PhD defence of Emnet Negash (Faculty of Sciences)

You are cordially invited to the public PhD defence of Emnet Negash: Climate and Conflict as Spatial Drivers of Agroecosystems in Ethiopia

Summary

Climate change and armed conflicts are two of the most significant factors shaping agroecosystems in tropical Africa, with particularly profound impact over climate-sensitive economies like Ethiopia. Climate modeling studies highlight the critical role of microclimatic variations influencing rainfall patterns and hence their impact on crop resilience. In this work, convection-permitting models as well as satellite observations reveal significant spatial and diurnal variations in rainfall, especially in orographically complex regions. These findings underscore the importance of using high-resolution data to simulate current and future climate and inform agricultural planning. Ecosystem vulnerabilities are further exacerbated by armed conflicts, disrupting agricultural activities, damaging infrastructure, and accelerating land degradation and desertification. Despite the evident microclimatic diversity, Ethiopia's approach to agroecosystem management has often been overly generalized, leading to inefficiencies in resource distribution and conservation efforts. These findings emphasize the need for more localized, nuanced strategies that account for both microclimatic variability and the socio-economic impacts of conflict to enhance food security and ecosystem resilience.

Time: Tuesday, 03 September 2024 at 10:00 CET
Location: Krijgslaan 281, 9000 Gent – S9 building – Auditorium A0

Livestream link: https://tinyurl.com/n8yxrkj3

Contact: emnet.negash@ugent.be or +32 467 67 10 26