Challenges of Soil and Water Conservation Practices and Measure to be Undertaken the Case of Wuchale District North Shewa Zone, Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia
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Date
2014-10
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
Soil and water conservation in Ethiopia was not only closely related to the improvement and conservation of ecological environment, but also to the sustainable development of its agricultural sectors and its economy at large. In the study field survey, questionnaire an interviews were conducted to collect the necessary data from 122 sample households; which were selected via simple random sampling and purposively from four kebeles of Bole Becho, Bosoke Jate, Iluna-egu-Kura, and Ielu-Iteya. The household survey questionnaire data have tabulated, and summarized by utilizing the basic statistical package for social science (SPSS). The result shows that farmers of the study area were not participating on SWC activities by their interest (voluntary) but by the force of community leader, DAs, and district administrative order they are participate on the practices. The study revealed that factors such as; slope of the area, tenure status, age, gender, education status of households, land size, lack of information, level of contact with DA, lack of awareness, length of food secured months etc; are influence the practices of soil and water conservation structure. The farmer destruct the SWC method because of searching fertile soil, to join their plot of land, for need to avail more land, to destroy hiding places of rodent pests, removing a bund about to collapse etc. They said that when the risers become big, it cover large area that makes the cropland narrower, fertile soil were used for construction, and it allows weeds to cover the farmland. Soil bund, micro basin, improved pit, terraces, water way, cut off drain, drip irrigation and compost are the soil and water conservation structure practiced by farmers and DAs on small farm land to improve the fertility of soil. As the result of the study indicates to decrease the challenges of SWC in the study area of wuchale district, the DAs, and experts of the natural resource of the area advice farmers as it is not important to destroy the terrace bench, soil bunds etc;. They advise, as it would be better to redevelop the existing terraces and supporting them with other soil fertility and SWC methods and train the farmers to change the low awareness they have on SWC practices
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Geography and Environmental Studies