Soil and water conservation in ethiopia hurni h, berhe wa, chadhokar p, daniel d, gete z, grunder m, kassaye g. Although indigenous swc techniques date back to 400 bc, institutionalized swc activity in ethiopia became significant only after the 1970s. Pdf challenges to national park conservation and management. Fertilizer and soil fertility potential in ethiopia. The purpose of these entities, now as then, is to work with farmers and ranchers and help them plan, select, and apply conservation practices to enable their operations to produce. Resource picture cards, strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats swot. The main objective of the soil conservation research project scrp is to support, through research, experimentation, and training, soil and water conservation development activities in ethiopia, especially those of the community forests and. Soil erosion studies in northern ethiopia springerlink. Box, 307, jimma, ethiopia abstract ecosystem services lie at the heart of interactions between. Effectiveness of stone bund in controlling soil erosion on cropland in the tigray highlands, northern ethiopia. Soil degradation is a global environmental problem which started since the innovation of agriculture by human kind. Influence of soil erosion and conservation practices on.
Major activities in 1961 ec ethiopian calendar and current status of. The information and soil maps were developed using soil infrared spectrometry and remote sensing techniques. Soil conservation an overview sciencedirect topics. One third of the worlds agricultural soils, or roughly 2 billion hectares of land, was reported as being affected by soil. The ethiopian soil information system ethiosis water.
Even though a number of soil and water conservation methods were introduced to combat land degradation, adoption of these practices remains below expectations. Mowo1 and kidist hilemichael ethiopian institute of agricultural research, p. The article contains information about the traditional soil conservation. Status of wetland ecosystems in ethiopia and required actions. Dubale said that soils in ethiopia are inherently fertile, but has been continuously. It can be improved through different soil and water conservation swc measures.
The reassessment presented in this paper also highlights the greater inportance of energy demands. Department of agriculture usda prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of. As in many other regions of ethiopia, soil infertility is a major challenge in benishangul gumuz due to repeated plowing. Pdf status of soil and water conservation practices in. Challenges to national park conservation and management in ethiopia. 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. Massive land rehabilitation and conservation effort have been implemented since mid. Dr mitiku is the corresponding author and can be contacted at mekelle. Federal democratic republic of ethiopia, addis ababa. Farmers perception on the role of vetiver grass in soil and water cons ervation in south western ethiopia. Fertilizer and soil fertility potential in ethiopia constraints and opportunities for enhancing the system. Among the slm intervention watersheds in ethiopia, geshy subcatchment is the one in which farmers have been suffering from the impacts of severe soil erosion due to lack of perceptions. The first type is composed of euritic nitosols and andosols and is found on portions of the western and eastern highlands.
Agenda status of soil resources in ethiopia overview of ethiopias soils program 2. As a result, significant improvements in the status of some biodiversity resources have been achieved. Indigenous agroforestry practices in southern ethiopia. Land degradation is a major concern in ethiopia since it leads to declining agricultural productivity, poverty and food insecurity.
In addition to improving soil fertility, water harvesting, enhancing the soilwater retention capacity and reducing soil erosion are measures that could significantly improve agricultural productivity in rainfed marginal environments. Although indigenous swc techniques date back to 400 bc, institutionalized swc activity in. Status of soil and water conservation practices in tigray region, ethiopia. Status of soil resources in ethiopia and priorities for sustainable management gsp for eastern and southern africa mar 2527, 20, nairobi, kenya. For effective conservation of soil and water, we must treat and use the. Soil and water conservation effects on soil properties in the. As a party to the convention and in fulfillment of its obligation, ethiopia has prepared its nbsap document. Soil erosion soil and water science university of florida.
This document defines the current status of, pressures on, options for, and priority action to ensure the conservation, sustainable use, and equitable share of. Soil and water conservation engineering, seventh edition. Factors influencing the adoption of soil and water conservation technologies. Soil and water conservation is the only practice to reverse the threat and protect the land. In ethiopia, conservation and sustainable utilization related activities are being conducted vigorously. It has a negative impact on agricultural economy and the natural environment taddese 2001 clearly explained that the major causes of land degradation in ethiopia are the rapid population increase, soil erosion, deforestation, low vegetative cover and unbalanced crop and livestock production. National policy on natural resources and the environment english abstract. Impact of physical soil and water conservation structure on. Ethiopia to estimate the soil losses by means of the revised universal soil loss 5 equation rusle. Impacts of soil and water conservation practices on.
