EXPANSION OF EUCALYPTUS TREE PLANTATION AND ITS IMPACTS ON CROPS PRODUCTION IN META ROBI WOREDA, OROMIA REGION, ETHIOPIA

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.