Addi Azmera Explained

Official Name:Addi Azmera
Pushpin Map:Ethiopia
Pushpin Label Position:bottom
Pushpin Map Caption:Location within Ethiopia
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:Ethiopia
Subdivision Type1:Region
Subdivision Name1:Tigray
Subdivision Type2:Zone
Subdivision Name2:Debub Misraqawi (Southeastern)
Subdivision Type3:Woreda
Subdivision Name3:Dogu'a Tembien
Area Total Km2:106.67
Population As Of:2007
Population Total:7885
Population Density Km2:74
Timezone:EAT
Utc Offset:+3
Coordinates:13.6333°N 59°W
Elevation M:1950

Addi Azmera is a tabia or municipality in the Dogu'a Tembien district of the Tigray Region of Ethiopia. The name refers to good spring rains (“azmera”), in relation to the local microclimate. The tabia centre is in Tukhul town, located approximately half-way between the woreda town Hagere Selam and the regional capital Mekelle.

Geography

The tabia stretches on both sides of the main road that climbs towards Dogu’a Tembien after passing the bridge on Giba River. The highest location are the upper slopes of Imba Dogu’a (2590 m a.s.l.) and the lowest place along Giba River (1750 m a.s.l.). It comprises cultivated plains and steeper slopes, with often good vegetation (re)growth.

Geology

From the higher to the lower locations, the following geological formations are present:[1]

Geomorphology and soils

The main geomorphic unit is the gently undulating Agula shale plateau with dolerite. Corresponding soil types are:[5]

See also: Soil in Dogu'a Tembien.

Rainfall in Addi Azmera

Due to its great difference in elevation, with slopes turned towards the wind direction (from east) during the short spring rains, orographic rains occur in that season.[6] This results in sufficient soil moisture for growing crops in that season. In such years with good spring rains (locally called “Azmera”) the whole plain, from Qarano to Afedena is sown with “azmera” crops, particularly sorghum. Hence the name “Addi Azmera”.

Springs

Besides Giba River at the eastern (lower) side of the tabia, there are no permanent rivers. Hence the presence of springs is of utmost importance for the local people. However, in relation to the overall presence of limestone, there are only very few strong springs:[7]

Reservoirs

In this area with rains that last only for a couple of months per year, reservoirs of different sizes allow harvesting runoff from the rainy season for further use in the dry season. Overall they suffer from siltation.[8] Yet, they strongly contribute to greening the landscape, either through irrigation or seepage water. Main reservoirs are:

Vegetation and exclosures

The tabia holds several exclosures, areas that are set aside for regreening.[13] Wood harvesting and livestock range are not allowed there. Besides effects on biodiversity,[14] [15] [16] water infiltration, protection from flooding, sediment deposition,[17] carbon sequestration,[18] people commonly have economic benefits from these exclosures through grass harvesting, beekeeping and other non-timber forest products.[19] The local inhabitants also consider it as “land set aside for future generations”.[20] In this tabia, some exclosures are managed by the EthioTrees project. They have as an additional benefit that the villagers receive carbon credits for the sequestered CO2,[21] as part of a carbon offset programme.[22] The revenues are then reinvested in the villages, according to the priorities of the communities;[23] it may be for an additional class in the village school, a water pond, or conservation in the exclosures. The following exclosures are managed by the Ethiotrees project in Addi Azmera:[24]

Livelihood

The population lives essentially from crop farming, supplemented with off-season work in nearby towns. The land is dominated by farmlands which are clearly demarcated and are cropped every year. Hence the agricultural system is a permanent farming system.[25]

The village of Zerfenti is one of the first places in Ethiopia where Ecosan toilets have been implemented (by the School WatSani project)

Population

The tabia centre Tukhul has grown to a little town with a few administrative offices, a health post, a primary school, some shops and small restaurants. Thursday is the market day.[7] There are a few more primary schools across the tabia. The original Tukhul village, further uphill (also called “La’ilay Tukhul”) has been largely abandoned, as the inhabitants moved to the road, where they established small businesses while keeping their farmlands. The main other populated places are:[26]

