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