Soil erosion and conservation in ethiopia sage journals. 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 chemical soil contamination. Status of wetland ecosystems in ethiopia and required. Fanya juu soil conservation structure on selected soil. Soil erosion is the main driver of land degradation in ethiopia, and in the whole. Overall there are 280 mammalian species and subspecies 31 are endemic. The guidelines for development agents on soil conservation in ethiopia has been in use for 30 years. Soil and water conservation effects on soil properties in. Land degradation, particularly soil erosion in ethiopia is a serious challenge in reduction of fertility status of soil, declining agricultural yields and a problem in food security and livelihood of farmers, of southern nations, nationalities and peoples regional statesnnprs as a whole a country. Status of wetland ecosystems in ethiopia and required actions for conservation getinet seid jimma university, college of agriculture and veterinary medicine, p. Assessment of the perception of development agents on the. Private consultant to the international food policy research institute. Status of soil resources in ethiopia andstatus of soil resources in ethiopia and priorities for sustainable management gsp for eastern and southern africa mar 2527, 20, nairobi, kenya 2. In the last two decades, various soil and water conservation interventions had been introduced in to different parts of ethiopia.
Impact of physical soil and water conservation structure. Soil erosion is the most dangerous ecological process observed in ethiopia, degrading. Center for food security studies, college of development studies, addis abeba university, ethiopia. The purpose of this paper is to identify erosion spot areas and target locations for appropriate development of soil and water conservation measures. Sep 07, 2015 soil erosion and conservation in ethiopia. Assessment of the effects of conservation practices on. In ethiopia, increasing the productivity of pulses presents an opportunity in reversing poverty and food insecurity. 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. A case study article pdf available november 20 with 45 reads how we measure reads.
College and coordinator of the project indigenous soil and water conservation in africa in ethiopia. Soil and water conservation in ethiopia springerlink. Methods for sustaining soil and water conservation measures in ethiopia. The impact of indigenous soil and water conservation practices on soil productivity. Department of natural resource management, adigrat university, ethiopia 2. Right after the 1992 rio conference ethiopia finalized a national conservation strategy also referred to as conservation strategy of ethiopia cse. In part, because pulses have the capacity to fix atmospheric nitrogen in soils and thus improve soil fertility and save fertilizer costs in subsequent crops serraj, 2004. These soils are formed from volcanic material and, with proper management, have medium to high potential for rainfed agriculture. On the other hand, the absence of soil conservation practice can lead to accelerating soil erosion and affect the components of physical.
This research was conducted in the koga watershed, near lake tana, in the catchment of a recently constructed dam. Soil degradation is one of the crucial issues in mountainous areas of ethiopia which needs efforts to reduce it. The region also faces other challenges such as heavy rains. Thus, soil and water conservation practices are becoming increasingly important in the arid and semiarid. Methods for sustaining soil and water conservation measures. Getachew agegnehu ethiopian institute of agricultural research. The soils of ethiopia can be classified into five principal types. Fieldwork and household survey were conducted to identify major determinants of soil erosion. Guidelines for soil quality assessment in conservation. Methods for sustaining soil and water conservation.
