| Peer-Reviewed

Restoration Efforts of Degraded Land, Challenges and Prospects: The Case of Soro Wereda, Hadiya Zone, Southern Ethiopia

Received: 14 July 2022    Accepted: 11 August 2022    Published: 24 August 2022
Views:       Downloads:
Abstract

Land degradation is a global issue and it is more severe in developing countries like Ethiopia. In Ethiopia land degradation has become one of the most important environmental problems and still remains the major challenges that are adversely affecting the agricultural performance of the country: hence the call for improved land management practices. To address the problems of land degradation in Ethiopia, many efforts have been made since 1970s. From then onwards many attempts have been made and integrated watershed management in one among these. The study was undertaken in Soro Wereda, Hadiya Zone, and SNNPR with the objective of assessing restoration efforts and challenges and prospects of the restoration efforts being implemented. In order to achieve the stated objectives, both primary and secondary data were generated by employing qualitative and quantitative methods. Systematic sampling technique was used to select 97 representative households from three kebeles. The quantitative data was analyzed by using frequency, percentage, mean and standard deviation. The qualitative data was analyzed through narration. The findings of the study showed that the major restoration efforts to avert degraded land in the study area are physical SWC measure and area closure. Lack of awareness and sense of ownership, lack of skilled experts regarding SWC engineering works, lack of capital and material support, limited support of NGOs that are confined to only selected kebeles, poverty, and lack of support of biological measures to physical SWC measures are the challenges that constrain the sustainability of restoration process. Adopting of the participatory approach, promoting the awareness of rural communities as well as other stakeholders, management of restored land, and combining of the restoration efforts with local knowledge are core issues to the sustainability of the restoration process. In order to run the restoration efforts in sustainable way strengthening of community participation, capacity building of stakeholders, providing of incentives for those achieve the restoration process and scale up of the best practices are needed.

Published in American Journal of Environmental and Resource Economics (Volume 7, Issue 3)
DOI 10.11648/j.ajere.20220703.13
Page(s) 77-86
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2022. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Restoration Efforts, Degraded Land, Challenges, Prospects, Sustainability, Stakeholders