  • Qarano
  • Miheni
  • Girasa Goh
  • Tahtay Sesemat
  • La’ilay Sesemat
  • Ruba Bich’i
  • Hashiwa
  • Addi Ganfur
  • Zerfenti
  • Afedena
  • Mesenqoy

Religion and churches

Most inhabitants are Orthodox Christians. The following churches are located in the tabia:

History

The history of the tabia is strongly confounded with the history of Tembien.

Roads and communication

The main road Mekelle – Hagere Selam – Abiy Addi runs through Tukhul and across the tabia. There are regular bus services to these towns. Further, rural access roads link Mesenqoy and La’ilay Tukhul to Tukhul and the main asphalt road.

Schools

Almost all children of the tabia are schooled,[27] though in some schools there is lack of classrooms, directly related to the large intake in primary schools over the last decades. Schools in the tabia include Zerfenti school, Sesemat school and Afedena school.

Tourism

Its mountainous nature and proximity to Mekelle makes the tabia fit for tourism.[28]

Geotouristic sites

The high variability of geological formations and the rugged topography invite for geological and geographic tourism or "geotourism".[29] Geosites in the tabia include:

Birdwatching

Birdwatching can be done particularly in exclosures and forests. A dozen bird-watching sites have been inventoried[30] in the tabia and mapped.[31] The bird species are documented on the main Dogu'a Tembien page.

Trekking routes

Trekking routes have been established in this tabia.[32] The tracks are not marked on the ground but can be followed using downloaded .GPX files.[33] As a landmark, the three olive trees (“Mi’iraf Janhoy” at 1940 metres above sea level) along the main road are departure point of:

Inda Siwa, the local beer houses

In the main villages, there are traditional beer houses (Inda Siwa), often in unique settings, which are a good place for resting and chatting with the local people. Most renown in the tabia are[7]

Accommodation and facilities

The facilities are very basic.[34] One may be invited to spend the night in a rural homestead or ask permission to pitch a tent. Hotels are available in Hagere Selam and Mekelle.

More detailed information

For more details on environment, agriculture, rural sociology, hydrology, ecology, culture, etc., see the overall page on the Dogu'a Tembien district.

