Degradation of soil is done by erosion wind and water, biological degradation, physical degradation referring to the over loss of structure and changes in permeability and chemical degradation, this refers to acidification, declining fertility, changes in ph levels, salinization and chemical toxicity. Economics of land degradation and improvement in ethiopia. Land degradation and rehabilitation in ethiopia world bank. However, the degradation of soils is one of the crucial issues of environmental damage, not only at the local scale but also at the global scale hurni, 2002. This presentation will cover the main questions of why this is happening and answers that could help and control ethiopias land and overpopulation problems. Soil degradation is a consequence of intensive land use management, which is assumed to be caused by human impact, poverty, and a response to economic opportunities at the global level lambin et al. This study is aimed at analyzing farmers perception and adaptation to climate change in the dabus watershed. Study by wakene and heluf 2003 have examined the impacts of different land uses on soil qualities and the study indicated, the rate of soil quality degradation depends on land use systems, soil types. Effect of land use land cover changes on the forest. Deforestation and land degradation on the ethiopian highlands.
Research by the economics of land degradation initiative in 2015 calculated that soil degradation is. The article contains information about the traditional soil conservation practices, the reasons for intervention with traditional soil conservation technologies, the historical background of instutionalized soil conservation activities, the institutional. The ethiopian soil campaign was launched in june 2015 with the theme of healthy soils for healthy life. Effects of land use changes on soil quality and native. The dominant man induced causes of land degradation in ethiopia are poor farming practices, population pressure, overgrazing, over cultivation, soil erosion, deforestation, salinity and alkalinity problems, and the use of livestock manure and crop residue for fuel as energy resource of the rural households. The fast growing population of ethiopia is playing significant role in. The soil and water resources of ethiopia although, still rich, is going through fast degradation processes. Soilerosioninduced land degradation is a great challenge in the ethiopian highlands. Effects of soil degradation by modeling the decomposition of soil organic matter dynamics, crop systems models can simulate the effects of soil nutrient depletion under lowinput extractive field management practices, as well as soil carbon sequestration under regenerative management practices. Research article soil quality assessment strategies for evaluating soil degradation in northern ethiopia gebreyesusbrhanetesfahunegn 1,2 college of agriculture, aksum universityshire campus,shire, ethiopia center for development research zef, university of bonn, walterflex street no. The following report will be assessing the socioeconomic as well as the environmental impacts of soil erosion and land degradation impacts in the ethopian highlands of tigray. Stocktaking understanding desertification, land degradation and drought dldd land is a vital resource for producing food and other ecosystem goods and services including conserving.
Soil mapping and process modeling for sustainable land use management, 2017. Overview on degradation of land due to overgrazing in ethiopia. Whilst soil degradation is recognised as a major aspect of land degradation, other processes which affect the productive capacity of cropland, rangeland and forests, such as lowering of the water table and deforestation, are captured by the concept of land degradation. Consequently, the government has invested in soil and water conservation swc measures, mainly farmland terracing and exclosure of degraded lands. An estimated 7075% of ethiopias livestock population is concentrated in the highlands. Introduction two environmental problems in ethiopia would be soil degradation and overpopulation. Soil degradation refers to the decline in quantity and quality of soil. Soil and water resources and degradation factors affecting. Land degradation can be prevented through different mechanisms depending up on the nature and form of degradation.
Research article soil quality assessment strategies for. Soil erosioninduced land degradation is a great challenge in the ethiopian highlands. Specialists in soil and water conservation, rainwater harvesting and rangeland restoration from west, east and southern africa discussed in various working groups a large number of the so called best practices with respect to their adoption potential and limitations, advantages and disadvantages. Land degradation is threatening biological resources and agricultural productivity, the.
Estimated gross soil loss rates by land cover type. Even though a number of soil and water conservation methods were introduced to combat land degradation, adoption of these practices remains below expectations. Topography, soil types and agroecological parameters are playing significant role in the degradation processes influenced by man. Land degradation is an important problem in ethiopia, with more than 85 % of the land degraded to various degrees. Effects of land use changes on soil quality and native flora degradation and restoration in the highlands of ethiopia. Soil quality sq degradation continues to challenge sustainable development throughout the world. An assessment of smallholder soil and water conservation. The major causes of land degradation in ethiopia are the rapid population increase, severe soil loss, deforestation, low vegetative cover and unbalanced crop and. Pdf the effect of soil degradation on agricultural. Soil quality assessment strategies for evaluating soil. Instead of using indigenous practices to deal with environmental catastrophes, african governments and policy makers prefer to. Degraded soils have a health status such, that they do not provide the normal goods and services of the particular soil in its ecosystem. The paper estimates the effect of soil degradation on crop yields for dominant cereals in ethiopia at a nationwide level and analyses its relation with population density and fertiliser use.
