Final thesis full june 30 2004 kahsay berhe a watersecure. The soils of ethiopia can be classified into five principal types. The contribution of soil and water conservation to sustainable livelihoods in semiarid areas of subsaharan africa edited by charlotte boyd and cathryn turton with n. By capturing more of the rainfall in the soil, water will be made available to crops during the critical dry periods and soil erosion reduced.
Consequently, the government has invested in soil and water conservation swc measures, mainly farmland terracing and exclosure of degraded lands. Farmers knowledge of soil fertility and local management. Construction of soil conservation structures for improvement. A household plotlevel analysis of the roles of poverty, tenure security, and market inventives genanew bekele and alemu mekonnen abstract land degradation is a major problem undermining land productivity in the highlands of ethiopia. Ethiopia as a nation, defining it as an obsolete empirestate, a prison house of peoples. Since irrigation is not feasible, ethiopias best hope for increasing food production is increasing the efficiency of rainfall harvesting. Ethiopia establishes a soil information service based on. Factors influencing the adoption of soil and water conservation. Watershed management experiences in amhara region, ethiopia. Assessment of integrated soil and water conservation measures on key soil properties in south gonder, northwestern highlands of ethiopia mulugeta demelash1 and karl stahr2 1orthodox church development and interchurch aid commission eocdicac, p. The effects of fanya juu soil conservation structure on. Soil erosioninduced land degradation is a great challenge in the ethiopian highlands. Makumbib a contributing authors for tanzania case study.
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. This book identifies a number of customary water and soil management practices and institutions that may strengthen especially communitybased rainwater harvesting, smallscale irrigation, reforestation, soil and water conservation and flood control efforts. Farmers participation in soil and water conservation activities in the. Soil and water conservation swc measures introduced by the ethiopian government in 2010, under the growth and transformation program gtp, have positively impacted watersheds in northern ethiopia. Composition of livestock in highlands and lowlands of ethiopia 25 4. Since irrigation is not feasible, ethiopia s best hope for increasing food production is increasing the efficiency of rainfall harvesting. The guidelines for development agents on soil conservation in ethiopia has been in use for 30 years. It can be improved through different soil and water conservation swc measures. The biodiversity of ethiopia is extraordinary with many rare and unique species inhabiting its forests, lakes, and high plateaus. Cgiar to contribute soil monitoring systems to a new africa agricultural monitoring network.
Article information, pdf download for soil erosion and conservation in. The first type is composed of euritic nitosols and andosols and is found on portions of the western and eastern highlands. In all areas which require physical soil and water conservation works will be fully implemented through proactive and organized community participation amhara rural development. Construction of soil conservation structures for improvement of crops and soil productivity in the southern ethiopia abay ayalew email. About 75 per cent of the countries land mass is estimated to have been. Impacts of soil and water conservation practices on livelihood. Conservation in ethiopia the biodiversity of ethiopia is extraordinary with many rare and unique species inhabiting its forests, lakes, and high plateaus. Soil fertility characterization in vertisols of southern. Ethiopia smallscale irrigation and soil conservation. Five years of field studies 20102014 in the debremawi watershed in northwestern ethiopia found that different swc measure need to. Soil degradation is evident in the mountainous areas of ethiopia, is often represented as results of human pressure.
The main objectives of the project were to increase food production in areas that are vulnerable to drought by emphasizing irrigation. Understanding the decisionmaking ability of farmers with regard to soil erosion is an essential takeoff point in the development of policy instruments that will achieve conservation objectives. Erosionproductivityconservation systems in ethiopia. Soil degradation in the highlands is caused primarily by soil erosion. Methods for sustaining soil and water conservation measures. The severity of soil erosion in the tigray region and in ethiopia in general, is the result of the. Slmp, one of the conservation initiatives launched in 2008 has managed to. 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. 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.
