The study examined the impact of deforestation and subsequent cultivation on soil fertility and acidity conditions under varying soil depths. Soil profiles were opened in two adjacent land units, namely forestland and arable land and samples were collected from genetic horizons. Deterioration of soil fertility was observed after deforestation and traditional cultivation. The main aim of deforestation was agricultural expansion. Soil pH consistently decreased with depth in both land units and it was relatively lowest in arable land perhaps due to depletion of organic matter (OM) and decrease in buffering capacity of the soil. The OM and total nitrogen (N) ranged from 0.78 and 0.06% in the 75 to160 cm layer of arable land to 15 and 0.61% in the 0 to10 cm layer of forestland, respectively. Total N was strongly and positively correlated with soil OM (r = 0.99). Exchangeable Al was poorly and negatively correlated with available phosphorous (r = -0.41). Conversion of forestland to arable land reduced the mean available phosphorus (P) from 4.04 ppm to 1.95 ppm most probably due to decline in OM, soil acidification and erosion. Deforestation and subsequent continuous cultivation over the past 25 years apparently amplified the mean exchangeable acids from 0.83 cmol (+) kg-1 to 5.96 cmol (+) kg-1. Soil acidification and related problems were the major challenges of continuous cultivation in the study area. The study indicated that land use change and management practices have had a considerable negative effect on soil physical and chemical properties. Key words: Deforestation, continuous cultivation, land use change, soil properties, soil fertility, soil acidity, Western Ethiopia.

For forest ecosystem management to be effective, explicit understanding of the species diversity-environmental relationship along elevation gradient is crucial. This study aimed at identifying and describing plant communities and also documenting their species diversity. Evaluation of relationships between selected environmental variables and species diversity was another objective of this study. Systematic sampling techniques were used to collect vegetation data in a total of forty two sample plots (size=20×20 m). Within main plots, four sub-plots of 5×5 m were established at four corners and – one sub-plot of the same size in the center. These plots were used for shrub and herb diversity assessment. Within each sample plot, all plant species were documented and their scientific names were identified. Environmental variables, such as: elevation, aspect and slope, were also recorded for each main plot. Species diversity was determined using Shannon-Wiener diversity index and evenness in R statistical software. Agglomerative hierarchical clustering method was used for plant community classification. The total of 44 plant species belonging to 30 families was documented. Four plant community types were identified with different diversity, evenness and species richness. These plant communities were: Afrocurpus falcatus-Ficus sur, Maesa lanceolata-Bersama abyssinica, Vernonia myriantha-Urera hypselodendron and Croton machrostachus-Tecleanobilis occurring at average elevation of 2521, 2429, 2329, and 2364 m asl, respectively. Maesa lanceolata-Bersama abyssinica community type exhibited the highest species diversity and evenness followed by Croton machrostachus-Teclea nobilis community type showing the fact that median elevation ranges were rich in species. Elevation and slope gradient explained significant variation in species richness in the studied forest. For effective conservation of biodiversity and sustainable management of the forest ecosystem, further research on the impacts of anthropogenic disturbances and soil properties is recommended as a result of this study.

Sorghum is a vital crop for food security in Ethiopia. Sorghum landraces are particularly crucial in crop-livestock mixed farming, however, the extended growing periods (6-8 months) required for these landraces make the crop vulnerable to recurrent drought events associated with delayed rain, dry spells, and drought during critical stages. The landraces are usually planted in March or April depending on the onset of rainfall and harvested around November but often fail due to drought. In such situations, early-maturing improved varieties are an option for farmers but access to seeds of these improved varieties is a challenge. Unlike the landraces, the improved early maturing varieties are planted around the first weeks of July and harvested in November. The formal seed system multiplies only a limited amount of improved sorghum seed, which is rarely available to smallholder sorghum growers, mostly as part of a government package for targeted programs. Therefore, a community-based seed multiplication (CBSM) scheme was introduced to address seed shortages among smallholder sorghum farmers. After a successful experiment in 2015 aimed at enhancing seed multiplication by smallholder sorghum farmers, the process was further implemented on a larger scale using the CBSM scheme. Between 2016 and 2017, three CBSM farmer groups consisting of a total of 56 participants were established in three districts of West Hararghe, Ethiopia. Seeds of two early-maturing and drought-tolerant improved sorghum varieties (Dekeba and Melkam) were multiplied on a total area of 49.58 hectares, resulting in 215.6 tons of certified seeds. The study's findings indicate that the CBSM scheme enhanced smallholder farmers' sorghum yields, incomes, and climate resilience by providing high-quality seeds, expanding access to improved seeds, improving crop quality, and empowering communities to manage seed distribution. Partnerships with local organizations and government agencies were vital for success, allowing the scheme to reach more farmers in different regions. The scheme proved successful for smallholder sorghum growers in Ethiopia's dry lowlands, offering lessons applicable to similar challenges elsewhere, and promoting sustainable solutions for smallholder farmers.

