Presented by Birhanu Zemadim (IWMI) and Emily Schmidt (IFPRI) at the Nile Basin Development Challenge (NBDC) Science Workshop, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 9–10 July 2013
Human Factors of XR: Using Human Factors to Design XR Systems
Understanding impacts of sustainable land management interventions using SWAT Hydrological Model
1. 1
Understanding impacts of sustainable land
management interventions using SWAT
Hydrological Model
Birhanu Zemadim (IWMI)
and
Emily Schmidt (IFPRI)
Nile Basin Development Challenge (NBDC) Science Workshop
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 9 – 10 July 2013
2. • Brief overview of previous research on
Sustainable Land and Watershed
Management (SLWM)
• Landscape level investments in SLWM
• Hydrological simulations of watershed
investments
• Implications of SLWM
• Conclusions and Upcoming Research
Outline of presentation
3. Overview of previous research
– Chemoga watershed (Blue Nile basin): cropland expansion and
overgrazing attributed to significant declines in dry season
stream flow from 1960-1999. (Bewket and Sterk, 2005)
– May ZegZeg catchment (north Ethiopia): stone bunds, check
dams and abandonment of post-harvest grazing permitted
farmers to plant crops in previously active gullies – increased
infiltration and decreased runoff volume (Nyssen, 2010)
– On-farm experimental sites in diverse agro-ecological zones:
SLWM investments reduced soil loss and runoff in semi-arid
watersheds; however increases in agricultural yields did not
outweigh the estimated costs of soil conservation. (Herweg and
Ludi, 1999)
4. Cntd.. Overview of previous research
• Soil loss due to erosion vary by location, which reflects
the varying Ethiopian landscape and soil characteristics
– Highlands test plots on cultivated land: 130 to 170 metric tons
ha / year on cultivated land. (Hurni, 2008)
– Medego watershed, North Ethiopia: 9.63 metric tons ha/year
(Tripathi & Raghuwanshi, 2003).
– Chemoga watershed in the Blue Nile Basin: 93 metric tons
ha/year (Bewket & Teferi, 2009).
– Borena woreda, South Wollo: ranged from 0 loss in the flat
plain areas to over 154 metric tons ha/year in some areas.
(Shiferaw, 2011)
5. Study Sites: in the Blue Nile Basin of Ethiopia
Dapo watershed 18 km2
Mizewa watershed 27 km2
Meja watershed 96 km2
6. Simulation of watershed landscape-level investments
Slope gradient Share
Under 5 0.13
5-20 0.65
>20 0.22
11. Households Using Sustainable Land
Management (SLM) on Private Land
District
Percent of
district
Year of first
Community
Program
Most common
activity on private
land (percent)
Alefa 50% 1990 soil bund (64.2)
Fogera 54% 1983 stone terrace (65.8)
Misrak Estie 54% 1977 stone terrace (36.1)
Gozamin 21% 1988 soil bund (40.9)
Dega Damot 82% 1986 soil bund (42.8)
Mene Sibu 7% 1992 soil bund (89.8)
Diga 32% 2000 irrigation canal (2.9)
Jeldu 2% na stone terrace (24.0)
Toko Kutaye 79% 1989 soil bund (33.7)
14. Simulation of landscape-level investments
• Investment decisions are simulated to take into
account tradeoffs in labor and land investment and
terrain type:
1. Terracing on steep hillsides
2. Terracing on mid-range and steep hillsides
3. Terracing on mid-range and steep slopes with
bund construction on flatter areas
4. Residue management on all agricultural terrain
(.5 – 1 tons/ha of residue left on field).
5. Mixed strategy of terraces in steep areas and
residue management on mid-range terrain
Labor
Land
15. a) Newly constructed
Fanya Juu terrace /bund
b) Fanya Juu after five
years of construction
Source: IWMI Africa Rainwater harvesting diagram
Terraces and bunds to slow runoff, increase
percolation and decrease erosion
16. Residue Management to stabilize soil, trap
sediment, decrease runoff
• Crop residues are important to stabilize soil, as well as
replenish soil nutrients
– Restricted grazing on agricultural and pasture land
– Minimum tillage on agricultural land
• Current practices (Terefe, 2011 – Chorie, North Wollo)
– Crop residue used for:
• Stall feeding and stubble grazing (74-90%),
• Fuel (11-15%),
• Sale during extended dry season
– Livestock graze on stubble in field until planting the following
season (in some areas considered communal grazing)
17. Model setup and calibration
• August of 2011 – December 2012 (and ongoing)
– Network of data gages installed and collecting daily data
• Soil moisture probes
• Automatic and manual stream level gauges
• Automatic and manual weather stations and rain gauges
• Shallow ground water monitoring devices
– Calibrate surface, groundwater and total runoff: Observed
versus simulated
– Calibrating the SWAT model requires adjusting a number of
sensitive parameter values and their combinations, which in
turn determine runoff behavior.