References
[1] Amare. B, Hagos. G/S & Temesgen. G. (2014). Land Degradation in Ethiopia: Causes, Impacts and Rehabilitation Techniques. Journal of Environment and Earth Science Vol. 4, No. 9, 2014.
[2] Anteneh. G. (2010). Farmers Awareness about Land Degradation and their Attitude towards Land Management Practices (M. A Thesis). Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
[3] Badeg. B and Abdu. A K. (2003). Agroforestry and Community Forestry for Rehabilitation of Degraded Watersheds on the Ethiopia Highlands, International Symposium on Contemporary Development Issues in Ethiopia, July 11-12, 2003 Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
[4] Bekele. S, H. A. Freeman & S. M. Swinton. (Eds). (2005). Natural Resource Management in Agriculture Methods for Assessing Economic and Environmental Impacts, Andhra Pradesh, India: ICRISAT.
[5] Central Statistics Authority and the World Bank. (2013). Ethiopia Rural Socioeconomic Survey. Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
[6] Fikru. A. (2009). Assessment of Adoption Behavior of Soil and Water Conservation Practices in the Koga Watershed, Highlands of Ethiopia. Cornell University.
[7] Getachew. A. (2005). Determinants of Land Degradation in the Lake Tana Basin and its Implications for Sustainable Land Management: The Case of Angereb and Gish Abbay Watersheds. (M.Sc Thesis), Ethiopia.
[8] Habtamu. E. (2006). Adoption of Physical Soil and Water Conservation Structures in Anna Watershed, Hadiya Zone (MA Thesis). Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
[9] Hagos. F, Pender. J & Nega. G/S. (1999). Land Degradation in the Highlands of Tigray and Strategies for Sustainable Land Management, Addis Ababa. Ethiopia.
[10] Israel. D. G. (2012). Determining Sample Size, University of Florida, USA. Pd006. http://edis.Uf/.edu/ Accessed on September 2, 2012.
[11] Kebede. W (2015). Evaluating Watershed Management activities of campaign work in Southern nations and peoples regional state of Ethiopia, Wolancho Environmental System Research (2015) 4: 6.
[12] Kibemo. D. (2011). Farmers Perception on Soil Erosion and Their use of Structural Soil Conservation Measures in Soro District, Southern Ethiopia (MA Thesis), Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
[13] Kiflemariam. (2008). Farmers Perspectives of land degradation and (padets) contribution to Sustainable Management. The case of Gozamen Woreda, Amhara Regional State (MA Thesis). Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa.
[14] Lakew Desta, Carucci, V., Asrat Wendem-Agenehu and Yitayew Abebe (eds). 2005. Community Based Participatory Watershed Development: A Guideline. Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
[15] Meaza. H. (2015). The Role of Community Based Watershed Management for Climate Change and Adaptation in Adwa, Central Tigray Zone. International Journal of Weather, Climate Change and Conservation Research Vol. 1, No. 1, pp. 11-35, March 2015.
[16] Mesfin. D. (2010). Challenges and Prospects of Land Rehabilitation Practices: A Case of Angacha Woreda, Kambata Tambaro Zone, SNNPR, (MA. Thesis). Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa.
[17] Mulugeta. L. (2004). Effects of land use change on soil quality and native flora degradation and restoration in the highlands of Ethiopia. Implication for sustainable land management. (Ph.D Thesis). Swedish University of Agriculture Science, Uppsala, Sweden.
[18] Shibru. T (2010). Land Degradation and Farmers perception: The Case of Limo Woreda, Hadiya Zone of SNNPR, Ethiopia. (MSc Thesis), Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa.
[19] Soro Wereda Finance and Economic Development Office. (2015). Total Household sizes in each Kebele Administration of Soro Wereada.
[20] Temesgen. G. (2015). The implications of watershed management for reversing land degradation in Ethiopia. Research Journal of Agriculture and Environmental Management. Vol. 4 (1), pp. 005-012.
[21] Tesfa. W and S. K. Tripathi. (2015). An Evaluation of Watershed Management Practice in Ethiopia: A preliminary Review. International Journal of Environmental Sciences Vol. 4 No. 1. 2015. pp. 24-30.
[22] Tesfaye. G and Debebe. W|M. (2013). Farmers’ Perception’ and Participation on Mechanical Soil and Water conservation techniques in Kembata Tembaro Zone: the case of Kachabirra Woreda, Ethiopia. International Journal of Advanced Structure and Geotechnical Engineering ISSN 2319-5347, VO 1.02, No. 04.
[23] Tolera. M. (2011). Assessing the role of Traditional Land Management Practices in improving cropland Productivity: the case of Diga Woreda, Oromia. MS. Thesis, Ambo University, Ambo.
[24] United Nations Environment Program. (2006). don’t desert dry lands! Facts about deserts and desertification. http://www.unep.org.
[25] Woldeamlak. B. (2003). Towards Integrated Watershed Management in Highland Ethiopia the Chemoga Watershed case Study. Tropical Resource Management. Paper, No 44|2003.
[26] Yeraswork. A. (2000). Twenty years to Nowhere; Property Rights, Land Management and conservation in Ethiopia, The Red Sea Press, Inc, Asmara.
[27] Yohannes. G. (1999). The Use, Maintenance and Development of Soil and Water Conservation Measures by small-scale Farming Household in Different Agro-Climatic Zones of Northern Shewa and Southern Wello, Center for Development and Environment, University of Berne, Switzerland in Association with the Ministry of Agriculture, Ethiopia Research.
Cite This Article
  • APA Style

    Eyasu Estefanos Shanko. (2022). Restoration Efforts of Degraded Land, Challenges and Prospects: The Case of Soro Wereda, Hadiya Zone, Southern Ethiopia. American Journal of Environmental and Resource Economics, 7(3), 77-86. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajere.20220703.13

    Copy | Download

    ACS Style

    Eyasu Estefanos Shanko. Restoration Efforts of Degraded Land, Challenges and Prospects: The Case of Soro Wereda, Hadiya Zone, Southern Ethiopia. Am. J. Environ. Resour. Econ. 2022, 7(3), 77-86. doi: 10.11648/j.ajere.20220703.13

    Copy | Download

    AMA Style

    Eyasu Estefanos Shanko. Restoration Efforts of Degraded Land, Challenges and Prospects: The Case of Soro Wereda, Hadiya Zone, Southern Ethiopia. Am J Environ Resour Econ. 2022;7(3):77-86. doi: 10.11648/j.ajere.20220703.13

