Land Management in the Northern Ethiopian Highlands: Local and Global Perspectives; Past, Present and Future

This Special Issue of Land Degradation and Development addresses the past and the future of land management in Africa with a focus on northern Ethiopia. How did the status of soils and forests change over the last century? How does this impact people's livelihoods? In the late 19th century, gullies were already present in northern Ethiopia, though they had become stabilised by 1935. In the 1960s, a strong gully channel incision phase started, whereas since ca. 2000, gully erosion rates are again decreasing, which corresponds to increased conservation activities and improved vegetation cover. As a result, total cereal production in Ethiopia is now higher than ever, and also, food production per capita in 2005–2010 was 160% of that in 1985–1990. There is now a strong tendency to increase flower and vegetable exports, as well as a booming export of the mild narcotic khat, which is a high water consumer. International land deals did not bring improvements to the livelihood of the local people. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.