Soilerosioninduced land degradation is a great challenge in the ethiopian highlands. The soil loss rate by water ranges from 16 to over 300mgha 1 yr 1 in ethiopia, mainly depending on the degree of slope gradient, intensity and type of land cover and nature of rainfall intensities tamrie, 1995. Tesfaye 2008 reported that annual soil loss from croplands with level soil bunds reduced by 51% when compared to the control plot. Role of collective actions in integrated soil and water. Rest took over the soil and water conservation programs in the previously government. According to45 the aim of soil and water conservation is both addressing proper use of soil and maintaining its productive capacity by minimizing soil degradation rate. A gis based slope analysis for recommended soil and water conservation techniques in sekela district, amhara state, ethiopia abineh tilahun1 and bogale teferie2 1department of geography and environmental studies, adigrat university, ethiopia. In general, previous efforts to address soil and water conservation through food for work programs failed. Ethiopia smallscale irrigation and soil conservation project english abstract. Scientists from the international water management institute iwmi, which leads the cgiar research program on water, land and ecosystems, have developed a set of. Regarding the treatment of gullies, which are a serious environmental and social problem in the highlands of ethiopia, researchers recommend to give priority to gullies on the valley bottom, to start treatment before gullies become severe, to improve the. Even though a number of soil and water conservation methods were introduced to combat land degradation, adoption of these practices remains below expectations.
Impacts of soil and water conservation practices on. Within these ecosystems there are rare flora and fauna including 625 endemic plant species, 16 endemic birds species, and 35 endemic mammal species, found nowhere else in the world. Annual loss of organic matter, nitrogen and phosphorus associated with the loss of top soil under various land use systems 22 3. Swc soil and water conservation swcd soil and water conservation department swm solid waste management. Swc soil and water conservation swcd soil and water conservation department swm solid waste management tcbfm traditional communitybased forest management tcf trillion cubic feet 1,012 cubic feet tfr total fertility rate tge transitional government of ethiopia twh terra watt hour. Cse conservation strategy of ethiopia cso civil society organisation daly disability adjusted life year. The vetiver system for soil and water conservation in ethiopia. Mowo1 and kidist hilemichael ethiopian institute of agricultural research, p. At least six national swcrelated programs have been initiated since the 1970s and their focus.
Issn 14016249, isbn 9157664331 the ethiopian highlands, inhabited by the vast majority of the ethiopian human and livestock populations, are under continuous threat from soil erosion. Factors influencing farmers decision on the use of introduced. Factors which affect the rate of soil loss are rainfall, rate of runoff, soil types, slope, plant cover and presence or absence of conservation measures. 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. Soil and water conservation in ethiopia springerlink. Assessment of integrated soil and water conservation.
The need for soil and water conservation efforts in ethiopia was largely. Pdf soil and water conservation in ethiopia guidelines. Soil erosion is the most dangerous ecological process observed in ethiopia, degrading. Perception of farmers toward physical soil and water. From the selected seventeen 17 explanatory variables, fourteen 14 of them have shown the existence of significant association with farmers decision on the use of introduced soil and water conservation practices.
Methods for sustaining soil and water conservation measures in ethiopia. Soil erosion is one of the biggest global environmental problems resulting in both onsite and offsite effects. Proceedings of 4th international conference on soil conservation, venezuela. Farmers perceptions of erosion hazards and attitudes towards soil conservation in gunono, wolayita, southern ethiopia.
The project is lead by conservation international with the council for scientific and industrial research in south africa and the earth institute, columbia university. Sep 07, 2015 bewket w 2007 soil and water conservation intervention with conventional technologies in northwestern high lands of ethiopia. The case of anno agroindustry plc, gobu sayo district1 by tesfaye kumsa2 and gadisa gobena3 introduction anno agroindustry is a commercial private farm that has been in the business of production and dissemination of improved crop seeds over the last 15 years. By bringing a history of two centuries of dam development on the nile in relation with the drainage of a hill slope in ethiopia on the one hand and. This research was conducted in the koga watershed, near lake tana, in the catchment of a recently constructed dam. This is the implementation completion report icr for the smallscale irrigation andsoil conservation project in ethiopia. The data were analyzed using the binary logit model to identify the influential factors in soil and water conservation practices. Pdf 32 a history of soil and water conservation in tigray. As in most western ethiopia farm fields in the study area typically known for intensive cultivation that led to high runoff, soil erosion and sediment loss.
I anticipate that the conclusions and recommendations from this report will increase. Soil erosion studies in northern ethiopia springerlink. The article contains information about the traditional soil conservation practices, the reasons for intervention with traditional soil conservation technologies, the historical background of instutionalized soil conservation activities, the institutional. Effect of soil and water conservation measures and challenges. The ethiopian governments agricultural transformation agency has just launched the soil health and fertility ethiopian soil information system based on the soil health surveillance methods developed by the africa soil information service, which is hosted by the cgiar. Effectiveness of soil and water conservation measures in. Ethiopia, like most countries in the sahelian region, is affected heavily by desertification and land degradation.
