The Impacts of Land Degradation on Crop Productivity in Ethiopia. A Review

Abstract

Land degradation has great threat to crop productivity for the future and it requires effort and resources to ameliorate land degradation consequence. It is one of the major causes of low and declining agricultural productivity and continuing food in-security and rural poverty. Therefore, the purpose of this revision could be to determine impacts of land degradation on crop productivity in Ethiopia.  As the revision display, land degradation directly affects agricultural crops and plants, reduced availability of clean water, lessened volume of surface water, depletion of aquifers and biodiversity loss. The major causes and consequence of land degradation are the rapid population escalation, serve soil loss, deforestation, low vegetation cover and unbalanced crop and livestock production rearing. In appropriate land use systems and land tenure enhance desertification and loss of ecosystem. Generally, common problem of land degradation in Ethiopia puts disastrous impact on crop productivity, socio economic, environment and ecological setting of the country. Therefore to struggle the effect of land degradation, the stakeholders focused on developing physical and biological soil and water conservation structures, sustainable use of things and services from cultivation land and development of Silvopastoral system which can contribute to poverty lessening, making the farmers fewer susceptible to effect of land degradation.

Key note: Land degradation, crop productivity and Ethiopia.