Hailemariam Meaza

The Tigray war in northern Ethiopia (2020–2022) had substantial environmental impacts due to fighting, blockade, and power outages. This study contrasts post-war observations at 56 sites with 26 years of legacy data on land degradation, a rare before-and-after analysis by the same research team, in Dogu’a Tembien, a district of Tigray that did not experience large influxes of internally displaced people. The qualitative repeat study used transect walks alongside group observations and discussions. Unlike the war and environmental catastrophe of the 1980s in Tigray, basic soil conservation interventions including stone bunds, check dams and forest conservation have served as buffers against the conflict's repercussions. However, notable geomorphic changes occurred in battlefield areas and downriver banks. Still, restoration efforts over the last 30 years have largely withstood degradation. Under challenging conditions, farmers have maintained most soil conservation systems. Many gullies remained stable, although some formed due to enhanced water channeling in the upper area. The conflict caused a decline in woody vegetation, but, away from the main roads, many forests remained in good condition. Farmer-led irrigation expanded, supported by good spring discharges, improved marketing conditions for local produce due to isolation, and the lack of off-farm work opportunities. We attribute this land system resilience not only to long-term conservation investments, but also to the co-production of resilience through social and ecological systems. The intrinsic properties of the land (clayey, stony soils, stress-adapted vegetation, and reduced hydrological connectivity) helped buffer degradation. Meanwhile, communal land ethics, informal institutions, and local stewardship practices persisted despite the collapse of state support, echoing long-standing tenure traditions. In some areas, however, these systems frayed, revealing the spatial and social contingency of resilience. Our findings contribute to land resilience theory by showing how ecological durability and socio-political agency interact to shape land outcomes under crisis.

This study investigates how landcover change between 1935 and 2020 have shaped hydrological responses in the semi-arid highlands of Tigray, Ethiopia. Focusing on the Tsili catchment (27.5 km²), it examines links between landcover change, drainage network evolution, and river channel width under conditions of population growth and climate variability. Landcover and drainage maps were derived from historical aerial photographs and satellite imagery for four time steps, and surface runoff was simulated using the SWAT model with uniform meteorological forcing to isolate landcover effects. Results show a 37.6% increase in cropland and substantial declines in shrubland (−29.3%) and forest (−10.1%). River channel width at the outlet widened from 7.5 to 10.5 m, while drainage density increased 1.5-fold. These physical changes aligned with modelled increases in surface runoff. Strong correlations were found between runoff, channel width, drainage density, and landcover types. The findings highlight that cropland expansion—at the expense of natural vegetated land—has intensified runoff and erosion risks. As climate change is expected to bring more intense rainfall to East Africa, this underscores the need for land management strategies that reduce hydrological connectivity and support sustainable agriculture in data-scarce regions.

Prickly pear (Opuntia ficus-indica) is a multipurpose plant in drylands. The objective of this study was to synthesize the livelihood benefits, survival threats and management of cactus pear in Tigray (Ethiopia). Metadata were generated from 63 available articles. Accidental interviews (n = 35) and frequent field observations were also used to substantiate the metadata. Descriptive statistics and descriptions were used to analyze the data. In the meta-analysis, cactus is a viable biological measure to maintain soil quality and moisture, as it has high water use efficiency. In addition, cactus provides an average yield of 16.20 ± 8.33 tons fruits per ha. The plant is also a source of income and a live fence in low rainfall sites. The dryland plant has bridged the food and forage gaps. The cochineal insect, which eats only cactus, was introduced for a dyeing business. However, mismanagement of the insects invaded vast cactus-rich sites at an alarming rate. The infested areas increased from 17 villages in 2011 to 139 villages in 2018 with an average damage of 3,890 ha of cactus per year. The study highlights that research institutions and Tigray government have failed to address the cochineal infestation for about 15 years. Consequently, the poor farmers received neither cactus benefits from harvesting carmine nor other ecosystem services. Therefore, we suggest that integrated pest management efforts and expansion of cactus plantations along the western escarpment in the Rift Valley improve food availability and defend the landscape against the expansion of desertification in northern Ethiopia.

Smallholder livestock farming is a crucial component of African economies, particularly south of the Sahara, sustaining millions of farmers and bolstering food security continent‐wide. Our study investigates into the effects of climate change on smallholder livestock farmers in northern Ethiopia's Raya Alamata district, investigating how farmers are adapting to evolving conditions. A field survey encompassing 177 households within three rural communities, coupled with statistical analysis, revealed that droughts strike once every three seasons, causing water and forage shortages, rangeland deterioration and a surge in livestock diseases and deaths. In seasons marked by dryness and heat, the incidence of livestock illness increased markedly, and daily milk yield per cow plummeted from 4 to 1.66 litres. In response, local farmers have transitioned from open grazing to stall‐feeding, heavily dependent on costly market‐bought feeds. Other significant adaptive measures include providing shelter, bathing livestock during heatwaves and practicing transhumance. To enhance resilience to these issues, we advocate for improved environmental conservation, better access to climate data and resources, better animal health care, and subsidized and readily available feed. Our research underscores the profound adversities confronting smallholder livestock farmers in northern Ethiopia due to climate change, implications that extend to food security and the economic equilibrium of the area and beyond.

We investigated water levels in semi-closed grabens of northern Ethiopia. Springs (n = 79), streamflows (n = 48), wetlands (n = 3), endorheic lakes (n = 3), hand-dug wells (n = 48) and boreholes in unconfined aquifers (n = 25) were monitored (2015-2017). Spring discharge fluctuates between wet (2.75 +/- 1.5 L/s) and dry seasons (0.87 +/- 0.21 L/s) (n = 68, p < .0001). Spring discharge and streamflow were larger at the foot of the escarpment than at the horst (p < .001). The water level of wells varied between horsts and escarpments in the grabens (p < .02). A water level depletion of up to 2.23 m/year occurred in response to withdrawals in the irrigated plains. Importantly, water level fluctuation was faster in streams, springs and hand-dug wells than in boreholes. Striking water level variations in the grabens were linked to rainfall deficit and management scarcity. An integration of surface water and groundwater management responses will bring the water table nearer to the surface; this could mitigate water storage in the fertile and productive grabens.