The effects of fanya juu soil conservation structure on. Soil erosion soil and water science university of florida. Land degradation and soil and water conservation in. Usaid united states agency for international development. A case study in the denku microwatershed oromia region by kassu kebede beyene submitted in accordance with the requirement for the degree of masters in human ecology at the university of south africa supervisor. According to45 the aim of soil and water conservation is both addressing proper use of soil and maintaining its productive capacity by minimizing soil degradation rate. Nature and causes of land degradation in the oromiya region core. Ethiopia soil degradation and overpopulation essay 2146 words. Soil quality assessment strategies for evaluating soil degradation in northern ethiopia table 4 principal component analysis results using 25 potential soil quality indicators to evaluate eight lusms in the mainegus catchment, northern ethiopia. The objective was to assess and identify an effective sq indicator dataset from among 25 soil measurements, appropriate. Using eucalyptus for soil and water conservation on the highland vertisols of ethiopia. Title page abstract introduction conclusions references tables figures j i j i back close full screen esc printerfriendly version interactive discussion abstract soil erosion is the main driver of land degradation in ethiopia, and in the whole region of east africa.
The loss of soil, and the deterioration in fertility, moisture storage capacity, and structure of the remaining soils, all reduce the countrys agricultural productivity. The recorded annual soil erosion surface soil movement in ethiopia ranges from low of 16 tonshayr to high of 300 tonshayr depending. Livestock is the integral component of the agriculture on which 80% of the population depends. It is based on analysis of data collected from 734 randomly selected farm householdheads substantiated with focus group discussions and field observations. Federal democratic republic of ethiopia ethiopia land. Federal democratic republic of ethiopia ethiopia land degradation neutrality national report degraded land under pressure in hintalowajirat district, south eastern zone, tigray region, ethiopia 2015 photo by yared shumete this report summarizes the key outcomes of the national efforts carried out in 2014 and 2015 towards. Watershed degradation not only decreased land productivity but also increased social problems sertse, 2007, darghouth et al. Overview on degradation of land due to overgrazing in. Previously implemented soil and water conservation practice were not halted the threat, because it was mass mobilization without detailed study of real situation and without convicting farmers. Soil degradation is thus the most immediate environmental problem facing ethiopia. There are varieties of soil erosion, and rill and interrill erosion are the recurrent types of water erosion, involving detachment, transport, and accumulation of soil particles to a new. Recent estimates using satellite imagery show that land degradation hotspots over the last three decades cover about 23 % of the land area in the country. Forests enhance the recharge of aquifers in some locales.
Deforestation reduces soil cohesion, so that erosion, flooding and landslides ensue. Soil erosion is one facet of land degradation that affects the physical and chemical properties of soils. Understanding desertification, land degradation and drought dldd land is a vital resource for producing food and other ecosystem goods and services including conserving biodiversity, regulating hydrological regimes, cycling soil nutrients, and storing carbon, among others. In ethiopia, soil degradation in the form of soil erosion and soil fertility loss is a serious challenge to agricultural productivity and economic growth mulugeta, 2004. Farmers perception of climate change and adaptation.
These soils are formed from volcanic material and, with proper management, have medium to high potential for rainfed agriculture. In ethiopia, soil erosion by water constitutes the most widespread and damaging process of soil degradation woldeamlak, 2003. Still land degradation lingers and presents the greatest threat to the survival of the nation d. The first type is composed of euritic nitosols and andosols and is found on portions of the western and eastern highlands. Soil degradation is defined as a change in the soil health status resulting in a diminished capacity of the ecosystem to provide goods and services for its beneficiaries.
Ethiopia soil degradation and overpopulation essay 2146. Soil conservation and water harvesting rain foundation. The study employed descriptive methods to assess farmers perception of climate change, localindicators of climate change and. Status of selected physicochemical properties of soils under. Land degradation and rehabilitation in ethiopia society at large is also suffering from uncertain information about the rates of land use change and land degradation.
Solutions need to be developed and introduced which address both issues simultaneously. According to the global assessment of soil degradation map. In ethiopia erosion and land degradation on the livelihood resource had become a key issue, resulted for food insecurity and difficult to break through the poverty gap using subsistence farming. This is indeed the most visible effect of soil degradation, but does not cover all of its aspects. Soil erosion and land degradation have been a severe problem in the ethiopian highlands due to dense population, high livestock density and intensive crop production in the area. Effectiveness of soil and water conservation measures for. Cause of land degradation and its impacts on livelihoods of.
