AUTHOR=Kassawmar Tibebu , Tadesse Matebu , Desta Gizaw , Bantider Amare , Teferi Ermias , Bewket Woldeamlak , Abraha Lemlem , Zeleke Gete , Walsh Claire L. , O’Donnell Greg 

TITLE=Unlocking horizontal and vertical cropping intensification potentials to address landlessness and food security challenges of rainfed crop production systems in Ethiopia: potential, performance, and gap assessment

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems

VOLUME=Volume 8 - 2024

YEAR=2024

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/sustainable-food-systems/articles/10.3389/fsufs.2024.1393124

DOI=10.3389/fsufs.2024.1393124

ISSN=2571-581X

ABSTRACT=Knowledge-based evidences about the potential and existing rain-fed cropping is crucial for decision-making aimed atfor sustainable land use and food security. Using multi-criteria spatial analysis techniques, this study assessed the current status of cropland availability and projected impacts on future crop production in Ethiopia. The study primarily defined the extent of the Rrain-fed Cropping Area (RCA) and assessed the performances of different cropping practices. After precisely mapping currently cultivated area, cropping intensification potentials were estimated. Subsequently, disregarding the existing cultivated area, completely unsuitable areas, protected and intact forest areas; the potentially available arable land using suitability analysis techniques was determined. Besides, the performance of existing crop production systems were evaluated against the natural potential. The findings reveal that RCA covers ~60% of the country's landmass, of which currently cropping is practiced in only 33% of its RCA. The coverage of Potentially Available Cropland (yet uncultivated) accounts for 16% of the country's RCA. This is dominantly located in sparsely populated western and southwestern parts of the country. Theis present study confirms that Horizontal Cropping Intensification (HCI) in the RCA of Ethiopia reaches so far only 33%. On the other hand, Vertical Cropping Intensification (VCI) practices covers only 10%, while about half potion of the RCA is suitable for VCI services at various level of suitability. The performance of existing VCI oriented cropping (covers only 10% of the RCA) is very poor. Challenges to the use of the available cropland and ways of addressing land shortage to needy farmers are highlighted to inform efforts to readdress landlessness and food insecurity in Ethiopia.