Assessment of Soil Erosion and Its Effects on Agricultural Productivity: The Case of Machackel Woreda, East Gojjam Zone, Ethiopia
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Date
2020-06
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
Soil Erosion has been a serious problem in Ethiopia and Its impediment on economic development
persists more than three decades. This thesis studies to quantify the impact of soil erosion on crop yields
using the results of a Machakel woreda, East Gojjam Zone Ketech watershed catchment. The research is
to assess the extent of soil erosion and its effect on agricultural productivity, the perception and
knowledge of people on soil erosion and gully. Both qualitative and quantitative data were collected.
Quantitative data was collected from satellite images and household surveying and qualitative data
collected from focus group discussion, key informant interview, and field observation. Descriptive,
inferential, and econometric were employed for quantitative analysis while description, narration and
content analysis were engaged for qualitative analysis. The findings of the study deal with the amount of
average annual soil loss by using the RUSLE model used in Arc GIS images converted to quantitatively
measurement of Ketech watershed 612, 561.3 t. yr‾¹. In the study of the gully erosion, AGERTIM
(assessment of gully erosion rates through interview and measurement) has been developed. It comprises
physical field measurement of the current volume and monitoring semi-structured interview techniques:
womberet, Ketech, shembeqogelebet (a) and (b):Womberet, gully started around 1979, gradual change
from cropland which started from fox digging small holes and grew into gully which increases rapidly
and the average gully erosion rate in 33 years was found to be 168,921 m²/yr, the amount of soil
loss.,Ketech gully incision in 1984, small rill canals to grown gully through farming practice formulates
in two adjacent croplands average gully volume erosion rates in 29 years was 9093 m²/yr, the total soil
loss estimated and the total soil loss of the other two-volume of gully erosion rate is estimated to be 3,500
m²/yr. The perception of farmers to pertain the vulnerability of livelihood to consider food security faces
to challenge soil erosion demarcates different reasons through the nature of demographic, level socioeconomic, institutional and topographic factors significantly related with soil erosion was established
determinants (sex, education, landholding size, experience, access to training, credit access, soil
conservation, and extension service and family size) logit statistically significant association of analysis
variables employed to determine for farmers‗ perception showed that landholding size, condition of
education and farmers experience were significant factors of determining farmers` perception of soil
erosion in the study area. To explain in the Agro-ecological zone, high land areas assure to field
observation sever rill erosion, sheet and gully erosion comparatively aggravate in high land areas, high
rainfall/high run-off and steep slope (>0.5%) down-land based on the nature of soil type is luvisols of
high possibility of eroded(0.35), its severity increase from time to time. so, community integrated
participation soil conservation practice is the priority concern.
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Keywords
soil erosion, gully erosion, agricultural production, RUSLE, GIS, soil water conservation.