced households' livelihoods, including a decrease in income, financial instability, loss of natural resources, and social disintegration due to insufficient compensation payments. The study recommends implementing comprehensive and sustainable compensation and resettlement programs, constructing nearby resettlement environments, involving affected households in decision-making, and mitigating environmental impacts. Local governments should provide alternative packages and fair compensation, and feasibility studies should prioritize households' livelihoods, consider environmental and social impacts, and view involuntary displacement as a last resort. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Optimally placed SPV-based DG to improve of distribution system performance. • Critical distribution feeder selected based on the duration and frequency of interruptions. • SPV DG is integrated in an optimal place by considering maximum loss reduction criterion. • Optimal sizing is calculated with an analytical method at a non-unity power factor. Load forecasting is the prediction of demand for a future period, and it is a critical necessity for distribution system design and growth while also meeting all operational and technical constraints. In this paper, an analytical least squares extrapolation technique is applied to determine the optimal size and location of solar photovoltaic (SPV)-based distributed generation (DG) in the distribution system. The integration of SPV DG changes the operating characteristics of modern power systems, resulting in significant economic and technical outcomes such as minimizing losses and improving the voltage profile. The proposed work was performed on a practical Yirgalem-I distribution network in Ethiopia. The modeling and simulation of this feeder have been carried out using ETAP and MATLAB software. Simulation results show that the injection of active and reactive powers at the optimal buses reduces the active and reactive power losses by 94.03% and 96.07%, respectively, with an improved voltage profile. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Paper offers a case study of the relationship between environmental stress and human migration in northern Ethiopia. [•] Findings corroborate the contingent nature of environmental change/stress in shaping migration outcomes. [•] Paper provides a rough typology of effects shaping mobility decisions in a context of environmental stress. [•] The typology moves beyond existing characterisations based on the nature of movement. [•] The typology provides a systematic means for thinking through mobility decisions taken in a context of environmental stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Analysis of plant herbivore interaction models with periodic variations of some climatic factors are studied. • Plant growth rate and herbivore feeding rate are considered as time dependent parameters. • Periodic variation of rainfall and temperature are considered through time dependent parameters. • Climatic data collected from three climatic zones in Ethiopia are fitted into the model and conditions for coexistence is shown. • Effect of possible variations of rainfall and temperature up to 10% are simulated and studied. In ecology, plant–herbivore relationships are the crucial link generating animal biomass from mere sunlight through photosynthesis. These interactions are basic in understanding ecology and evolution of virtually any ecosystem. The relationship depends also on environmental factors like rainfall, temperature and altitude. Understanding patterns of these environment-dependent interactions will help to make better predictions and recommend possible conservation strategies. Many of existing mathematical models for plant–herbivore interactions and their analysis do not include these environmental factors. In this study, a mathematical model that incorporates variations of some of the parameter values due to changes in temperature and rainfall is formulated and used to determine necessary threshold values for co-existence. To validate the results of the mathematical model, real data from the Genale-Dawa river basin in the southern part of Ethiopia, is collected and used. The river basin represents the three major climatic zones of the country, the cool zone, temperate zone and hot lowlands. Numerical simulations were done using the collected data and it is observed that coexistence is possible in all the three regions but it is sensitive to the change in rainfall and temperature. If the change is within 10% there is a possibility of population extinction. Hence this paper shows that co-existence of population is highly dependent on the environmental changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Strong reliance on organizational blueprints in climate financed forestry projects conceal the unequal distributions of natural resources. • The logic and rules embedded in the climate financed forestry projects lead to social exclusion, elite capture and state-sanctioned land grab. • Despite euphoria at international level climate financed interventions often negatively affect rural livelihoods. • Efforts to establish safeguards are at best managing in the margin and at worst legitimizing a structurally unequal process. Abstract Despite euphoria at international level there is a growing concern that participatory forest conservation projects established with climate finance might not lead to the assumed win-win solution expressed in policy rhetoric of addressing both forest degradation and persistent poverty. Based on two climate financed forestry (pilot) projects in Ethiopia, this paper shows that the strong reliance on organizational blueprints and the focus on crafting institutions concealed the more pertinent issues at stake, in particular the unequal distributions of natural resources as result of the enclosure of the commons. The logic and rules on which the projects have been designed have been superimposed on existing social relations of power and prevailing organizational configurations, leading to aggravation of conflicts over resources as result of social exclusion, elite capture and even state-sanctioned land grab. This does not only points to the elusiveness of the quest for the best organizational model to implement such forestry projects, but also questions the faith in climate finance mechanisms at international level and the effectiveness of the efforts made