Soil erosion is the main driver of land degradation in ethiopia, and in the whole region of east africa. Effect of land use land cover changes on the forest resources. Both extent and severity of the problem of land degradation spatial variations depending on different relief, ecology, rainfall, land use, land cover and soil types being as proximate and underlying causes. Usually land degrad ation is described in terms of the loss. The annual soil loss of the watershed extends from 0 at koga reservoir to 265 t ha. Soil erosion is a natural process in mountainous areas, but is often made much worse by poor management practices. International conference on the contemporary development issues in ethiopia, cadpr, and western michigan university. Effects of land use changes on soil quality and native flora. Land degradation is, however, difficult to grasp in its totality. By modeling the decomposition of soil organic matter dynamics, crop systems models can simulate the effects of soil nutrient depletion under lowinput extractive field management practices, as well as soil carbon sequestration under regenerative management practices. The article shows results of an international and interdisciplinary project with the title rainfall and its erosivity in ethiopia.
Soil erosion is a common term that is often confused with soil degradation as a whole, but in fact refers only to absolute soil losses in terms of topsoil and nutrients. A soil degradation index is derived from an ordered qualitative classification on the degree of. Also, soil degradation has forced people to cultivate soils that were previously under forest cover. The distribution of loans was organized by integrating a geographic information systembased land degradation priority map with the communities judgments and land tenure maps. Soil loss estimation using gis and remote sensing techniques. It can be improved through different soil and water conservation swc measures. Status of selected physicochemical properties of soils. Soil and water resources and degradation factors affecting their productivity in the ethiopian highland agroecosystems. Excessive irrigation and outdated tilling practices reduce the amount of nutrients in the soil and make it less fertile for natural vegetation and agricultural purposes. Soil erosion has been severe throughout the highlands, but mainly on agricultural land.
The degradation of nutrients in soil is often a result of poorly conducted farming and agricultural practices that lead to soil erosion. This campaign is spearheaded by the ethiopian federal ministry of agriculture and natural resources in collaboration with the ministry of environment and forestry, ministry of environment and forest, unfao and international nongovernmental organizations. Soil loss by runoff is a severe ecological problem occupying 56% of the world wide area. Most types of soil degradation can be prevented or reversed by adding nutrients to nutrient depleted soil, rebuilding topsoil through soil amendments, reestablishing vegetation, or buffering soil acidity scherr and yadav 1996. Soil erosion is one of the features of watershed degradation. The study analyzes the extent of forest conversion and soil degradation in the two farming systems. Socioeconomic impact assessment of integrated watershed. Table i below clarifics the elrs estimate that net losses from cropland still amount to about 100.
The paper suggests some rules of thumb for identifying the priority areas for government and donor intervention, including the need for targeted research on the productivity. Soil erosion is the most widespread form of land degradation in the region and most research on understanding the degradation process and finding a solution to. Soil degradation needs to be recognised, alongside climate change, as one of the most pressing problems facing humanity. Agriculture in ethiopia is the foundation of the countrys economy, accounting for half of gross domestic product gdp, 83.
Soil degradation refers to negative changes in the physical, chemical, and biological properties of the soil, whereas vegetation degradation is the reduction in the number of species and the vegetational composition. Deforestation and land degradation on the ethiopian. Land degradation is one of the major challenges in agricultural production in many parts of the world, especially in developing nations like ethiopia. Adoption driver and constraints of resource conservation. This property is very essential and could be an opportunity for farmers especially where the soil degradation and nutrient depletion is the main causes of low agricultural productivity and high. Farming households knowledge and perception on soil. The soils of ethiopia can be classified into five principal types. Strategies will be assessed as to the help ethiopia needs from inside and outside sources. Soil conservation activities in tigray, ethiopia umb. Farmers perception on soil erosion and land degradation problems and management practices in the beressa watershed of ethiopia. One reason is that degradation indicators such as soil quality index sqi are neither well documented nor used to evaluate current land use and soil management systems lusms. Land use dynamics, soil degradation and potential for sustainable use in metu area, illubabor region, ethiopia.
The fast growing population of ethiopia is playing significant role in hastening land. Soil and water conservation in ethiopia springerlink. Land degradation is a great threat for the future and it requires great effort and resources to ameliorate. Very severe soil loss was observed in the narrower steep slope upper part of the watershed at a rate that exceeds the tolerable soil loss limit. While losses are uneven this represents a loss of 4 mm of soil a year, twenty or more times. The impact of soil erosion and land degradation in ethiopia. Land degradation is exhibited as deforestation, decreasing biodiversity resources, soil moisture stress as well as soil erosion. Causes and impacts of land degradation and desertification. Ethiopia soil degradation and overpopulation writework. The physical parameters are primarily organic matter content.
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