Impacts of agricultural land expansion on deforestation and biodiversity loss in Ethiopia: A review

Future food demand worldwide can be achieved by increasing production. The increase in agricultural production can in turn be achieved by agricultural intensification and /or extensification. However, agricultural extensification has been a major contributor to deforestation and biodiversity loss. The objective of this review was to understand agricultural land expansion, the driving forces and its impact on deforestation and biodiversity loss in Ethiopia. In Ethiopia, the current traditional farming system has been practiced since the third and fourth millennium BC. Due to low productivity of this farming system coupled with the increase in demand for farmland attributed to increase in population size, there has been extensive farmland expansion. The agricultural extensification has substantially contributed to deforestation and biodiversity loss in the country. Similarly, the rapid expansion of farmlands has contributed to the economy of the country through increase in gross agricultural production. In addition, suitability for agricultural investment and the interest for foreign direct investment stimulated the government efforts towards agricultural land expansion recently. As studies show, 80 percent of new agricultural land expansion is at the cost of reduction in forest, woodland, and shrub land. In this review, studies show that expansion of agricultural land influenced forests and biodiversity negatively. Therefore, the Government of Ethiopia should promote agricultural intensification to increase agricultural productivity and tackle extensification. This approach would minimize deforestation and biodiversity loss.