Notes and References

  1. Book: Sembroni . A. . Molin . P. . Dramis . F. . Regional geology of the Dogu'a Tembien massif. In: Geo-trekking in Ethiopia's Tropical Mountains - The Dogu'a Tembien District . 2019 . SpringerNature . 978-3-030-04954-6 .
  2. Book: Tefera . M. . Chernet . T. . Haro . W. . Geological Map of Ethiopia (1:2,000,000). . Ethiopian Institute of Geological Survey . Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
  3. Bosellini . A. . Russo . A. . Fantozzi . P. . Assefa . G. . Tadesse . S. . The Mesozoic succession of the Mekelle Outlier (Tigrai Province, Ethiopia). . Mem. Sci. Geol. . 1997 . 49 . 95–116.
  4. Moeyersons . J. and colleagues . Age and backfill/overfill stratigraphy of two tufa dams, Tigray Highlands, Ethiopia: Evidence for Late Pleistocene and Holocene wet conditions. . Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology . 2006 . 230 . 1–2 . 162–178 . 10.1016/j.palaeo.2005.07.013 . 2006PPP...230..165M .
  5. Nyssen. Jan. Tielens. Sander. Gebreyohannes. Tesfamichael. Araya. Tigist. Teka. Kassa. Van De Wauw. Johan. Degeyndt. Karen. Descheemaeker. Katrien. Amare. Kassa. Haile. Mitiku. Zenebe. Amanuel. Munro. Neil. Walraevens. Kristine. Gebrehiwot. Kindeya. Poesen. Jean. Frankl. Amaury. Tsegay. Alemtsehay. Deckers. Jozef. Understanding spatial patterns of soils for sustainable agriculture in northern Ethiopia's tropical mountains. . PLOS ONE . 2019 . 14 . 10 . e0224041 . 10.1371/journal.pone.0224041. 31639144. 6804989. 2019PLoSO..1424041N. free.
  6. Book: Jacob . M. and colleagues . Geo-trekking in Ethiopia's Tropical Mountains . Dogu'a Tembien's Tropical Mountain Climate . GeoGuide . 2019 . 45–61 . SpringerNature . 978-3-030-04954-6 . 10.1007/978-3-030-04955-3_3 . 199105560 .
  7. Book: What do we hear from the farmers in Dogu'a Tembien? [in Tigrinya] ]. 2016 . Hagere Selam, Ethiopia . 100 .
  8. Nigussie Haregeweyn . and colleagues . Reservoirs in Tigray: characteristics and sediment deposition problems . Land Degradation and Development . 2006 . 17 . 211–230 . 10.1002/ldr.698 . 129834993 . free .
  9. Gebremedhin Berhane . and colleagues . Geological challenges in constructing the proposed Geba dam site, northern Ethiopia . Bulletin of Engineering Geology and the Environment . 2013 . 72 . 3–4 . 339–352 . 10.1007/s10064-013-0480-9 . 128713402 . .
  10. Gebremedhin Berhane . and colleagues . Water leakage investigation of micro-dam reservoirs in Mesozoic sedimentary sequences in Northern Ethiopia . Journal of African Earth Sciences . 2013 . 79 . 98–110 . 10.1016/j.jafrearsci.2012.10.004 . 2013JAfES..79...98B .
  11. Nigussie Haregeweyn . and colleagues . Reservoirs in Tigray: characteristics and sediment deposition problems . Land Degradation and Development . 2006 . 17 . 211–230 . 10.1002/ldr.698 . 129834993 . free .
  12. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.3763/ijas.2008.0366 Developers and farmers intertwining interventions: the case of rainwater harvesting and food-for-work in Degua Temben, Tigray, Ethiopia
  13. Aerts . R . Nyssen . J. Mitiku Haile . On the difference between "exclosures" and "enclosures" in ecology and the environment . Journal of Arid Environments . 2009. 73 . 8 . 762–763 . 10.1016/j.jaridenv.2009.01.006 . 2009JArEn..73..762A .
  14. Book: Aerts . R. . Lerouge . F. . November . E. . Birds of forests and open woodlands in the highlands of Dogu'a Tembien. In: Geo-trekking in Ethiopia's Tropical Mountains - The Dogu'a Tembien District . 2019 . SpringerNature . 978-3-030-04954-6 .
  15. Mastewal Yami . and colleagues . Impact of Area Enclosures on Density and Diversity of Large Wild Mammals: The Case of May Ba'ati, Douga Tembien Woreda, Central Tigray, Ethiopia . East African Journal of Sciences . 2007. 1 . 1–14 .
