Community Based Soil and Water Conservation Practice: In Case of Haro Bakke Kebele,Yabello Woreda, Borana Zone

Abstract

Land degradation is one of the major challenges in agricultural production in many parts of the world, especially in developing nations like Ethiopia. Even though a number of soil and water conservation method were introduced to combat land degradation. This study was conducted at Haro Bake kebele, Yabello woreda, Borana zone. The objective of the study was to assess the community based soil and water conservation practice and to evaluate how well implemented measures address to specification and to describe tradition and  improved concentration measure. In the study field survey, questionnaire an interviews were conducted to collect the necessary data from 35 sample households; which were selected via simple random sampling and purposively from Haro Bake kebeles. To address the stated objective  both qualitative and quantitative data were collected. Data collection tools included questionnaire, focus group discussions,and field observation. The result shows that farmers of the study area were not participating on SWC activities by their interest (voluntary) but by the force of community leader, DAs, and district administrative order they are participate on the practices. The study revealed that factors such as; slope of the area, tenure status, age, gender, education status of households, land size, lack of information, level of contact with DA, lack of awareness, length of food secured months etc; are influence the practices of soil and water conservation structure. The farmer destruct the SWC method because of searching fertile soil, to join their plot of land, for need to avail more land, to destroy hiding places of rodent pests, removing a bund about to collapse etc. Soil bund, micro basin, terraces, water way and cut off drain are the soil and water conservation structure practiced by farmers and DAs on small farm land to conserve water and soil. As the result of the study indicates to decrease the challenges of SWC in the study area of Yabello district, the DAs, and experts of the natural resource of the area advice farmers as it is not important to destroy the terrace bench, soil bunds etc;. They advise, as it would be better to redevelop the existing terraces and supporting them with other soil fertility and SWC methods and train the farmers to change the low awareness they have on SWC practices. Therefore, the most important factors that require immediate consideration for SWC activities in the study area are participation of the household farmers has to be through their own conviction regarding the effectiveness and efficiency of the soil conservation structures.

Keywords: Soil and water conservation structures; soil erosion; improve soil fertility