– Model was calibrated at a daily, weekly and monthly time step
19. Model simulation
• Assume future weather patterns will display similar trends to
previous years, simulations utilizing Bahr Dar rainfall and weather
data from 1990 – 2012.
• July and August experience the greatest rainfall and runoff
volumes, and minimum runoff volumes occur between March and
April
20. Average Annual Flow and Sediment yield (1990-2012)
Base
(mm)
Terrace
(>20°)
Terrace
(>5°)
Terrace
and
bund
Residue
mgt. (all)
Residue
mgt. and
terrace
Surface flow 45.0 -15% -45% -50% -17% -26%
Lateral flow 200.3 1% 3% 3% 1% 2%
Groundwater
flow
72.2 0% 13% 15% 6% 5%
Stream flow 317.6 -1% -2% -2% -0.5% -1%
Sediment
(erosion)
1.99 -45% -83% -85% -19% -54%
• Constructing terraces and bunds on different slope gradients provides the
largest reduction in surface runoff and erosion. Increases groundwater flow by
15 %. However this intervention is very labor intensive (and pests may be an
issue).
• Terracing on only steep agricultural slopes (>20%) decreases surface flow by 15%
and erosion by 45%.
• Residue management at mid-range slope paired with terraces on steep slopes
21. Average Monthly Surface Flow (1990 – 2012)
• Terracing on steep slopes similar to residue mgt. on all agricultural land
• Terracing >5% slopes, and mixed terrace/bunds simulations : Surface
flow reduced to 12.4 and 11.3mm (45% and 50%)
• Terraces + Residue: decreases surface flow from 26mm to 16.8mm
(-25%) in July
22. Average Monthly Sediment Yield (1990-2012)
• Terrace + Residue mgt.: Sediment yields decrease from 1.03
tons/hectare in the base simulation to .47 tons/hectare in the month of
July (similar to steep terrace scenario)
• Terraces >5% slope and terrace + bund produce very similar results
23. Implications
• Average monthly runoff during the rainy season is the primary
driver to decreased sediment yield and surface flow.
• Simulations decrease surface runoff from 15% (terraces >20°) to
50% (terraces and bunds) and decrease erosion from 19% (residue
mgt. on all ag. fields) to 85% (terraces and bunds)
• Comprehensive investment of terraces and bunds maintained over
the simulation period (1990-2011) would decrease surface flow
50%, increase groundwater flow by 15%, and decrease erosion by
85%. (However, can achieve similar effects from constructing
terraces on slopes > 5% without bund construction)
24. Implications
• Residue management also has a significant effect on surface
flow and erosion in the Mizewa watershed.
– Average annual surface flow decreased 17% when adopting residue
management on all agricultural land and 26% when implementing a
mixed terracing and residue management.
• Simulated investments decrease surface runoff, AND increase
groundwater flow due to improvements in percolation.
• Groundwater flow is prolonged into dry months as well.
– Increased 8-32% in March
– Increased 13-52% in April
• Increased percolation may extend the crop growing period as
well which may have a direct effect on farmer livelihoods.
25. Conclusions
• Households investments on individual plot land require at
least 7 years of maintenance for significant benefits.
– Unlike technologies such as fertilizer or improved seeds, benefits
may accrue over longer time horizons.
• The longer one sustains SWC, the greater the payoff.
However, the individual benefits of sustaining SLWM on
private land may not outweigh the costs
– A mixture of strategies may reap quicker benefits
• May be necessary to think of a landscape / watershed
approach
– Understanding differences in agro-ecological zones, slope and soil
variations in order to plan most effective interventions
– Weigh benefits and costs of comprehensive SLWM approach,
possible opportunities to “phase-in” investments (i.e. terraces on
steep slopes first, then some residue management, etc.)
26. Cntd..Conclusions
• Decreases in average monthly runoff during the rainy season
is the primary driver to decreased sediment yield and surface
flow.
• Simulated investments decrease surface runoff, AND increase
groundwater flow due to improvements in percolation.
• Groundwater flow is prolonged into dry months as well.
– Increased 8-32% in March
– Increased 13-52% in April
• Increased percolation may extend the crop growing period
which may have a direct effect on farmer livelihoods.
27. Cntd..Conclusions
• Although simulations suggest that a landscape-wide approach may
reap the greatest long-term benefits, it is important to understand
the costs of such an investment.
• The economic impacts of SLWM interventions may be more
favorable in certain areas:
– Simulate long-term effects of complex ecological-economic systems are
necessary in order to inform policy decision and investments.
• Access to markets and infrastructure
• Off farm labor opportunities
• Land rental (agricultural and foraging rental)
• Link the household survey data and hydrological simulations
to model impact of different SLWM interventions, taking into
account socio-economic drivers and climate scenarios.
28. Cntd..Conclusions
• HH survey calculated SLWM benefits of improved water
capture and decreased erosion on private land
investment implicitly
• Hydrological model explicitly quantifies biophysical
improvements to water balance processes within the
watershed on agricultural land
• The type and amount of investment in SLWM has
different implications with respect to labor input and
utilization of agricultural land at household and
landscape level.