Almost all estimates of cost relate to the loss of soil and of nutrients from agricultural or grazing lands. Land 2018, 7, 25 3 of 25 using similar techniques in the holeta watershed in central oromia, ethiopia. Besides human activity like deforestation, overgrazing, mining, soils are degraded by nature during drought or floods. Pdf deforestation and land degredation in the ethiopian. Cost of land degradation in ethiopia efd initiative. Soil erosion is the most widespread form of land degradation in the region and. Deforestation, accelerated soil erosion, and land degradation are serious problems in ethiopia. The older agricultural areas of the northeast have long been particularly affected, but the highest soil erosion rates are currently being observed in the western parts of the high lands. Land degradation and rehabilitation in ethiopia world bank.
Prevention and remediation of soil erosion and degradation. A considerable volume of information has been produced since the mid1980s regarding soil erosion in ethiopia barbier 1989. A problem with defining land degradation is that what one group of people might view as degradation, others might view as a benefit or opportunity. Farmers perception on land degradation in northern ethiopia. The complexity and fragility of ethiopias landscape makes its soil highly susceptible to land degradation and consequently the serious negative impact on farmers livelihood and food security status. Several studies have shown that soil loss by water erosion is highly attributed to onsite and offsite effects e. Oct 20, 2016 among the ssa countries, ethiopia has a high level of soil erosion mekonnen et al. In this report, land degradation is defined as a negative trend 4 in land condition, caused by direct or indirect humaninduced processes. Land degradation soil degradation is the decline in soil quality caused by its improper use, usually for agricultural, pastoral, industrial or urban purposes. Soil degradation is a global environmental problem which started since the innovation of agriculture by human kind.
For example, planting crops at a location with heavy rainfall and steep slopes would create scientific and environmental concern regarding the risk of soil erosion by water, yet farmers could view. The central highlands of ethiopia are characterized as a region of high rates of land degradation and soil erosion. Ethiopia is known for its historic agriculture, but also for the associated, widespread, and ongoing land degradation. Leaving unploughed land strips between ploughed ones, known as strip cropping, also help reduce erosion. The different processes of degradation could also result in synergistic and cumulative effects on the. Soil erosion is one of the physical processes of soil degradation and is the most widespread form of land degradation globally, as about 87% of the worlds degraded soils are ascribed to soil erosion fao, 1994, katyal and vlek, 2000. But, in the field, further variables are used as indicators of the occurrence of soil degradation. Most cost estimates of land degradation do not distinguish between soil erosion, soil degradation and land degradation in their analyses.
Natural resources degradation is closely linked to community livelihood. Destruction of natural vegetation cover is a major factor responsible for erosion of soils by water and wind. Land degradation in the ethiopian highlands royal museum for. Inappropriate land use systems and land tenure policies enhance desertification and loss of. Index termsanthropogenic factors, crop production, deforestation, erosion, land degradation, livelihoods. The results indicated that almost all of the respondents perceived soil erosion as a serious land degradation. In many economic analyses, there is a tendency to attribute soil fertility decline only to soil erosion. Land degradation, soil erosion and soil conservation pmf ias. Inappropriate landuse systems and landtenure policies enhance desertification and loss of. One third of the worlds agricultural soils, or roughly 2 billion hectares of land, was reported as being affected by soil. Application of dpsir framework for assessment of land. Use land degradation risk to prioritize investments and build donor commitment plus grassroots participation to longterm engagement in the study area.
However, almost all of them confirmed that soil erosion can be controlled. A large part of the woredas land is exposed to severe soil erosion, land fragmentation, deforestation and land pressure. Impacts of soil and water conservation practices on. Among the ssa countries, ethiopia has a high level of soil erosion mekonnen et al. Land degradation is an important problem in ethiopia, with more than 85 % of the land degraded to various degrees. Farmers perception of soil erosion and adoption of soil. For instance, a degraded watershed has a few or limited. Soil erosion and land degradation have been increasing in ethiopian highlands due to the existence of arable land 90 %, high human population 90% and livestock density 60% which resulted in. Land degradation is a complex phenomenon influenced by natural and socioeconomic factors. Spatial modeling of soil erosion risk and its implication. 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 objective of this study was to investigate how farmers perceive the severity of soil erosion in the upper blue nile basin. Economics of land degradation and improvement in ethiopia. This natural process is caused by the dynamic activity of erosive agents, that is, water, ice glaciers, snow, air wind, plants, animals, and humans.
