Determinants of Soil and Water Conservation Measures in Koga Watershed in Northern Highland of Ethiopia, Upper Blue Nile Basin, Ethiopia.

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Date

2020-06

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Addis Ababa University

Abstract

This study was conducted to assess the main determinants of implementation of soil and water conservation measures in Koga watershed, northern highlands of Ethiopia in upper Blue Nile Basin. Two case study kebeles were selected using stratified random sampling to represent the upper site of the watershed dega (highland) and middle site of the watershed which has woina dega agro ecological zones. A total of 132 households were selected for simple random sampling techniques for farmer’s level assessment of the main determinants of implementation of soil and water conservation measures. The study found that the major soil and water conservation measures being employed where physical soil and water conservation which is stone bound, hillside terrace, micro water ponds, stone faced soil bund, check dam and fanya –juu terrace and also agronomic conservation measures which is contour farming, agroforestry, mixed cropping and crop rotation; and biological conservation measures like afforestation, area closure and grass strip are well implemented. This study also indicates that, even if the adopted soil and water conservation measures were essential to enhance soil fertility, lack of awareness on soil and water conservation, land shortage, lack of road infrastructure in soil and water conservation measure implemented area and wealth statues of the farmers were determining the household level to implement soil and water conservation practices in their farmlands. Farmers need to be encouraged to implement soil and water conservation measures through the use of the productive incentive work payments. Ethiopian federal and local government should also support and encourage different interventions like increasing following period, reducing intensive cultivation in hilly land, integrated use of soil and water conservation practices and extension of micro irrigation systems to replenish the degraded land characteristics, to improve crop production and decrease sediment load to Koga dam.

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Keywords

soil, water, conservation, adoption, determinants, measures, Koga watershed

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