Socio-Economic Impact Assessment of Integrated Watershed Management in Sheka Watershed, Ethiopia.

Abstract

Integrated watershed management (IWSM) was taken as the basic operational unit to rehabilitate degraded watershed and improve agricultural productivity in Ethiopia. However, its effectiveness was rarely evaluated. Therefore, this study assessed the contribution of IWSM in selected socio-economic benefits in Sheka watershed, Ethiopia. Crop grain yield measurements and questionnaire survey data collection methods were employed. Statistical methods were used to analyze the data. The results revealed that there were significantly higher teff and sorghum grain yields in the treated sub-watershed than the untreated one. Milk yield of local dairy cow and honey bee yield was increased by 12.3% and 24.24%, respectively, after IWSM. Annual household income of downstream beneficiaries of the watershed was significantly higher than upstream beneficiaries. The highest annual income was recorded from the users of both improved livestock and irrigation. The most determinant factors for household annual income were irrigation access, livestock number, cultivated land and off-farm income. The average contribution of income generating activities of IWSM in household annual income was 31.3%. Therefore, IWSM is not only effective in increasing crop and livestock production but also it has high contribution in household annual income.  But high focus should be given to the upper beneficiaries of the watershed so as to minimize the income difference between the upper and lower beneficiaries. Thus, it is better to introduce IWSM in to the untreated watershed.

Key words: Integrated watershed management, upstream, downstream, Sheka watershed.