    Copy | Download

  • @article{10.11648/j.ajere.20220703.13,
      author = {Eyasu Estefanos Shanko},
      title = {Restoration Efforts of Degraded Land, Challenges and Prospects: The Case of Soro Wereda, Hadiya Zone, Southern Ethiopia},
      journal = {American Journal of Environmental and Resource Economics},
      volume = {7},
      number = {3},
      pages = {77-86},
      doi = {10.11648/j.ajere.20220703.13},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajere.20220703.13},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ajere.20220703.13},
      abstract = {Land degradation is a global issue and it is more severe in developing countries like Ethiopia. In Ethiopia land degradation has become one of the most important environmental problems and still remains the major challenges that are adversely affecting the agricultural performance of the country: hence the call for improved land management practices. To address the problems of land degradation in Ethiopia, many efforts have been made since 1970s. From then onwards many attempts have been made and integrated watershed management in one among these. The study was undertaken in Soro Wereda, Hadiya Zone, and SNNPR with the objective of assessing restoration efforts and challenges and prospects of the restoration efforts being implemented. In order to achieve the stated objectives, both primary and secondary data were generated by employing qualitative and quantitative methods. Systematic sampling technique was used to select 97 representative households from three kebeles. The quantitative data was analyzed by using frequency, percentage, mean and standard deviation. The qualitative data was analyzed through narration. The findings of the study showed that the major restoration efforts to avert degraded land in the study area are physical SWC measure and area closure. Lack of awareness and sense of ownership, lack of skilled experts regarding SWC engineering works, lack of capital and material support, limited support of NGOs that are confined to only selected kebeles, poverty, and lack of support of biological measures to physical SWC measures are the challenges that constrain the sustainability of restoration process. Adopting of the participatory approach, promoting the awareness of rural communities as well as other stakeholders, management of restored land, and combining of the restoration efforts with local knowledge are core issues to the sustainability of the restoration process. In order to run the restoration efforts in sustainable way strengthening of community participation, capacity building of stakeholders, providing of incentives for those achieve the restoration process and scale up of the best practices are needed.},
     year = {2022}
    }
    

    Copy | Download

  • TY  - JOUR
    T1  - Restoration Efforts of Degraded Land, Challenges and Prospects: The Case of Soro Wereda, Hadiya Zone, Southern Ethiopia
    AU  - Eyasu Estefanos Shanko
    Y1  - 2022/08/24
    PY  - 2022
    N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajere.20220703.13
    DO  - 10.11648/j.ajere.20220703.13
    T2  - American Journal of Environmental and Resource Economics
    JF  - American Journal of Environmental and Resource Economics
    JO  - American Journal of Environmental and Resource Economics
    SP  - 77
    EP  - 86
    PB  - Science Publishing Group
    SN  - 2578-787X
    UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajere.20220703.13
    AB  - Land degradation is a global issue and it is more severe in developing countries like Ethiopia. In Ethiopia land degradation has become one of the most important environmental problems and still remains the major challenges that are adversely affecting the agricultural performance of the country: hence the call for improved land management practices. To address the problems of land degradation in Ethiopia, many efforts have been made since 1970s. From then onwards many attempts have been made and integrated watershed management in one among these. The study was undertaken in Soro Wereda, Hadiya Zone, and SNNPR with the objective of assessing restoration efforts and challenges and prospects of the restoration efforts being implemented. In order to achieve the stated objectives, both primary and secondary data were generated by employing qualitative and quantitative methods. Systematic sampling technique was used to select 97 representative households from three kebeles. The quantitative data was analyzed by using frequency, percentage, mean and standard deviation. The qualitative data was analyzed through narration. The findings of the study showed that the major restoration efforts to avert degraded land in the study area are physical SWC measure and area closure. Lack of awareness and sense of ownership, lack of skilled experts regarding SWC engineering works, lack of capital and material support, limited support of NGOs that are confined to only selected kebeles, poverty, and lack of support of biological measures to physical SWC measures are the challenges that constrain the sustainability of restoration process. Adopting of the participatory approach, promoting the awareness of rural communities as well as other stakeholders, management of restored land, and combining of the restoration efforts with local knowledge are core issues to the sustainability of the restoration process. In order to run the restoration efforts in sustainable way strengthening of community participation, capacity building of stakeholders, providing of incentives for those achieve the restoration process and scale up of the best practices are needed.
    VL  - 7
    IS  - 3
    ER  - 

    Copy | Download

Author Information
  • Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, Oda Bultum University, Chiro, Ethiopia

  • Sections