  16. Aerts . R . Lerouge . F . November . E . Lens . L . Hermy . M . Muys . B . Land rehabilitation and the conservation of birds in a degraded Afromontane landscape in northern Ethiopia . Biodiversity and Conservation . 2008 . 17 . 53–69 . 10.1007/s10531-007-9230-2 . 37489450 .
  17. Descheemaeker . K. and colleagues . Sediment deposition and pedogenesis in exclosures in the Tigray Highlands, Ethiopia. . Geoderma . 2006 . 132 . 3–4. 291–314 . 10.1016/j.geoderma.2005.04.027 . 2006Geode.132..291D .
  18. Wolde Mekuria . and colleagues . Restoration of Ecosystem Carbon Stocks Following Exclosure Establishment in Communal Grazing Lands in Tigray, Ethiopia . Soil Science Society of America Journal . 2011 . 75 . 1 . 246–256. 10.2136/sssaj2010.0176 . 2011SSASJ..75..246M .
  19. Bedru Babulo . and colleagues . Economic valuation methods of forest rehabilitation in exclosures . Journal of the Drylands . 2006 . 1 . 165–170 .
  20. Book: Jacob . M. and colleagues . Exclosures as Primary Option for Reforestation in Dogu'a Tembien. In: Geo-trekking in Ethiopia's Tropical Mountains - The Dogu'a Tembien District . 2019 . SpringerNature . 978-3-030-04954-6 .
  21. Book: Reubens . B. and colleagues . Research-based development projects in Dogu'a Tembien. In: Geo-trekking in Ethiopia's Tropical Mountains - The Dogu'a Tembien District . 2019 . SpringerNature . 978-3-030-04954-6 .
  22. https://www.planvivo.org/project-network/ethiotrees-tembien-highlands/ EthioTrees on Plan Vivo website
  23. https://www.davines.com/blogs/projects/ethiotrees EthioTrees on Davines website
  24. Book: De Deyn . Jonathan . Benefits of reforestation on Carbon storage and water infiltration in the context of climate mitigation in North Ethiopia. Master thesis, Ghent University, Belgium. 2019.
  25. Book: Naudts . J . Les Hautes Terres de Tembien, Tigré, Ethiopie; Résistance et limites d'une ancienne civilisation agraire; Conséquences sur la dégradation des terres [MSc dissertation]. CNEARC, Montpellier, France . 2002.
  26. Book: Jacob . M. and colleagues . Geo-trekking map of Dogu'a Tembien (1:50,000). In: Geo-trekking in Ethiopia's Tropical Mountains - The Dogu'a Tembien District . 2019 . SpringerNature . 978-3-030-04954-6 .
  27. Book: Socio-demographic profile, food insecurity and food-aid based response. In: Geo-trekking in Ethiopia's Tropical Mountains - The Dogu'a Tembien District . 2019 . SpringerNature . 978-3-030-04954-6 .
  28. Book: Geo-trekking in Ethiopia's Tropical Mountains - The Dogu'a Tembien District . 2019 . SpringerNature . 978-3-030-04954-6 .
  29. Book: Miruts Hagos and colleagues . Geo-trekking in Ethiopia's Tropical Mountains . Geosites, Geoheritage, Human-Environment Interactions, and Sustainable Geotourism in Dogu'a Tembien . GeoGuide . 2019 . 3–27 . SpringerNature . 978-3-030-04954-6 . 10.1007/978-3-030-04955-3_1 . 199095921 .
  30. Book: Aerts . R. . Lerouge . F. . November . E. . Birds of forests and open woodlands in the highlands of Dogu'a Tembien. In: Geo-trekking in Ethiopia's Tropical Mountains - The Dogu'a Tembien District . 2019 . SpringerNature . 978-3-030-04954-6 .
  31. Book: Jacob . M. and colleagues . Geo-trekking map of Dogu'a Tembien (1:50,000). In: Geo-trekking in Ethiopia's Tropical Mountains - The Dogu'a Tembien District . 2019 . SpringerNature . 978-3-030-04954-6 .
  32. Book: 2019 . Springer-Nature . 557–675 . 10.1007/978-3-030-04955-3_38 . GeoGuide . Nyssen . Jan . Geo-trekking in Ethiopia's Tropical Mountains . Description of Trekking Routes in Dogu'a Tembien . 978-3-030-04954-6 . 199271514 .
  33. Web site: Public GPS Traces tagged with nyssen-jacob-frankl.
  34. Book: Logistics for the Trekker in a Rural Mountain District of Northern Ethiopia. 2019 . Springer-Nature . 537–556 . 10.1007/978-3-030-04955-3_37 . Geo-trekking in Ethiopia's Tropical Mountains . GeoGuide . Nyssen . Jan . 978-3-030-04954-6 . 199198251 .

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Addi Azmera".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.