Assessment of soil and water conservation activities in Afdeyu, Eritrea: Technical and socio-economic aspects

Ghebremedhin, Semere Zaid (2002). Assessment of soil and water conservation activities in Afdeyu, Eritrea: Technical and socio-economic aspects. Bern: Centre for Development and Environment

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Technical and socio-economic assessment of soil and water conservation measures was carried out in Afdeyu for a period of five months (May - September, 1997). During this period, the total rainfall was 513 mm and the total erosivity for rainstorms greater than 12.5 mm was 302 Jmm/m 2 hr. The technical part was concentrated in the research area with four experimental plots of 6 m by 30 m each. They were placed adjacent to each other on a slope of 18%. The first plot was a control plot (without conservation measure) and the others were with measures such as contour bunds, Fanya Juu and double ditch. To assess the effectiveness of the different measures, data on runoff, soil loss, crop biomass and soil moisture was collected. The control plot showed distinctly the highest runoff (36 mm) and soil loss (48.7 tonnes/ha). The lowest runoff and soil loss was found with double ditch (3.26 mm, 0.08 tonnes/ha) and Fanya Juu (3.45 mm, 0.13 tonnes/ha) respectively. The contour bunds were found to have a runoff 13.22 mm and a soil loss of 2.39 tonnes/ha. However, the contour bunds contributed to a higher biomass (1819 kg/ha) as compared to the other measures, and both contour bunds and Fanya Juu showed higher soil moisture than the double ditch. Even if a considerable difference existed between the plots with conservation measures and the control plot, statistically, no significant difference at a 5 % significance level was found. The socio-economic survey was done with a questionnaire. It was found that farmers preferred contour bunds because they take less cultivable area (14%) than both Fanya Juu (17%) and double ditch (24%). The farmers in the area were content with the conservation measure they had and according to the survey result, 97% of their fields are with conservation measures (mostly contour bunds). The existing land tenure system (which is Diesa) has been found to be a disincentive to the implementation of soil and water conservation measures.

Item Type:	Book (Monograph)
Division/Institute:	10 Strategic Research Centers > Centre for Development and Environment (CDE)
ISBN:	3-906151-65-4
Publisher:	Centre for Development and Environment
Language:	English
Submitter:	Stephan Schmidt
Date Deposited:	03 Aug 2016 11:19
Last Modified:	03 Aug 2016 11:19
URI:	https://boris.unibe.ch/id/eprint/85041