Inefficient management and use of water is unanimously the most single constraint of agricultural production of Ethiopia. The study was conducted to assess the effect of livestock feed sourcing and feeding strategies on livestock water productivity (LWP) in mixed crop–livestock production systems of the Blue Nile Basin in Ethiopian Highlands. Three districts representing diverse agricultural farming systems were considered. Each district further stratified to different farming systems. Multi-stage stratified random sampling technique was employed to select farm households.

Seedlings of Artemisia herba-alba grown in glasshouse were watered with differing salinities (0, 150, 250 or 350 mM NaCl) and watering frequencies of 3, 7, 14 or 21 days for a period of 6 weeks. At the end of the study, plant survival, dry matter yield, biomass allocation (shoot and root), leaf area, relative growth rate (RGR), net assimilation rate (NAR), specific leaf area (SLA) and leaf area ratio (LAR) were recorded. When watered with 0 mM NaCl, Artemisia herba-alba plants had similar (P> 0.9) final dry matter weight and 100% survival regardless of watering frequency.

The notion of eco-efficiency – first put forward by the private-sector at the time of the 1992 Earth Summit – has since been taken up by experts in agriculture as a guiding principle for research. Eco-efficient agriculture, according to a CIAT report, is competitive and profitable as well as sustainable and resilient, thus generating multiple benefits for the poor, especially when it offers new options for women.

Examines economic aspects of browse development, w. data on browse, wood, gum and crop production, international rate of return and cost prices on atriplex and acacia plantations in tropical Africa.

Discusses the considerations relating to economic policy, supporting institutions and marketing and consumer demand. Classifies and discusses market functions and analyses market organization and institutions of marketing. Looks into the purpose of marketing studies. Discusses some lessons from past livestock marketing studies.

The major objectives of this workshop are to sharpen the focus of ILRI's ecoregional research, to further identify commonalities in tools and new methods that can enable ILRI to do effective transregional research, and to identify improvements to the way in which ILRI does ecoregional research.