Hot summers, lack of rain, pollen alerts: the consequences of climate change are unpleasant in our part of the world, but still manageable. The situation is very different in some countries of the Global South. In Ethiopia, for example, deforestation, desertification and increasing food insecurity threaten the lives of the population. Between 75 and 85 per cent of the working population is employed in the agricultural sector, so answers to these growing threats must be found urgently. Ethiopian Mitiku Ayele Handiso is focusing on integrated agroforestry systems and enset, the ornamental banana (Ensete ventricosum), also known as the Abyssinian fibre banana. Handiso is currently conducting research as a visiting scholar at the Institute of Geography at Friedrich Schiller University Jena in the research group led by Prof. Dr Roland Zech. His stay is funded by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation’s 欧洲杯投注地址_明升体育-竞彩足球比分推荐 Climate Change Scholarship.?

A key component is the ‘tree against hunger’? ? ??

‘In my study, I am focusing on integrated agroforestry systems combining livestock farming and enset cultivation in home gardens, which I regard as a locally adapted, promising solution,’ says Mitiku Ayele Handiso. It is no coincidence that enset, a plant from the banana family, is also known in Ethiopia as the ‘tree against hunger’. It is a perennial, drought-resistant plant that occurs naturally in Ethiopia. It is used to extract starch for human consumption and also provides the material for making ropes and mats. Virtually every part of the plant can be utilised. “These integrated agroforestry systems have great potential to improve soil health, increase carbon sequestration and diversify smallholders’ sources of income,” says Handiso. The aim of his work is to provide sound empirical evidence of the ecological and economic benefits of these systems. To this end, Mitiku Ayele Handiso carries out soil analyses at various depths, measures biomass and surveys the households of smallholder farmers in his home country.?? ??

Universities with expertise in the natural and environmental sciences??

Mitiku Ayele Handiso studied at Wollega University in Ethiopia, graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Natural Resource Management. He went on to complete a Master of Science in Agroforestry and Soil Management at Hawassa University, also in Ethiopia. During his Master’s studies, the 31-year-old researcher spent six months conducting research at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg. It was through his supervisors there, Prof. Dr Bruno Glaser and Dr Bruk Lemma, that he established a connection with Prof. Dr Roland Zech at Friedrich Schiller University Jena. “I see the academic triangle formed by the universities of Jena, Leipzig and Halle as a centre of excellence in the natural and environmental sciences,” says Mitiku Ayele Handiso. The University of Jena offers him an outstanding research environment with excellent facilities and a truly international community. The city is lively and welcoming.

Mitiku Ayele Handiso will continue to conduct research and work at Friedrich Schiller University Jena until March 2027. He is also based at the Jinka Agricultural Research Centre of the Southern Agricultural Research Institute in Jinka, Ethiopia. Furthermore, Handiso is involved in community development and acts as the contact person for the “Africa Women in Agricultural Research and Development” project. This work was honoured by the South Omo Zone Administration with a gold medal for effective community engagement. ??