Agenda status of soil resources in ethiopia overview of ethiopia s soils program 2. Status of soil resources in ethiopia and priorities for sustainable management, ethiopian ata agricultural transformation agency 1. The ethiosis project gathered and analyzed soil samples from each of the ethiopias 18,000 agricultural kebeles, cataloging over 100,000 soil samples, to develop soil fertility maps and fertilizer recommendations for each region. Soil conservation is an important part of sustainable agriculture and food production, since it entails keeping soil from becoming a pollutant in the surface waters, and its ability to sieve and filter pollutants that would otherwise end up in drinking water. Paper cesp for ethiopia its purpose is to assess the extent of laud degradation in ethiopia, discuss its causes, analyze past attempts to remedy the problems, and suggest approprate faure. Transforming barren land through conservation agriculture. Soil erosion is one of the biggest global environmental problems resulting in both onsite and offsite effects. Over the last three decades, different soil and water conservation activities have been undertaken. Soil erosion assessment and control, ethiopia solid earth. Thesis paper on farmers perception on the role of vg for swc. Soil degradation is evident in the mountainous areas of ethiopia, is often represented as results of human pressure. The conserved landscape categories tfl and exa shown better clay content than the nonconserved landscape categories tfl and gl. Among the slm intervention watersheds in ethiopia, geshy subcatchment is the one in which farmers have been suffering from the impacts. Box 2003, addis ababa, ethiopia 1world agroforestry centre, p.
Ca through plant uptake, lowering the soil moisture content both by its dense root system and by making the soil hydrophobic and taking light away from the crop due to its dense and long canopy. 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. In the present day ethiopia soil and water conservation occupies a very important place. This study documented species riches of endemic large mammals and their biogeography, conservation status and threats in ethiopia. 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. Status of soil resources in ethiopia and priorities for sustainable. What are the main drivers behind ethiopian farmers soil. 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. Causes, impacts and rehabilitation techniques temesgen gashaw 1, amare bantider 2 and hagos gsilassie 1 1.
Endemic large mammals melaku tefera college of veterinary medicine, p. However, soil erosion still persists and become major threats of the southern regional state. Also deals on the role of water and soil conservation for sustainable. 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. Soil and water conservation is the basis of such a program, and also helps improve land impoverished by erosion and overusemakes it more productive so that it can support more people. The impact of soil and water conservation for improved. This report evaluates the state of the natural resources, the environment and the development in ethiopia, and examines the interconnected causes. Soil conservation objectives can be met through a varety of both biological and structural soil.
The article shows results of an international and interdisciplinary project with the title rainfall and its erosivity in ethiopia. Factors influencing the adoption of soil and water. This report evaluates the state of the natural resources, the environment and the development in ethiopia, and examines the interconnected causes and effects of the existing situation. Box, 307, jimma, ethiopia abstract ecosystem services lie at the heart of interactions between society and nature. Metu district abstract land degradation is one of the major challenges in agricultural production in many parts of the world, especially in developing nations like ethiopia. Soil conservation activities in tigray, ethiopia umb. Slashandburn and other unsustainable methods of subsistence farming are practiced in some lesser developed areas. Farmers knowledge of soil fertility and local management. This practice leads to increased soil erosion and a reduced ability to retain water and nutrients. At least six national swcrelated programs have been initiated since the 1970s and their focus. The government of ethiopia climate resilient green economy strategy also outlines the integration of agroforestry systems in to forage l, croplands, expansion of egumes green energy sources, forest and biodiversity conservation are believed to ensure the sustained development of the indigenous agroforestry practices of the country. The main objective of the soil conservation research project scrp is to support, through research, experimentation, and training, soil and water conservation development activities in ethiopia, especially those of the community forests and soil conservation development.
Improving nutrition in ethiopia through plant breeding and. Farmers perception of soil erosion and adoption of soil. Soil conservation service along witha system of soil and water conservation districts. This investigation has also demonstrated on the effects of different methods of soil and water conservations applied on the physical and chemical properties of soil in the middle silluh valley, northern ethiopia. Land management, erosion problems and soil and water. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for. 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 design of diversion canals above gully heads, and to work with local communities to reclaim gullies. Impacts of soil and water conservation practices on livelihood. Rehabilitation and restoration of degraded areas, afforestation and. Soil quality assessment soil quality assessment in conservation planning united states department of agriculture natural resources conservation service soil quality institute january 2001 the u. Descriptive statistics of soil and water conservation techniques. Soil erosion is one of the major challenges of ethiopia deteriorating the productivity of land. The majority of pumps are diesel ones against manual ones, the majority. Regarding the treatment of gullies, which are a serious environmental and social problem in the.
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