by advocacy groups to establish safeguards to minimize possible negative outcomes at local level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• This review focuses on the production of activated carbon from low-cost agricultural wastes. • It states the utilization of AC for the remediation of toxic pollutants in wastewater. • The paper compares adsorption using AC with other waste treatment technologies clearly stating their merits and demerits. • This helps to indicate the center of attention for future researchers. Various agricultural wastes such as Rice husk, wheat bran, coconut coir pith, wheat husk, tea waste, and teff husk have received attention to the remediation of toxic pollutants due to their adsorption efficiency, low expenditure, and accessibility. Because of that, activated carbon adsorbents made from locally available agricultural wastes/by-products have been used for the removal of different organic and inorganic pollutants from wastewater. This review presents the details of activated carbon from various agricultural wastes with their adsorption capacities based on the reported literature. The paper compares adsorption using AC with other waste treatment technologies. In view of that, waste treatment with AC from agricultural wastes is more feasible based on the performance, adsorption capabilities, and cost. Porosity and the source of the agricultural waste are among the factors affecting the adsorption capacity of AC. The review also reveals that indeed agricultural wastes can produce activated carbons with properties comparable to commercial ones. In this case, developing countries where agricultureis dominant, for example, Ethiopia, stand a chance of benefitting both economically and environmentally if they utilize the agricultural wastes for large-scale production of activated carbons. Although the industrial application of AC from agricultural wastes has been started, it is not yet widely expanded, especially in developing countries. Therefore, it is worthwhile exploring the possibility of venturing into the business of commercial activated carbon production from agricultural wastes. Therefore, it should be a research field of increasing interest as it deals with the problem of the disposal of agro-residues, at the same time producing an added-value product that can be used in a number of environmental applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The increasing interest in on-farm conservation is driven by its diverse attractive features — its participatory nature and its flexible and dynamic features; its capacity to maintain not only crop diversity but the knowledge that evolves with it; and the chance it offers to link conservation with utilization and farmers'' livelihoods. To implement this strategy on a sustainable basis, policy incentives are crucial. This paper argues that opportunity costs farmers face have a role to play to design sound policy incentives. Taking sorghum as an example, opportunity costs have been examined in this paper using data collected from 198 farmers in Eastern Ethiopia. The average opportunity costs suggest the size of the required policy incentives and they are the basis to estimate the national conservation costs for on-farm conservation. The regression analysis shows that opportunity costs increase with access to output markets and extension, output price, access to input supply, experience in growing improved varieties, and the relative importance of the crop. On the contrary, plot quality, input price, and oxen ownership are reducing the opportunity costs. The paper then concludes outlining the policy implications of the empirical findings to incentive design for on-farm conservation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper presents an analysis of the multi-sectoral and distributional economic impacts of rainfall shocks in the Awash river basin in Ethiopia. Using novel disaggregated data on crop production, we estimate the direct impacts of rainfall shocks on agriculture and then use a Computable General Equilibrium model to simulate how these rainfall shocks propagate through the wider economy of the basin under three different climate change scenarios. The basin's economy and expanding agricultural sector are highly vulnerable to the impacts of rainfall shocks. A rainfall decrease scenario could lead to a 5% decline in the basin's GDP, with agricultural GDP standing to drop by as much as 10%. All sectors benefit from greater rainfall amounts. Distributional impacts depend on income group, with poor households accruing greater benefits relative to non-poor households under a scenario of additional rainfall and suffering proportionally lower income losses under a scenario of rainfall decrease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biomass is one of the most important and emerging sources of energy. The objective of this study was, therefore, to explore the potential of energy production from biomass resources available in Ethiopia. The study involved the estimation of bio-energy potential from crop residues, forest, livestock waste, and municipal solid waste (MSW) in the major towns of the country. The paper also presents policy recommendations for sustainable bio-energy development. The crop, forest, and livestock population data were extracted from the Food and Agriculture Organization statistics database (FAOSTAT) and the country's national and regional reports. The results revealed that Ethiopia has a substantial amount of biomass residues, which are not currently being utilized and collected, that can be used without negatively affecting the socio-economic as well as environmental requirements and without compromising food security. The total bio-energy availability of the country was estimated to be 750 PJ per year (46.5% forest residue, 34% crops residue, 18.8% livestock waste, and 0.05% MSW). The study concludes that an integrated bio-energy database, research development, and identification of feasible bio-energy feedstock value chains are needed to fully realize the potential availability of biomass energy. It also recommends that assessment of the bio-energy value chain should be conducted along its life cycle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the past six years we have been intensively collaborating with the Chemistry Department of Addis Ababa University as well as Haramaya University to bust scientific knowledge related to zeolites