Eucalyptus forest, as shown on this map forms a greenbelt and extends along
the major highways which radiate from the capital. (Horvath, Ronald J.
"Von Thunen's Isolated State and the Area around Addis Ababa, Ethiopia."
Annals of the Association of American Geographers. 59: 313, 1964)
The economy and land-use patterns of Addis Ababa are largely based on
semi-subsistence agriculture and foresting. Woodlots and plots of cultivated
land can be found on any vacant lot within and immediately surrounding
the city. Forests and farms near the capital are tended and harvested by
residents of the city who transport their surplus goods to the urban
markets by foot or on the roofs of cars and trucks.
The most notable feature of the agricultural zone surrounding Addis
Ababa is the Eucalyptus forest which by 1964 covered 45 square kilometers
of land in the region. The forest provides both a limit to urban expansion
and a commercial and recreational resource for the people of the city which
has been called, 'Eucalyptopolis.'
Eucalyptus Forest Fits Van Thunen Model for Near City Woodlot Development
In 1969, Ronald J. Horvath published in the Annals of the American Association
of Geographers, a comparison of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia with Van Thunen's
Isolated State model for near-city agriculture: The model hinges on four
basic requirements for the definition of an isolated state:
-
Homogeneous resources, terrain and soils throughout the study area.
-
Only one market exists for the sale of surpluses.
-
Farmers have to travel by oxcart to transport products to the market center.
-
All people in the system act rationally and economically (Horvath 308).
Several factors in particular differentiate Addis Ababa from the 'Isolated
State' referred to above:
-
Situated in a mountainous area, the region is home to two distinct climate
zones which determine the agricultural uses of the land. The Degga
is a cool zone at higher elevation northwest of the city (Horvath 312).
The Weina Degga is the temperate zone in the central and southern
areas of the Addis Ababa region (Horvath 312).
-
The ethnic diversity of Addis Ababa and the different economic niches filled
by each group certainly do not characterize Addis Ababa as a "homogeneous
city" (Horvath 312).
Predicted Agricultural Zonation of Van Thunen Model
The distribution of agricultural land-uses in and around the city match
the predicted patterns of the model well. Van Thunen suggested that the
market center would be surrounded by six different land-use zones in concentric
circles surrounding the city. Land-Use in each zone would theoretically
reflect its distance from the market center (i.e.. the most cost-effective
crop would be produced depending on cost of transport to market) (Horvath
308). The first zone would be dominated by vegetable and milk production,
the second, forests and woodlots for fuel and building materials, and the
next three zones would be used for field crops. The sixth zone would involve
mostly ranching operations (Horvath 308).
Unlike the model, Addis Ababa is immediately surrounded by a mixed zone
of woodlots and vegetable and dairy farms. Most of this land is owned by
Amhara and Galla peoples while the Gurage plant, harvest, transport and
market the Eucalyptus wood and agricultural products. Because the transport
time to the city is greatly reduced when transport of goods on the roofs
of vans, cars and trucks is available, this mixed agricultural/ woodlot
zone is extended outward from the city along the major roads.
Physical Geographic Limitations on Agriculture Zones
This correlation between woodlot location and proximity to major highways
is limited by terrain and soil factors. Of the six major routes radiating
from Addis Ababa, the Dessie Road, Jimma Road, Awash Road and Ambo Road
are lined with Eucalyptus forests up to 15 miles from the market center
(Horvath 314-315). Development of Eucalyptus forests and perishable foods
agriculture is limited north of Addis Ababa along the Blue Nile Road by
the steep slopes of the Entotto Mountains, and southeast of the city along
the Debre Zeit Road by infertile black volcanic soils (Horvath 314-315).
The Eucalyptus forests both in and surrounding the city are interspersed
with small plots farmed by Gurage for vegetable production. In some particularly
fertile areas, the Gurage have managed to maximize their use of the land
and plant vegetables and trees on the same plots (Horvath 316). These urban/rural
horticulturists grow foods for the traditional Ethiopian diet including
cabbage, shallots, pumpkins, peppers and asparagus (Horvath 316).
Maps showing distribution of crops (left) and equal cost lines for different
transport distances from the market center (right) (Horvath, Ronald J.,
p.315).
Effect of Transport Time on Crop Distribution
In a wide ring, roughly encircling Addis Ababa and it¹s forests is
a zone of mixed-use agriculture, 50% cultivated, which is primarily farmed
on a semi-subsistence basis by Galla and Amhara people (Horvath 319). Much
of this land is devoted to grasses for thatching, weaving, animal feed
and floor decoration (Horvath 322). Matching the pattern of development
of the forests along transportation corridors, the type of farming done
varies depending on distance from the market center and roads. Closer to
roads, land is owned in larger plots by residential farmers who sell produce
at urban markets.
Subsistence farming is more common in less accessible areas. The bulk
of transportation of goods from this mixed farm zone to the city markets
is operated by merchants from the city who buy farmers¹ surplus and
transport products by truck and by individual haulers, most often Gurage
women, who carry goods on their backs as far as 14 miles (Horvath 319).
