Abstract:
Planting eucalyptus tree has been expanding very fast in Ethiopia over the last decades. Alt hough the debate on its alleged disadvantages on crops production/highly a cause for reduction
of crops production is continues among experts from various disciplines. The future site specific
research gaps were indicated to fill the technical and perception gaps. The study was conducted
at Meta Robi woreda west Shewa zone Oromia regional state in the central part of Ethiopia. The
general objective of this study is to analyze the long-term trends of eucalyptus tree plantation
expansion and investigate its impacts on crop production in the study area and the study was ob served if the eucalyptus plantation expansion affects the crops production in the study area. The
study was conduct through questionnaire, interview, a multistage sampling technique was used
to select sample of 150, households, in order to address the stated objective, the researcher was
used both qualitative and quantitative research approaches types and field observation help that
expansion of eucalyptus tree plantation on farm land may affect crops production/causes for
crops reduction at study area. In other case its shading impact, allopathic chemicals, ecological
impact, consuming much amount of water and nutrients from the soil and controversy which is
produced from different parts of the tree is controlling the growth of other crops. If the current
expansion of eucalyptus tree plantation continues in the (76%) rate crops production may suffer
by higher percent. In the future crops production of the current community as well as the next
generation of the study area could be affected by high expansion of eucalyptus tree plantation
on crops production for subsistence/ at home consumption. So, all the stake holders in the area
should take part in prohibiting of the expansion of eucalyptus tree plantation on fertile crops
lands.
