In the drought-prone Upper Blue Nile River (UBNR) basin of Ethiopia, soil erosion by water results in significant consequences that also affect downstream countries. However, there have been limited comprehensive studies of this and other basins with diverse agroecologies. We analyzed the variability of gross soil loss and sediment yield rates under present and expected future conditions using a newly devised methodological framework. The results showed that the basin generates an average soil loss rate of 27.5thayr and a gross soil loss of ca. 473Mtyr, of which, at least 10% comes from gully erosion and 26.7% leaves Ethiopia. In a factor analysis, variation in agroecology (average factor score=1.32) and slope (1.28) were the two factors most responsible for this high spatial variability. About 39% of the basin area is experiencing severe to very severe (>30thayr) soil erosion risk, which is strongly linked to population density. Severe or very severe soil erosion affects the largest proportion of land in three subbasins of the UBNR basin: Blue Nile 4 (53.9%), Blue Nile 3 (45.1%), and Jema Shet (42.5%). If appropriate soil and water conservation practices targeted ca. 77.3% of the area with moderate to severe erosion (>15thayr), the total soil loss from the basin could be reduced by ca. 52%. Our methodological framework identified the potential risk for soil erosion in large-scale zones, and with a more sophisticated model and input data of higher spatial and temporal resolution, results could be specified locally within these risk zones. Accurate assessment of soil erosion in the UBNR basin would support sustainable use of the basin's land resources and possibly open up prospects for cooperation in the Eastern Nile region.
This paper reviews Ethiopia’s experience and research progress in past soil and water conservation (SWC) efforts and suggests possible solutions for improvement. Although indigenous SWC techniques date back to 400 BC, institutionalized SWC activity in Ethiopia became significant only after the 1970s. At least six national SWC-related programs have been initiated since the 1970s and their focus over time has shifted from food relief to land conservation and then to livelihoods. The overall current soil erosion rates are highly variable and large by international standards, and sheet, rill, and gully erosion are the dominant processes. The influence of human activities on the landscape has traditionally been deleterious, but this trend seems to have recently reversed in some parts of the country following the engagement of the communities in land management. The efficiency of SWC measures show mixed results that are influenced by the type of measures and the agro-ecology under which they were implemented; in general, the relative performance of the interventions is better in the drylands as compared with humid areas. Methodological limitations also occur when addressing the economic aspects related to benefits of ecosystem services and other externalities. Although farmers have shown an increased understanding of the soil erosion problem, SWC efforts face a host of barriers related to limited access to capital, limited benefits, land tenure insecurity, limited technology choices and technical support, and poor community participation. In general SWC research in Ethiopia is fragmented and not comprehensive, mainly because of a lack of participatory research, field observations, and adoptable methods to evaluate impacts. A potentially feasible approach to expand and sustain SWC programs is to attract benefits from global carbon markets. Moreover, a dedicated institution responsible for overseeing the research–extension linkage of SWC interventions of the country should be established.
The Central Rift Valley (CRV) is one of the most environmentally vulnerable areas of Ethiopia. Most of the lowland in the CRV is arid or semiarid, and droughts occur frequently. We studied the dynamics of land use and cover and land degradation by analyzing Landsat data from 1973, 1985, and 2006 using Geographic Information Systems and remote sensing techniques. The analysis revealed that in the last 30 years, water bodies, forest, and woodland decreased by 15·3, 66·3, and 69·2 per cent, respectively; intensive cultivation, mixed cultivation/woodland, and degraded land increased by 34·5, 79·7, and 200·7 per cent. The major causes of land use and cover change (LUCC) and land degradation in the area were population and livestock growth in regions of limited resources, unsustainable farming techniques, the Ethiopian land tenure system and poverty. Lake level and area decline, and accelerated land degradation are the major environmental impacts of LUCC observed in the CRV. The environmental and socio‐economic consequences of LUCC and land degradation are far‐reaching. As a result of the expansion of land degradation over time, agricultural productivity has decreased and worsened food insecurity (shortages) and poverty in the Ethiopian CRV. In addition, if current trends in LUCC continue, Lake Abiyata will dry up by 2021. A detailed study of the degradation amount in relation to soil erosion, sediment yield to the lakes and catchment characteristics should be made using adaptable models; so as to guide the implementation of comprehensive and sustainable land use management by giving more attention to erosion prone areas. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
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