Review on Role of Soil and Water Conservation Measures on Soil Physico Chemical Properties and Its Implication to Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation

Abstract

Soil degradation is a global threat. Developing countries are more severely affected by soil degradation than developed countries. Ethiopia, one of the developing countries in eastern Africa, is highly threatened by soil degradation problems. The soil degradation problem has had serious consequences in Ethiopia such as occurrence of persistent food insecurity, economic losses and various environmental hazards such as recurrent drought and increases vulnerability of people to the adverse effects of climate variability and change. To overcome these problems, integrated soil and water conservation has been implemented in the country. Thus many studies have been conducted with regards to soil and water conservation which influences soil physical and chemical properties and on climate change adaption and mitigation. Therefore, this review papers was aimed to assess role of soil and water conservation on soil physical and chemical properties and it’s implication to climate change adaptation and mitigation. Different studies showed that soil physical and chemical properties such as Soil texture (sand, silt, clay), Moisture volume (%), FC (%), PWP (%), AWC (%), OC, TN, pH, EC, CEC Ava_P, and Ava_ K, (EB: K⁺, Ca²⁺, and Mg²⁺) were improved in different agro ecologies. In addition to this, soil treated with soil and water conservation stored more organic carbon as compared to non treated soil. Soil and water conservation also contributed to improve yield and yield component of crops in areas where serious soil erosion and also in moisture deficit areas. Thus, the studies have been showed that the people’s ability to adopted in climate change. Therefore soil and water conservation could improve soil physical and chemical properties, climate change mitigation and adaptation in the country.

Keywords: Adaptation, Mitigation, Phyisco chemical properties, soil and water conservation

DOI: 10.7176/JNSR/9-11-04

Publication date:June 30^th 2019