Soil erosion, overgrazing over browsing 20 bare land and other areas remain stable but stressed 1,806,350. The ethiopian highland studies revealed that the ethiopian highlands, which cover 44% of the countrys. Cause of land degradation and its impacts on livelihoods of. Continued soil erosion seriously threatens peoples livelihoods, especially in drought. Soil erosion is a significant problem in the ethiopian highlands. It encompasses physical soil erosion, chemical salinity and alkalinity, pollution and biological deterioration pollution and. Research by the economics of land degradation initiative in.
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. Soil erosion is a particular physical process that causes land and soil degradation, and refers to the wearing away of the land surface by water andor wind as well. 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. Research by the economics of land degradation initiative in 2015 calculated that soil degradation is. Oct 20, 2016 soil erosion is a significant problem in the ethiopian highlands. Cause of land degradation and its impacts on livelihoods.
Cause of land degradation and its impacts on livelihoods of the population in toke kutaye woreda, ethiopia feyera deresa tsetadirgachew legesse. May 01, 2019 land degradation soil degradation is the decline in soil quality caused by its improper use, usually for agricultural, pastoral, industrial or urban purposes. Economics of land degradation eld ethiopia case study. Pdf farmers perception about soil erosion in ethiopia. Soil erosion, with its associated loss of fertility and rooting depth, water resource degradation and loss. The soil integrates a variety of important processes involving vegetation growth, overland flow of water, infiltration, land use and land management.
Land degradation in ethiopia is a result of complex and interacting processes including adverse changes in soils, water, vegetation, biodiversity, and local climatic resources 58. Soil erosion is the displacement of the upper layer of soil, it is one form of soil degradation. Land degradation is a process in which the value of the biophysical environment is affected by a combination of humaninduced processes acting upon the land. Soil erosion and deposition values were estimated using pixel based. Desertification asoil erosion aslope processes asoil and water conservation. Instant access to millions of titles from our library and its free to try. The study is based on a detailed survey of 300 households and 1,010 plots owned by these households in three watersheds. Land degradation is the temporary or permanent lowering of the productive capacity of land unep, 1992b. Introduction thiopia is among the poorest country where land degradation. This study aimed to estimate total amount of soil loss and sediment yield using rusle model within gis environment.
Soil conservation objectives can be met through a varety of both biological and structural soil conservation measures. According to global assessment of soil degradation glasod, deforestation is the main cause of soil erosion by wind in about 98% of the area. Land degradation manifests itself through soil erosion. This is particularly worrisome since, according to the uns food and agriculture organization, some 83% of subsaharan african people depend on the land for their livelihood, and food production in africa will have to increase almost 100.
In accordance with these agents, erosion is sometimes divided into water erosion, glacial. Soil erosion and land degradation have been increasing in ethiopian highlands due to the existence of arable land 90 %, high human. All books are in clear copy here, and all files are secure so dont worry about it. Land degradation in ethiopia is also linked with soil nutrient loss due to continuous cropping with poor management practices 19. Farmers perception about soil erosion in ethiopia nigussie. To overcome these problems, efforts have been made to launch afforestation and conservation programs. Soil degradation is a serious global environmental problem and may be exacerbated by climate change. The complexity and fragility of ethiopia s landscape makes its soil highly susceptible to land degradation and consequently the serious negative impact on farmers livelihood and food security status. Land 2018, 7, 25 2 of 25 irregular terrain and surface topography are the other causes of soil erosion.