and zeolite applications. Initially, we teamed up with geologists and government actors in the mining sectors; as a result we got access to natural zeolites from the north of the country, as well as other industrial minerals such as kaolin. In parallel we developed research activities in the use of zeolites as adsorbents and in catalytic processes related to environmental applications of necessity in Ethiopia. In the first part of this paper I will describe two examples of adsorption processes using mineral resources: one is a natural stilbite used to develop an adsorbent to remove fluoride from drinking waters; and the second one uses virgin kaolin to prepare a synthetic zeolite 4A that we used to remove chromium from tannery wastewaters. Finally, two catalytic examples will be described: in the first one we tackled the photocatalytic degradation of dyes from textile industries using Ti-modified natural and synthetic zeolites, and in the second one we used modified mordenites, both natural and synthetic, for the conversion of glucose into 5-HMF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper offers empirical evidence on whether learning in mother tongue improves educational outcomes in primary school. We exploit the variation in changes in medium of instruction across schools located in different districts in Ethiopia following the 1994 education reform. This reform has provided opportunity for states in Ethiopia to choose the medium of instruction in primary schools located within their jurisdictions. Since the reform has affected only schools in some districts, but not in others, we assign children into treatment and control groups depending on whether the medium of instruction in the districts in which children live has changed following the reform. Using data from the 2% public-use microdata samples of the 1994 and 2007 Ethiopian population censuses as pre- and post-reform data, respectively, we estimate difference-in-differences models. The results from our preferred specification suggest that the 1994 education reform has increased the probabilities of both enrollment in primary school and whether a child attends the “right” grade for her/his age, and the effects are relatively stronger for kids in rural areas. Falsification tests suggest that our results are not confounded by other factors. This evidence supports the argument that mother-tongue instruction improves educational outcomes in primary school. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the effects of climate variability on schooling outcomes in rural Ethiopia. Investments in education serve as an important pathway out of poverty, yet reduced agricultural productivity due to droughts or temperature shocks may affect educational attainment if children receive poorer nutrition during early childhood, are required to participate in household income generation during schooling ages, or if households can no longer pay for school-related expenses. We link longitudinal socioeconomic, demographic, and schooling data from the Ethiopian Rural Household Survey to high-resolution gridded climate data to measure exposure to temperature and precipitation relative to historical norms. We then estimate a set of multivariate regression models to understand how climate variability impacts grade attainment and school enrollment. Results indicate that early life climatic conditions – namely milder temperatures during all seasons and greater rainfall during the summer agricultural season – are associated with an increased likelihood of a child having completed any education. In addition, greater summer rainfall during both early life and school ages is associated with having completed any schooling as well as with attending school at the time of the survey. These findings suggest that future climate change may reduce children’s school participation in rural Sub-Saharan Africa, slowing progress toward human development goals and poverty alleviation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Pastoralists have a diverse lexicon of words for positive and negative emotions. • Emotional well-being shifts with seasonal changes in rainfall. • Water insecurity has an adverse effect on emotional well-being. • High prevalence of anxiety and fatigue present implications for mental health. Pastoralists in the Horn of Africa are among the most vulnerable populations to climate change yet little is known about how environmental change shapes their wellbeing and mental health. This paper presents a formative study into the relations between emotion, wellbeing and water security among pastoralist communities in Afar, Ethiopia. It uses focus group and interview data to demonstrate the close relationship between environmental conditions and emotional wellbeing, and shows how current water insecurity leads to extreme worry and fatigue among the studied population, especially in the dry season. In the context of difficulties of translating mental health clinical classifications and diagnostic tools in cross-cultural settings, the paper argues the inductive study of emotion may be a useful approach for studying environmental determined wellbeing outcomes among marginal populations in the light of understanding climate change impacts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change often leads to the vulnerability of vegetation cover, while the impact of human activities on vegetation cover is undoubtedly more complex in this context, especially in Ethiopia. This paper analyzed the spatiotemporal dynamics of vegetation growth in Ethiopia from 2003 to 2018 by the enhanced vegetation index (EVI) based on different time scales and explored the coefficient of variation and driving factors of the fractional vegetation coverage (FVC). The results indicated that the EVI mainly presents a "double peak" pattern, with large spatiotemporal differences between quarters and months in Ethiopia. The FVC increased by 0.0005 per year, but vegetation showed a browning trend after 2013. The FVC degraded area accounted for 43.9% of the total area, of which the significantly degraded area accounted for 7.51% due to human activities, mainly in northern, central, and southern Ethiopia. The effects of precipitation and maximum temperature on vegetation differed on time scales. Spatially, the vegetation on the northwest side of the Main Ethiopian Rift Valley (MERV) was dominated by a combination of maximum temperature and precipitation, while