Integrating Indigenous Knowledge with Modern Technologies for Sustainable Land Management: The case of Soil and Water Conservation and Soil Fertility Improvement Practices in Enerata KPA, East Gojjam.
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Date
2007
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
The population 0/ Enerata kebele pe1iorms traditional subsistence Agriculture. But, the
agricullural praclice has been affected by land degradalion mainly through soil erosion and
soil fertility dec/ille. 111 this rural kebele, the problem has become more severe since recent
times. [t is being aggravated by Ihe na/ure o/lhe slope, land ji-agmenlation and population
pressures. JI/ addition, the cause of the problem is multi-faceted alld interrelated. The
magnitude a/the problem is also severe. To manage th is. fa rmers of the study area have been
practicing their 0\-1111 know/edge for several gell eraNOI1S. So, the study has attempted to
explore Ihe widely implemenled land management praclices o/the sludy area. It has focused
Oil soil and water conservation Gild soil fertility improvement practices. Moreover, the study
has involved both the traditional a1ld modern land lIulllagell1elll practices. To address the
objectives, qualitative research methods have largely been employed through qualitative
descriptions. Various lools 0/ data col/eclion such as houseirold surveys(out 0/1545 peasant
households, 90 of them were randomly selected, using simple random sampling procedure
and 5 model /armers were proportionalely ineluded, I ji-om each village), field observalions,
focus group discllssions and key informant interview were used. Accordingly, the traditional
land management measures identified during the study ine/ude traditional ditches (feses 'j,
traditional cut-off drains ('tekebekeb), traditional check dams ('bahilawi kitir ), crop
rOlatioll, cultivating Lupilles lupine ('gibto 'j, traditiollall11G1ll1ring, etc.
011 the other hand, the modern land mallagemelltlechnologies were introduced to the farmers
via conservation experts and development agellts. These are diversion ditches, agro-foreSl1Y
practices, chemical/ertilizers, compost and Ihe like. Neverth eless, it iras been /ound out thaI
the outcome has 1I0t beell as expected and the problem of soil degradatiol/ has continued. As
a result, land productivity Itas beell declini1lg. Based 011 tlte study, one of the major reasons
for Ihe problelll is tire lack 0/ appreciation and recognition offanners ' traditional knowledge
in modern land management efforts. The indigenous knowledge offirrlllel's in the area has 1101
yet been jirl/y considered ill the design and implemelltation of modern cOllservatioll
technologies. 17,e sllldy iras also confirmed lirat jilrmers have valuable knowledge abolll the
type 0/ slopes, soil condilions. vegetalion cover and socio-cultllral selling.l· 0/ tireir local
envirollment, wMclt is cOlltailled in their tradiliollal practices. Hmvever, their practices lIeed
some kind of improvements. It has also beel/ ;,zvestigated fhat both the traditional measures
((lid the modern lalld mallagemelll techl/ologies of the study area have strength alld limitatioll.
Therefore, cOllsidering the traditiollall1leasures ill the desigll Gnd implemelltatioll of modeI'll
land management technologies lIlay reduce the severity of the problem. This cOllld help to
achieve betler results.
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Keywords
Modern Technologies