Many scholars have attempted to identify the role of deterministic and stochastic processes in community assembly, but there is no consensus on which processes dominate and at what spatial scales they occur. To shed light on this issue, we tested two non-exclusive processes, scale-dependent hypotheses: (i) that limiting similarity dominates on small spatial scales; and (ii) that environmental filtering does so on a large scale. To achieve this, we studied the functional patterns of dry evergreen Afromontane forest communities along elevation gradients in southeastern Ethiopia using floristic and functional trait data from fifty-four 0.04 ha plots. We found evidence of functional overdispersion on small spatial scales, and functional clustering on large spatial scales. The observed clustering pattern, consistent with an environmental filtering process, was most evident when environmental differences between a pair of plots were maximized. To strengthen the link between the observed community functioning pattern and the underlying process of environmental filtering, we demonstrated differences in the topographical factors of the most abundant species found at lower and higher elevations and examined whether their abundance varied over time or changed with time along the elevation. We found (i) that the largest functional differences in the community (observed between lower and upper dry evergreen Afromontane forest assemblages) were primarily the result of strong topographical influence; and (ii) that the abundance of such species varied along the elevation gradient. Variation in stand structure and tree species diversity within the DAF plots shows that topography is among the important drivers of local species distribution and hence the maintenance of tree diversity in dry Afromontane forest. Our results support the conclusion that environmental filtering at large spatial scales is the primary mechanism for community merging, since functional grouping pattern was associated with species similarities in topographic variation, ultimately leading to changes in species abundances along the gradient. There was also evidence of competitive exclusion at more homogeneous and smaller spatial scales, where plant species compete effectively for resources.

Pearl millet is widely regarded as one of the most promising cereal crops for food and nutritional security in semiarid regions globally. However, it has long been considered an orphan crop due to limited attention from the scientific community and policymakers, as well as low public awareness of its potential role within the food system. Consequently, there is a paucity of information on the agronomic practices employed by farmers to enhance their productivity, particularly in Ethiopia and more specifically in its eastern regions. A semistructured survey was conducted among 247 smallholder farmers in the Anchar and Gumbi Bordode districts of the West Hararghe Zone to assess prevailing agronomic practices for pearl millet, quantify productivity under farmer‐managed conditions, elicit farmer preferences for key agronomic traits, and identify major production constraints. Of the respondents, 14.17% were female and 85.83% were male. The study found that no formal improved pearl millet seed production and supply system exists in Ethiopia, with only one variety (Kola‐1) in use for over a decade. In terms of cropping systems, 79% of farmers practiced sole cropping, 10% intercropping, and 11% relay cropping with crops such as teff and mung bean. Only 8.1% of respondents applied mineral fertilizers; the rest used none. Farmers reported pearl millet yields ranging from 1450 ± 420 to 2300 ± 300 kg/ha during poor and good harvest seasons, respectively. Yield gap analyses indicated variations of 60.7% and 37.6% in poor and good seasons, respectively, when compared to the crop’s potential yield of 3687 kg/ha. The major production constraints included moisture stress/deficits, lack of improved seeds/varieties, and bird damage, all of which limit pearl millet productivity in the study areas.