Also, soil degradation has forced people to cultivate soils that were previously under. Soil mapping and process modeling for sustainable land use management, 2017. As estimates of the severity of land degradation in ethiopia vary so do cost estimates. Deforestation causes fast degradation when the soil is steep sloppy or easily erodible. Case study in the chemoga watershed, blue nile basin, ethiopia. Spatial modeling of soil erosion risk and its implication for. This chapter addresses the status and causes of land degradation in northern ethiopia over the last century. At present there is more cultivated land in the highlands region of ethiopia in.
The most effective method to prevent erosion is to increase the vegetation cover on soil, thus preventing wind and water erosion. Nov 12, 2015 ethiopia experiences several types of land degradation ranging from water and wind erosion. As a result, the soil becomes unable to satisfy the rapidly growing demands of population. Also, soil degradation has forced people to cultivate soils that were previously under forest cover. Soil erosion may also impose externalities often negative in areas away from the point of degradation. The district has been exploited and degraded continuously. Deforestation and land degradation on the ethiopian. Federal democratic republic of ethiopia ethiopia land. Recent reports on the several dimensions and processes of land degradation in ethiopia reveal. Soil loss from conventionally tilled land exceeds the rate of soil formation by 15 2 orders of magnitude medium confidence. Soil erosion is a gradual process, which leads to removal of soil nutrients and declining soil depth. Soil erosion definition the removal of the top soil cover by water, wind and human activities is called soil erosion. Thus, the above classification indicates that land degradation in ethiopia is caused by the interaction of many forces figure 1 and 2.
This study takes the degradation of soil resources as its focus. The decline in land productivity the onsite effect is the major cost of soil erosion in smallholder agriculture. Effect of soil and water conservation measures on land. Soil degradation needs to be recognised, alongside climate change, as one of the most pressing problems facing humanity. The global mechanism 2007 estimated that over 85 % of the land in ethiopia is moderately to very severely degraded, and about 75 % is affected by desertification. Erosion is treated as the sole contributing factor to soilland degradation and yield declines, as the impacts of nutrient depletion on crop yields are underestimated. Yigezu atnafe, international livestock research institute ilri, addis ababa. In addition, land degradation directly affected the type. These key drivers are also mentioned as the main causes of land degradation in the nap to combat desertification document of ethiopia.
Bewket, w, teferi, e 2009 assessment of soil erosion hazard and prioritization for treatment at the watershed level. Soil compaction, low organic matter, loss of soil structure, poor internal drainage, salinisation and soil acidity problems are other serious soil degradation conditions that can accelerate the soil erosion. It is viewed as any change or disturbance to the land perceived to be deleterious or undesirable. The most common form of land degradation in ethiopia is soil erosion by water.
The loss of soil, and the deterioration in fertility, moisture storage capacity, and structure of the remaining soils, all reduce the countrys agricultural productivity. Degraded soil diminishes food production and leads to soil erosion, which in turn contributes to desertification. Deforestation and land degradation on the ethiopian highlands. Land degradation is a great threat for the future and it requires great effort and resources to ameliorate. Furthermore, israel 70 reported the mean annual soil loss rate of 58. These are the proximate and interacting or root causes. Within short horizontal distances, climates from tropical to subhumid and subtropical to arctic can occur krauer. Solutions need to be developed and introduced which address both issues simultaneously. Land degradation is the common environmental problem in ethiopia. 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. Farmlevel benefits to investments for mitigating land. Soil erosion can be a slow process that continues relatively unnoticed or can occur at an alarming rate, causing serious loss of topsoil. Nature and causes of land degradation in the oromiya region core.
Land degradation in ethiopia account for 8% of the global total mazengia, 2010, the north shewa and its districts are among the most strongly affected by soil erosion induced degradation and drought in the northern highland dejene, 1990. It thus covers the various forms of soil degradation, adverse human impacts on water resources, deforestation, and lowering of the productive capacity of rangelands. The rugged landscapes of the ethiopian highlands have been. Soil degradation is thus the most immediate environmental problem facing ethiopia. The impact of land use and land cover lulc dynamics on. Fao conducting the survey of 38 subsaharan africa countries, including ethiopia reported the magnitude of soil nutrient loss as 41 kg nhayr, 6. Download soil erosion conservation and rehabilitation pdf epub, mobi ebooks without registration on our website.