vegetation on the southeast side of MERV was mainly influenced by precipitation. However, the spatial overlay analysis with degraded and healthy vegetation zones revealed that human activities were the key driver of vegetation cover change rather than climate change. This study provides support for further development of vegetation health conservation policies in Ethiopia and monitoring of vegetation dynamics in other countries around the world. • The annual EVI values show a "double peak" pattern in Ethiopia. • The dominant climatic factors on the southeast and northwest sides of MERV differ. • Ethiopia's FVC showed an overall growth trend with an annual growth rate of 0.05%. • Human activities dominate the dynamic evolution of vegetation in Ethiopia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change is expected to have particularly severe effects on poor agrarian populations. Rural households in developing countries adapt to the risks and impacts of climate change both individually and collectively. Empirical research has shown that access to capital—financial, human, physical, and social—is critical for building resilience and fostering adaptation to environmental stresses. Little attention, however, has been paid to how social capital generally might facilitate adaptation through trust and cooperation, particularly among rural households and communities. This paper addresses the question of how social capital affects adaptation to climate change by rural households by focusing on the relationship of household and collective adaptation behaviors. A mixed-methods approach allows us to better account for the complexity of social institutions—at the household, community, and government levels—which drive climate adaptation outcomes. We use data from interviews, household surveys, and field experiments conducted in 20 communities with 400 households in the Rift Valley of Ethiopia. Our results suggest that qualitative measures of trust predict contributions to public goods, a result that is consistent with the theorized role of social capital in collective action. Yet qualitative trust is negatively related to private household-level adaptation behaviors, which raises the possibility that social capital may, paradoxically, be detrimental to private adaptation. Policymakers should account for the potential difference in public and private adaptation behaviors in relation to trust and social capital when designing interventions for climate adaptation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this research, a system is built that generates bagana music, a traditional lyre from Ethiopia, based on a first order Markov model. Due to the size of many datasets it is often only possible to get rich and reliable statistics for low order models, yet these do not handle structure very well and their output is often very repetitive. A first contribution of this paper is to propose a method that allows the enforcement of structure and repetition within music, thus handling long term coherence with a first order model. The second goal of this research is to explain and propose different ways in which low order Markov models can be used to build quality assessment metrics for an optimization algorithm. These are then implemented in a variable neighborhood search algorithm that generates bagana music. The results are examined and thoroughly evaluated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper synthesizes the spatial and temporal relationship between forest cover and water, as well as its implications for food security in the northwestern highlands of Ethiopia. Different studies addressing the topic of land cover and hydrology have been reviewed. Analyses of 20–40 year long time series showed little and inconsistent relationships between forest cover change and hydrology on meso-scale (100–1000 km 2 ) watersheds. Spatial studies, however, showed stronger relationships between land cover and low flow features such as grasslands and woodlands. Interviews with local communities suggested land cover change impacts are more pronounced at smaller scale (<100 km 2 ) watersheds; which is consistent with observational studies on small scale watersheds and farm level plots. The stronger relationships between forests and hydrology at smaller scales suggests land management policies should be oriented to farm level conditions, where water is vital for the food security of subsistence farmers who comprise 86% of the population in the highlands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we reported on a case study of the temporal characteristics of the Equatorial Electrojet (EEJ) and Counter Electrojet (CEJ) over Ethiopian sector during an interval on August 27, 2008 inferred from ground-based magnetometer observations. The EEJ is an intense eastward flowing electric current on the dayside along the dip equator in the equatorial ionospheric E-region between about 90–120 km. This intense current has an associated magnetic field Δ H which can produce a large enhancement on the horizontal component of the geomagnetic field. Calculating the difference between the horizontal components of magnetic perturbation ( H ) at the equator and off the equator, Δ H , yields information about the strength of the EEJ current. Simultaneously, the sign of the current provides us with information on the direction of current flow (when the normal eastward flow of the EEJ is reversed, the resulting current is known as the CEJ). By using data collected during an interval on August 27, 2008 from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, observatory in conjunction with Adigrat, Ethiopia, observatory and applying the above mentioned technique, we have observed the electrojet as well as the CEJ in the sector. The electrojet has been observed between about 09:15–14:30 LT (LT: local time). The electrojet and CEJ are peaked at about 12:00 and 08:00 LT, respectively. In addition, we have also observed the CEJ between about 09:00–09:15 LT and in the afternoon about 14:00 LT. This study also presents the temporal and diurnal variations of the field on different quiet and disturbed days during an interval from September 01–19, 2008. Strongly perturbed, dimly perturbed, and almost smooth variations on the fields are observed. For example, strongly perturbed fields are observed on September 03–04, 2008 and September 15, 2008 days and smooth curves are observed between September 11–14, 2008 and September 17, 2008. