Challenges and extents of Soil and Water Conservation measures in Guba-Lafto Woreda of North Wollo, Ethiopia

Abstract

This study was conducted to assess the main challenges and extents of implementation of soil and water conservation measures (SWC) measures in Guba-Lafto Woreda of North Wollo, Ethiopia. Two case study kebeles were purposively selected representing Dega (highland) and Woina dega (midland) agro ecological zones. A total of 130 households were selected for farmer level assessment of the main challenges and level of implementation of SWC measures. The study found that the major SWC measures being employed in were physical SWC measures (stone bund, hillside terrace, micro water ponds, stone faced soil bund, check dam, and fanya-juu terrace); agronomic conservation measures (contour farming, agroforestry, mixed cropping, and crop rotation) ; and biological conservation measures (afforestation, area closure, and grass strip). This study also indicates that, even if the adopted SWC measures were essential to enhance soil fertility, lack of awareness on SWC, land shortage, labour shortage, and wealth status of the farmers were challenging the households to implement SWC practices on their farmlands. Following these, farmers need to be encouraged to implement SWC measures through the use of the productive safety net and Food-for Work payments. Ethiopian federal and local governments should also support and encourage different interventions like increasing fallowing period, reducing intensive cultivation in hilly land, integrated use of SWC practices, and extension of micro-irrigation systems to replenish the degraded soil characteristics and to improve crop production.