Soil and water conservation in ethiopia researchgate. Their willingness is highly dependent on their knowledge of the problem of soil erosion 5. In northern ethiopia, especially in tigray, stone bund effective in reducing soil loss by 68% particularly at. The impact of soil and water conservation for improved. Methods for sustaining soil and water conservation. Soil conservation activities in tigray, ethiopia umb. The prevention of accelerated soil erosion which is the reduction of the rate of soil loss to approximately the rate that would occur under natural conditions relies on selecting appropriate strategies for soil conservation which in turn requires a thorough understanding of the process of erosion morgan, 1995.
Effectiveness of soil and water conservation measures for. Thesis paper on farmers perception on the role of vg for swc. Soil and water conservation in ethiopia hurni h, berhe wa, chadhokar p, daniel d, gete z, grunder m, kassaye g. In debre mewi, ethiopia, stone bund and soil bund reduced soil loss by 72. This revised edition of the guidelines for development agents on soil and water conservation in ethiopia is more than timely. The contribution of soil and water conservation to. Bewket w 2007 soil and water conservation intervention with conventional technologies in northwestern high lands of ethiopia. Therefore, this study concentrated on the role of vetiver grass for soil and water conservation in tulube peasant association, metu district of illubabor zone, south west ethiopia. Soil erosion is a major environmental and agricultural problem facing human beings blanco and lal, 2008, hurni, 1988, world economic forum, 2010. Particularly in the sudanosahelian region of africa, vast dry lands are.
Awareness and adoption of land, soil and water conservation. Theory and empirical application to subsistence farming in the eastern ethiopian highlands. Although indigenous swc techniques date back to 400 bc, institutionalized swc activity in ethiopia became significant only after the 1970s. Factors influencing the adoption of soil and water. Without a thorough understanding of the factors that eventually lead to conservation investments, environmental policy makers and extension agents may not be able to communicate effectively with farmers. Contents page abstract i list of boxes, tables and figures iv acronyms iv 1 introduction 1 rethinking natural resource degradation a livelihoods approach to soil and water conservation introduction to the case studies 2 tanzania 4 background to the case study area farming systems and soil and water conservation. Soil is variable, on slopes it is brown coloured loam, and many places are badlands. Factors influencing the adoption of soil and water conservation technologies. Moreover, the respondents among major threats hindering practices of swc generally believed that erosion can be controlled 100%.
In the past ten years, intensive soil and water conservation works have been started, one of which was goromti watershed. Physical soil and water conservation structures were given emphasis. The article shows results of an international and interdisciplinary project with the title rainfall and its erosivity in ethiopia. Factors influencing farmers decision on the use of. Box 2003, addis ababa, ethiopia 1world agroforestry centre, p. One of the major constraints to crop production faced by. The survey questionnaire included both open and close ended questions which were pre. Long history of land use with severe erosion damage. The economic implication of soil erosion is more serious in developing countries because of lack of capacity to cope with it and also to replace lost nutrients. Effectiveness of soil and water conservation measures in two contrasting environments of the ethiopian highlands. Soil and water conservation in ethiopia article in journal of soils and sediments 12.
Estimated rates of soil loss on slopes in ethiopia 20 2. Geographical analysis of soil conservation in silti woreda. Though i was predisposed toward the ethiopia i had studied since the late 1950s, i appreciated that within its. Since then, physical and biological soil and water conservation swc measures have been introduced in more than 3,000 watersheds that are managed by local communities. Effect of soil and water conservation measures and.
Factors affecting adoption of soil and water conservation. A gis based slope analysis for recommended soil and water. The main objectives of soil and water conservation are to obtain the maximum sustained level of production from a given area of land by preventing soil degradation and environmental pollution. Pwdp as a foundation for sustainable agricultural development in rural ethiopia cbpwd guideline 5 yrs gtp. Bekele and drake 2003 found this to have a significant effect on the decision to adopt soil and water conservation practices in the eastern highlands of ethiopia, but nkonya et al. Investments in land conservation in the ethiopian highlands.