Mahesh kumar akkaraboyina, belay mekuriyaw tareke dept. Conservation practices, farmers perception, soil and water conservation. Basically the objective of soil and water conservation swc is both using the soil and maintaining the productive capacity45. Soil and water conservation in ethiopia hurni h, berhe wa, chadhokar p, daniel d, gete z, grunder m, kassaye g. Determinant factors affecting crop production and adoption of soil and water conservation practices in semein mountain national park, ethiopia.
Soil degradation is one of the crucial issues in mountainous areas of ethiopia which needs efforts to reduce it. Open access asian journal of agricultural research issn 18191894 doi. The guidelines for development agents on soil conservation in ethiopia has been in use for 30 years. Box 2003, addis ababa, ethiopia 1world agroforestry centre, p.
To do this it is necessary to study the land carefully, so as to be able to fit conservation practices and structures to the various kinds of land. The distribution of loans was organized by integrating a geographic information systembased. This study was aimed at evaluating the changes on bulk density, and soil moisture content. Impacts of soil and water conservation practices on livelihood. Factors influencing the adoption of soil and water. Their willingness is highly dependent on their knowledge of the problem of soil erosion 5. Pdf status of soil and water conservation practices in. Soil and water conservation swc are activities that maintain or enhance the productive capacity of land in areas affected by or prone to soil erosion. The importance of soil conservation was largely neglected in ethiopia prior to 1974. The improved dry farming practice developed as result of researches carried out in india is an integrated rational system of cultivation of purely rained and drought enduring crops in dry areas. Soil and water conservation engineering pdf free download. Though it is a natural process, its rate has increased significantly during the last century mainly by human activity. Appraisal on soil and water conservation and its implication on food security are crucial. Perception of farmers toward physical soil and water.
Determinants of adoption of soil and water conservation practices at household level in aletawendo district, sidama zone, snnpr, ethiopia tizazu toma dilebo and demographic abstract it is attested by various studies that implementation of soil and water conservation technologies is a must to tackle an ever expanding degradation in farmlands. Adoption, continued use, soil and water conservation, logit model. Impacts of soil and water conservation practices on. The states of soil and water conservation in ethiopia in any developing country understanding the framers willingness to use soil and water conservation practices is mandatory. Community perception and participation towards soil and. The article shows results of an international and interdisciplinary project with the title rainfall and its erosivity in ethiopia. In addition to improving soil fertility, water harvesting, enhancing the soilwater retention capacity and reducing soil erosion are measures that could significantly improve agricultural. Mowo1 and kidist hilemichael ethiopian institute of agricultural research, p. Soil degradation in the highlands is caused primarily by soil erosion. Guidelines for development agents on soil and water conservation in ethiopia this introductory chapter describes the aim of this book and how it can be used in the field when you carry out soil and water conservation.
Three residence time soilwater conservation swc structures and control land use type. Impact of physical soil and water conservation structure. Soil and water conservation practices on crop productivity and its economic implications in ethiopia. Technical guides used in each field office are localized so that they apply specifically to the geographic area for which they are prepared. Ethiopian practices bring returns on massive investments in soil and water management new soil strategies, water technology, policy initiatives and advances on restoring degraded landscapes are bringing crosssectoral and crossscale results in ethiopia s agricultural sector. Dec 23, 2014 investments by farmers in soil and water conservation swc practices are influenced by the physical effectiveness, financial efficiency, and social acceptability of these practices. The objective of this study is to evaluate different swc practices in the northwestern highlands of ethiopia using various qualitative criteria and weightings based on ecological, economic and social impacts. Soil and water conservation in ethiopia researchgate. This revised edition of the guidelines for development agents on soil and water conservation in ethiopia is more than timely. Guidelines for development agents on soil and water conservation in ethiopia this introductory chapter describes the aim of this book and how it can be used in the field when you carry out. Soil erosion is a major environmental and agricultural problem facing human beings blanco and lal, 2008, hurni, 1988, world economic forum, 2010. A major argument is that what has been constructed often at great expense has seldom been maintained by the beneficiaries. The article contains information about the traditional.
This research was conducted in the koga watershed, near lake tana, in the catchment of a recently constructed dam. In addition to improving soil fertility, water harvesting, enhancing the soil water retention capacity and reducing soil erosion are measures that could significantly improve agricultural productivity in rainfed marginal environments. Conservation techniques conserve water within the biomass and the soil by reducing runoff and keeping the water where it falls, as much as possible. Soil conservation is the prevention of loss of the top most layer of the soil from erosion or prevention of reduced fertility caused by over usage, acidification, salinization or other. Impacts of soil and water conservation practices on soil. Even though a number of soil and water conservation methods were introduced to combat land degradation, adoption of these practices remains below expectations.
However, despite the prospect of land degradation, not every farmer cultivating on unleveled ground will practice soil and water conservation swc technologies. In ethiopia, soil erosion is a severe problem and a major cause of the decline of agricultural productivity. The first step to planning the structural soil and water conservation measures entails assessment of soil textural class hurni et al. Typically, soil and water conservation practices aim at realizing various goals simultaneously, for example, both bunds and mulch are also applied to reduce soil loss while reforestation may. To do this it is necessary to study the land carefully, so. Though, to recommend a viable and applicable swc may seem. Soil conservation and water harvesting rain foundation. Determinant factors affecting crop production and adoption. Evaluating the effect of agroforestry based soil and water. Factors affecting adoption of soil and water conservation. Where adequate maintenance is lacking, conservation works quickly dilapidate and accelerate erosion instead of reducing it. Interventions were taken by introducing soil and water conservation practices. The main objective of the soil conservation research project scrp is to support, through research, experimentation, and training, soil and water conservation.
