FARMERS’  PERCEPTION ON THE EFFECTIVENEES OF SOIL AND WATER  CONSERVATION PRACTICES IN GAMO HIGHLANDS THE CASE OF DITA  WOREDA, SOUTH WESTERN ETHIOPIA.
Creators: name: WORKNESH WOGASO
Publisher: name: National Academic Digital Repository of Ethiopia
Year: 2016

description: A  number  of  soil  and  water  conservation  methods  were  introduced.  Consequently,  the 
government has invested in sustainable soil  and water conservation (SWC) measures.  This study 
was  conducted  at  Dita  Woreda  in  south  West  GamoGofa  zone  of  the  Southern, 
Nation,Nationalites  Regional  State.  The  study  area  is  typical  for  the  high  potential  barely 
production, mixed farming, and cereal crops in the Southwestern  Ethiopian  highlands. Land is a 
precious natural resource which demands efficient management in order to use it in a sustainable 
manner. The objective of the study was Farmers perception on the effectiveness of soil and water 
conservation  practices  in  Gammo  highlands  and  to  evaluate  how  well  implemented  measures 
address to  specification and to describe tradition and improved concentration measure. Survey 
questionnaire were administered to 130 farmers selected from the study area and  8 respondents 
for  interview  and  6  respondents  for  focus  group  discussion.  Data  collection  tools  included 
questionnaire,  focus  group  discussions,  key  informant  interview  and  field  observation  include 
data analysis. The results indicate that majority of sample farmers have good opinion on soil 
and water conservation.  It was found that farmer’s decision to adopt and use SWC measures is 
influenced  by  different  factors.  Farmer’s   positive  attitude  towards  SWC  technology,  farmer’s 
participation SWC trainining  high erosion problem ,steep slope, farmer’s perception of erosion 
as  problem  have  significance   positive   influence  on  farmer’s  adoption  of  SWC technologies. 
Consequently,  the  result  shows  that  the  majority  of  the  respondent  farmers  participated  in the 
SWC  their  will.  farmers  well  understood  the  results  of  severe  soil  erosion  on  their  farms  and 
recognized as loss of topsoil, reduction of yield over time, loss of vegetation cover and grasses, 
Structural  soil  conservation  measures  practiced  in  the  study  area  included  cutoff  drains,  soil 
bunds,  waterways,  check  dams.  Yet  farmers  have  been  using  biological  and  agronomic  soil 
conservation  measures  either  separately  or  in  combination  with  structural  soil  conservation 
measures.  Practices  of  structural  soil  conservation  measures  have  been  influenced  by  many 
factors.  Among these factors such as farmers’ experience, educational, gender, lack of training, 
income  of  hous  hold,  government  policies  and  strategies  and  physical  factors  were  observed. 
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.  The  government 
should be implemented clear policy and strategies about SSWC as well as the communities’ are 
also  should  take  the  responsibility  natural  resource  protection  by  participating  in  SWC