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes inherent incentives and institutional challenges in managing elephant sanctuary ecosystems, using the case of the Babile Elephant Sanctuary in Ethiopia. The study was based on the data collected from local communities experiencing different livelihood systems and experts from the local state authorities. A total of 35 interviews were conducted for an in-depth case study. Results show that historical and socio-political factors have undermined the effectiveness of state-based institutions in managing the ecosystem. The welfare loss of local communities relying on the ecosystem has resulted in a dispute between the state managing the ecosystem and those holding customary rights to the delineated land. Absence of adequate compensation for the crop damage by elephants has made the local people to regard the state intervention as unfair action. The study suggests the need to search for institutional frameworks that can transform hostile relationship into a mutually beneficial one. Such condition may ensure humans’ peaceful co-existence with the wildlife without destroying the habitat and constraining sustainable livelihoods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The introduction of participatory forest management (PFM) may involve the exclusion of previous forest users from accessing forest resources. This is the case for PFM in the two Ethiopian pioneer sites, Dodola and Chilimo that represent two distinct PFM approaches in Ethiopia. This paper analyses how PFM, after controlling pre-PFM differences, affects members of forest user groups (FUGs) and non-members' total annual incomes, forest incomes, expenditures and livestock asset holdings. Income and asset data were collected from 635 randomly selected households. Data were analysed using propensity score matching models. Results show that in Dodola, where commercial timber harvest is allowed, the introduction of PFM means that FUGs have higher livestock assets and forest income than non-members. The average total income and the expenditure for members and nonmembers, however, were not significantly different. In Chilimo site, the result is the opposite —the introduction of PFM means that FUG members have lower total incomes and assets than non-members. Based on our findings we recommend that the PFM scaling up approaches in Ethiopia, which currently allow FUGs only subsistence use from forest resources, need to be revised. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The outcome of gastroschisis largely depends on place of birth. Prognosis is excellent with >95% survival in high income countries (HIC) while mortality remains high in low-income and middle-income countries (LMIC). Gastroschisis has nearly 100% mortality rate in our country, which has made it the most frustrating condition for pediatric surgeons. Recently we attempted a different approach for gastroschisis in order to improve the outcome. This entailed creating an ileostomy on the abdominal wall defect. In this paper we describe the first two neonates managed with this method in Ethiopia. The first case was a girl that presented on the 6th hour of life and the second was a boy that arrived to our hospital on the 24th hour of life. The results were encouraging as both of the children survived. This is a new treatment strategy which has not been previously reported. Ileostomy can aid primary closure of gastroschisis with minimal bowel resection. It also promotes early bowel function and initiation of feeding which is the most important factor for survival in these neonates. We believe this is the best management option for gastroschisis in LMIC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Numerous economic, technical, and social challenges hinder farmers from adapting and adopting soil conservation measures in Ethiopia. Yet, some successful soil conservation measures are emerging in projects dedicated to sustainable natural resource management. This paper explores the role of institutions and social learning in changing the conventional top down technology transfer challenges to conditions that are conducive for soil conservation. The study was conducted by considering a successful soil conservation case in Ethiopia. Semi-structured interviews and workshops were used to collect data. In addition, the review of pertinent documents and literature was considered to complement this analysis. Innovation history analysis has been used as an approach to analyze the important events in the innovation process. The findings show that social learning has created opportunity for more understanding on soil conservation and the emergence of less hierarchy amongst actors. It has also created space for the application of both indigenous and scientific knowledge in the innovation process. Farmers’ organizations and their institutions are viewed as the core to the innovation process in leading and facilitating social learning, and in the formulation of bylaws. Hence, based on our case study we suggest that social learning and local level institutions may encourage soil conservation whenever lack of common understanding on soil conservation problems and solutions exists among the actors. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A regional assessment of the spatial variability in sediment yields allows filling the gap between detailed, process-based understanding of erosion at field scale and empirical sediment flux models at global scale. In this paper, we focus on the intrabasin variability in sediment yield within the Blue Nile and Atbara basins as biophysical and anthropogenic factors are presumably acting together to accelerate soil erosion. The Blue Nile and Atbara River systems are characterized by an important spatial variability in sediment fluxes, with area-specific sediment yield (SSY) values ranging between 4 and 4935t/km2/y. Statistical analyses show that 41% of the observed variation in SSY can be explained by remote sensing proxy data of surface vegetation cover, rainfall intensity, mean annual temperature, and human impact. The comparison of a locally adapted regression model with global predictive sediment flux models indicates that global flux models such as the ART and BQART models are less suited to capture the spatial variability in area-specific sediment yields (SSY), but they are very efficient to predict absolute sediment yields (SY). We developed a modified version of the BQART model that estimates the human influence on sediment yield based on a high resolution composite measure of local human impact (human footprint index) instead of countrywide estimates of GNP/capita. Our modified version of the BQART is able to explain 80% of the observed variation in SY for the Blue Nile and Atbara basins and thereby performs only slightly less than locally adapted regression models. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Due to overgrazing and agricultural intensification, gully erosion severely affects sub-Saharan countries; however, insufficient quantitative studies exist for this part of the world. This paper presents data on gully head retreat rates in Northern Ethiopia and relates these rates to gully and environmental characteristics. The monitoring of headcuts over one rainy season (2010) revealed that present-day retreat rates are low, with average annual linear (R l), areal (R a) and volumetric (V e) retreat rates of 0.34my−1, 1.70m2 y−1 and 5.2m3 y−1, respectively. These results express the positive effects of recent soil and water conservation practices on gully stabilization. Significantly higher values of R l (up to 1.93my−1) occurred in the Vertisol areas affected by soil piping. When considering the medium- to long time scale (1–47years) using archival terrestrial (and aerial) photographs, headcut retreat rates proved to be significantly higher than those in the short term. The averages for R l, R a and V e are 3.8my−1, 31.5m2 y−1 and 47.7m3 y−1, respectively. Retreat rates are up to 10 times higher after road construction. For the medium to long term, headcut retreat rates were positively related to the catchment area (A). A power relationship that best describes the relation between V e and A is V e =0.53 A 0.31 (r 2 =0.27, n =18). Compared to other areas worldwide, regressive erosion has been rapid in Ethiopia as a result of the degraded and steep landscape combined with erosive rains and the occurrence of Vertisols. In Vertisols, headcut retreat is controlled by soil piping. Because no adequate techniques exist to control gully initiation and development in Vertisols, alternative techniques should be developed that deactivate soil pipes. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The implementation of enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems has been known to be much more difficult than the development of a computer application supporting a single business function. In this article, the researcher presents a case study of an ERP system implementation by a medium company in Ethiopia. Mesfine Industrial Engineering (MIE) Pvt. Ltd. is a vast unrivalled metal construction and electromechanical engineering in Ethiopia, and has recently adopted and implemented an ERP system. The paper examines key dimensions of implementation of ERP system within MIE and takes an in-depth look at the issues behind the process of ERP implementation by focusing on business and technical as well as cultural issues at the heart of the MIE implementation. The case study also looks at the implementation risks and reports how MIE coped with the typical challenges that most medium organizations face when implementing an ERP system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a cost-benefit analysis of three different use systems for the remaining cloud forests in Ethiopia, which at present are being depleted at the rate of 8% per year. These use systems are a) traditional conversion to crop land, b) sustainable management of the forest (e.g. by growing high-quality, semi-forest coffee), and c) strict conservation. We find that under business as usual conversion to cropland yields the highest net present income value for the local population. Taking into account watershed services, sustainable forest use is in the best interests of the country for discount rates of 10% or lower. Taking into account the global benefits of biodiversity conservation and carbon storage, sustainable forest management also yields the highest total economic value while strict conservation does not pass a cost-benefit test even at a discount rate of 3%. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Ethiopia is planning to use wind power plants in addition to the existing hydropower plants to supply the increasing load demand to insure sustainable development. Consequently, large scale wind farms are going to be integrated to EEPCO''s (Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation''s) grid. This paper is concerned with investigation of interaction of wind farm with EEPCO''s grid under transient operating condition. It is mainly concerned with Fault Ride-Through (FRT) capability, which includes voltage recovery at the wind turbines terminal; active and reactive power behaviour of the wind turbines after the fault is cleared. Recently planned wind farms of Ethiopia like Adama and Aisha use Permanent Magnet Synchronous Generator Wind Turbine (PMSG WT). As a result dynamic model of PMSG WT is developed by DIgSILENT PowerFactory simulation tool. Then Adama phase-1 wind farm with 34 PMSG WTs is modelled by using aggregated modelling approach. This model is used to investigate FRT capability and, active and reactive power behaviour of the wind farm by applying three phase short circuit fault. Promising response is observed from the Adama wind farm with PMSG WT when fault occurs on the grid terminal near to the wind farm. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper focuses on contract design to improve the incentive structure of current coordination mechanisms related to sustainable land use management in the Ethiopian highlands. The main objective is to assess whether, and if so under which terms and conditions, rural households are willing to enter into contractual agreements to invest in soil conservation measures on their land. Participation constraints are tested under different soil erosion and institutional-economic conditions in a choice experiment targeting 750 rural households. We show that contracts provided by local government peasant associations offering additional credit, land use security and extension services could be an effective means to increase the share of farmers implementing soil conservation measures. However, trust in contract terms and conditions appears to play an important role. Farmers living in the most erosion prone areas are most likely to participate, while farmers taking soil conservation measures already are less likely to enter into a contractual agreement with the local government. Farmers not taking soil conservation measures will only do so if the contract price is lower than or equal to the income losses suffered from soil erosion. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper examines factors determining willingness to contribute to collective forest management at Godere Forest Priority Area in the Gambela Region of Ethiopia. Using data collected from 160 households, we tested a number of hypotheses. Results show that households that perceived destruction, a belief in beneficiaries’ responsibility for the forest management, participation in social institutions and governing council favorably determine willingness to contribute. Nevertheless, users’ characteristics (age, group membership, income from the forest) had negative effect on willingness. State-driven development and settlers’ activities had negatively affected indigenous people''s use of forest, leading to a reduction in their willingness. This suggests the need to put effective property rights in place to cause a shift in users’ behavior. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In Ethiopia, wetland resources play a vital role in the lives of adjacent communities by helping them to achieve food security and livelihoods. However, many wetlands throughout the country are facing degradation as high population growth rate increases the need for more fertile agricultural land. Lack of awareness and logistic constraints are important reasons for the weak consideration of wetland ecosystems by the country''s development planners. In this paper, we set out to develop methods for predicting species–environment relationships. Decision tree models and Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA) were used to identify factors influencing macroinvertebrate community structure in natural wetlands of Southwest Ethiopia. The models were based on a dataset of 109 samples collected from 57 sites located in eight different wetlands. Sixteen macroinvertebrate taxa were selected based on their frequency of occurrence to determine the status of the wetlands. It was found that Corixidae, Baetidae and Hydrophilidae had the highest predictive model performance. This indicates that these taxa have clear requirements regarding their environmental conditions. The low Kappa value combined with the high number of Correctly Classified Instances of Chironomidae may be related to their high frequency of occurrence, so that their presence is of little predictive power. This was also further illustrated by the Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA) where the family of Chironomidae, common at nearly every sampling station in the wetlands, was plotted in the centre of the CCA axis. Vegetation cover, water depth, and conductivity were the most important variables determining the presence or absence of macroinvertebrate taxa. These variables were selected in more than 80% of the classification tree models and played a critical role in the ordination analyses. The sensitivity analysis, based on the regression tree models, also showed that vegetation cover and conductivity were affecting the abundance of some macroinvertebrate taxa. Information on habitat quality and environmental factors preserving a high diversity are essential to develop conservation and management programs for wetlands and their related ecosystem services in Ethiopia, where wetland resources are being lost at a high rate, and continue to be at high risk due to expansion of agricultural and other development activities. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper assesses the impact of a land certification program in Ethiopia on the level of interpersonal and institutional trust among households in the Amhara region. The land certification program is designed to enhance land tenure security of farmers, by maintaining (egalitarian) status quo land distribution and equity concerns. The major contribution of the analysis lies in the exogenous nature of the program which addresses the endogeneity problems that characterize related studies, assessing the impact of policy related variables on trust. The effects of the land certification program on trust are identified both by the difference-in-difference approach and by non-parametrical analysis of average treatment effects. Overall trust is found to be enhanced by the certification program, with trust towards formal institutions being more responsive to the program than interpersonal trust. The major policy implication of the result is that trust could be invested on through policy changes regarding the economic betterment of societies. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In this paper, choice experiment was applied for valuation of Lake Tana's fishery and watershed. Two attributes — fishing control and lake side plantation — were identified as relevant attributes for the choice experiment. A monetary attribute — payment for fishing permit was also included. Multinomial and random parameter logit models were used for estimation. All the attributes included were significant factors in affecting the probability of choosing an alternative scenario. The results suggest that fishermen were more concerned about fishing control as reflected by the higher value they give to fishing control than lake side plantation. Household income, years of education, and family size were found to be significant. The economic welfare measures we calculated for two scenarios show that fishermen were willing to pay 57 birr (US$5.3)) per month for a moderate improvement scenario and 93 birr (US$8.6) per month for an aggressive scenario for the two attributes. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper tests the candidacy of one qualitative response model and two quantitative models for a nationwide water erosion hazard assessment in Ethiopia. After a descriptive comparison of model characteristics the study conducts a statistical comparison to evaluate the explanatory power of the models, using an Ethiopian soil erosion data set as reference. The study, therefore, introduces a generic transformation procedure, whereby qualitative models reproduce quantitative results, while the outcomes of quantitative models are mapped on an ordered (qualitative) classification. The evaluation yields the following results. Application of the USLE model in Ethiopia is restricted by data paucity, while it ranks lowest in the statistical evaluation. However, it provides reliable results in areas where water erosion incidence is low. The Expert model, based on easily available data and expert judgements, covers a wide variability of the explanatory variables, which makes it suitable for a nationwide assessment. It is the second-best model in the statistical evaluation. Yet, its qualitative output complicates the assessment of the dynamic changes in soil productivity characteristics, while the postulated additive form of the logit model is not appropriate to assess erosion hazard. The quantitative AccDat model has the highest predictive power and is based on easily available data, but has a frail empirical basis and its application at a nationwide scale requires a careful interpretation. The varying performances in the different areas of the data domain justify the selection of a combination of models for a nationwide erosion assessment, rather than a single ‘best’ model. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In the Highlands of Northern Ethiopia gully occurrence is linked to poverty-driven unsustainable use of the land in a vulnerable semi-arid and mountainous environment, where intensive rainfall challenges the physical integrity of the landscape. Trends in gully and river channel erosion, and their relation to triggering environmental changes can proffer valuable insights into sustainable development in Northern Ethiopia. In order to assess the region-wide change in gully and river channel morphology over 140years, a set of 57 historical photographs taken in Tigray, and, clearly displaying gully cross-sections, were precisely repeated from 2006 till 2009. Ninety-two percent of the gully and river sections (n=38) increased in cross-sectional area during the studied period, especially after 1975. Two repeatedly photographed catchments of Lake Ashenge and Atsela allowed a detailed study of gully development from 1936 until 2009. A conceptual hydrogeomorphic model was devised for these catchments and validated for the Northern Ethiopian Highlands. Three major phases can be distinguished in the hydrological regime of the catchments. In the first phase, between 1868 (or earlier) and ca. 1965, the relatively stable channels showed an oversized morphology inherited from a previous period when external forcing in environmental conditions had caused the channels to shape. In the second phase (ca. 1965 – ca. 2000), increased aridity and continued vegetation clearance accelerated the channel dynamics of the gully and river system. The third phase (ca. 2000 – present) started after the large-scale implementation of soil and water conservation measures. In 2009, 23% of the gully and river sections were stabilizing. This paper validates previous research indicating severe land degradation in the second half of the 20th century. Additionally, it demonstrates that the recent erosive cycle started around 1965 and, that at the present time, improved land management stabilizes headwater streams. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper uses a farm level panel data from Ethiopia and a comprehensive empirical strategy to investigate the contribution of crop biodiversity on food production. We find that increasing the number of crop variety increases production. This result is stronger when rainfall level is lower. Moreover, the productivity analysis is complemented with the study of the determinants of farm level crop biodiversity. Empirical results suggest that rainfall, tenure security and household endowments tend to govern crop diversity decisions at the farm level. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Climate change is likely to harm developing economies that generate major portion of their GDP from climate sensitive sectors. This paper computes economy-wide impact of climate change and its distributional consequence with the help of a sector wise disaggregated general equilibrium model using Ethiopia as a case. The projected climate shock reduces output in the sector with the strongest forward and backward linkage to the rest of the economy and redistributes income by changing the returns to inputs owned by various agents. The results suggest that climate change will make the prospect of economic development harder in at least two ways: first, by reducing agricultural production and output in the sectors linked to the agricultural sector, which is likely to reduce Ethiopia''s GDP by about 10% from its benchmark level; and second, by raising the degree of income inequality in which the Gini-coefficient increases by 20%, which is likely to further decrease economic growth and fuel poverty. Thus, climate change is expected to increase the fraction of people in poverty by reducing the size of the total pie and redistributing it more unevenly. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In order to fulfil the millennium development goals and to ensure environmental sustainability in Ethiopia, ecological indicator systems can support river managers to analyse the status of watercourses and to select critical restoration actions. In order to use macroinvertebrates as river water quality monitoring and assessment tools, Ethiopia needs data from reference as well as disturbed conditions of surface water ecosystems. Macroinvertebrates, structural and physical–chemical data were in this context collected in the Gilgel Gibe river basin in South-Western Ethiopia during the period 2005–2008. In the next stage, ecological metrics were compared for their assessment relevance. In the present paper, classification trees and support vector machines were used to induce models describing the relation between the river characteristics and the ecological conditions of these streams. Greedy stepwise and genetic search algorithms improved the performance and easy interpretation of these models by making a selection of the variables that were used as input of these models. The developed models allowed to identify the major variables affecting river quality. These tools can support river managers in their decision-making regarding the status of rivers and potential restoration options, for example by providing rules concerning critical values of major river characteristics at which certain actions should be undertaken. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]