Fanya juu soil conservation structure on selected soil. Ethiopian practices bring returns on massive investments in soil and water management new soil strategies, water technology, policy initiatives and advances on restoring degraded landscapes. In the last two decades, various soil and water conservation interventions had been introduced in to different parts of ethiopia. Soil and water conservation agriculture in subsistence. The contribution of soil and water conservation to. Various soil and water conservation practices have been proposed to reduce land degradation and to improve the quality of the natural resource base but quantitative information on their agroecological effects is often lacking.
Increased pressure on land use of the hill slopes since the 1970s has resulted in soil losses in the highlands of ethiopia simeneh, 2015. However, the adoption of these practices is far below the expectation. Design of soil and water conservation structures for. Methods for sustaining soil and water conservation measures. Determinants of adoption of soil and water conservation practices at household level in aletawendo district, sidama zone, snnpr, ethiopia tizazu toma dilebo and demographic. Even though a number of soil and water conservation methods were introduced to combat land degradation, adoption of these. So to predict the extent of soil erosion in the area, the study introduces briefly the universal soil loss.
Effect of soil and water conservation measures on land. Determinants of adoption of soil and water conservation. Soil and water conservation practices on crop productivity. Since then a huge amount of money has been invested in an attempt to introduce soil and water conservation measures particularly in the areas where the problem of soil erosion is threatening and food deficit is widespread. However, the performance of s oil and water conservation structures has not been well studied. The adoption rates of soil and water conservation technologies that have been suggested and disseminated to farmers in order curb degradation are still below expectation in some areas. Influence of soil erosion and conservation practices on. Land degradation, including deforestation, soil erosion and biological soil degradation had been reported to be very rampant throughout the country. Constraints, decision making, effectiveness, land degradation, soil erosion citation. Factors influencing the adoption of soil conservation.
Modeling the effect of three soil and water conservation. However, information on iswc is patchy and scattered. In this edition, the text addresses the interactions and impact which soil and water conservation methods and practices have on soil, water and air quality and on the entire environment. Soil erosion is one of the major causes for low agricultural productivity in ethiopia and particularly in assosa woreda. The case of watershed in gambela region, ethiopia gatbel chot1, awdenegest moges2 and amanuel shewa3 1department of natural resources management, college of agricultural sciences, arba minch university, ethiopia. Soil and water conservation in ethiopia springerlink. Pdf farmers perception on soil erosion and biological soil. Principles of water harvesting and conservation in deciding which techniques to use to make more ef. Technical guides are the primary scientific references for nrcs. In developing countries in order to combat erosion, many soil and water conservation practices have been proposed but only a few, if any, are implemented by farmers on a.
Participatory evaluation of soil and water conservation practices on cultivated land in the beressa watershed of the ethiopian central highlands 85 7. Introduction the problem of soil erosion in ethiopia is well known. This paper discusses the role of soil and water conservation swc practices in sustainable livelihoods and presents the preliminary findings of a dfidfunded research project on natural. The impact of soil and water conservation for improved. This research investigated the effects of swc practices on soil properties and crop productivity in cultivated. Apr 30, 2019 soil erosion and nutrient depletion have been the major challenges in ethiopia that adversely affect soil fertility and crop productivity. Soil erosion, on the other hand, is the movement of soil from one part of the land to another through the action of wind or water figure 1. With the aim of curbing land degradation problems, efforts are underway on the implementation of soil and water conservation swc practices. In ethiopia, there are many soil and water conservation practices that are important to reduce the damaging effects in associated with erosion and water loss but, in most cases, farmers neglected from decision making during the selection, planning and implementation processes of soil and water conservation measures and most activities were. Although indigenous swc techniques date back to 400 bc, institutionalized swc activity in ethiopia became significant only after the 1970s. Impact of physical soil and water conservation structure on. Soil erosion is the most dangerous ecological process observed in ethiopia, degrading. Pdf soil and water conservation in ethiopia guidelines. Perennial crops are more effective in soil conservation than annual crops.
Clay soils generally require graded structures with. In ethiopia, natural resources are under great pressure. Assessment of farmers perception towards soil and water. Land degradation is a major concern in ethiopia since it leads to declining agricultural productivity, poverty and food insecurity. The principles of conservation agriculture conservation agriculture takes advantage of natural ecological processes to conserve moisture, enhance soil fertility, and improve soil structure, and to reduce soil erosion and the presence of diseases and pests. In the country, efforts towards soil conservation were started since the 1970s and 1980s. Frontiers evaluation of soil and water conservation. Impacts of soil and water conservation practices on crop. For effective conservation of soil and water, we must treat and use the various kinds of land according to their capability and need.
A case study of gubalafto district of amhara region, ethiopia dr. Moreover, previous studies conducted were unable to fish out the influencing factor that hider the active involvement of the local people in the soil and water conservation activities in their locality. It has been firmly established that in some parts of the country the problem of environmental degradation has gone beyond all limits of reversal and the problem is expanding very fast. Methods for sustaining soil and water conservation. The survey result reveals that there are various indigenous and adopted soil conservation practices in the area. Nigatu dabi, kalkidan fikirie and tewodros mulualem, 2017. Severe land degradation affects the livelihood of many farmers in the highlands of tigray, northern ethiopia.