ABSTRACT Ethiopia is now the second most populated country in Africa with more than 100 million people and an annual population growth rate of 3%. Here, we assess how the on-going expansion of arable land and urban areas is affecting the availability of common resources, such as forest and grazing land, and the availability of biomass for food, feed, and energy. Taking the Hawassa area in the Rift Valley of Ethiopia as a study case, this study aims at analysing the drivers of change of farming systems, assessing farmers’ responses to these drivers and appreciating the consequences for the agricultural landscapes’ composition. We found that (i) national-level policies, climate and soil fertility changes, population increase, and urban expansion were major drivers of farming systems change in the Hawassa area, (ii) forests and grasslands have been progressively replaced by cropland and urban areas, and (iii) these changes resulted in fragmentation and diversification of local agricultural landscapes with potential consequences for ecosystem service provision. Farmers responded with the following three main livelihood strategies: consolidation, diversification and specialization. These changes led to more diverse and fragmented agricultural landscapes. This research contributes to the ongoing debate about the viability of small farms.

中文翻译：

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埃塞俄比亚南部小农农业系统变化的驱动因素、农民的反应和景观后果

摘要 埃塞俄比亚现在是非洲人口第二多的国家，人口超过 1 亿，年人口增长率为 3%。在这里，我们评估了耕地和城市地区的持续扩张如何影响公共资源的可用性，例如森林和牧场，以及用于食物、饲料和能源的生物质的可用性。本研究以埃塞俄比亚裂谷的哈瓦萨地区为研究案例，旨在分析农业系统变化的驱动因素，评估农民对这些驱动因素的反应，并了解对农业景观构成的影响。我们发现 (i) 国家层面的政策、气候和土壤肥力变化、人口增长和城市扩张是哈瓦萨地区农业系统变化的主要驱动力，(ii) 森林和草原逐渐被农田和城市地区取代，以及 (iii) 这些变化导致当地农业景观的破碎化和多样化，对生态系统服务的提供产生潜在影响。农民以以下三种主要生计战略作出回应：整合、多样化和专业化。这些变化导致了更加多样化和支离破碎的农业景观。这项研究有助于关于小农场可行性的持续辩论。多元化和专业化。这些变化导致了更加多样化和支离破碎的农业景观。这项研究有助于关于小农场可行性的持续辩论。多元化和专业化。这些变化导致了更加多样化和支离破碎的农业景观。这项研究有助于关于小农场可行性的持续辩论。