Abstract
Soil degradation is a serious problem challenging food security in Ethiopia. To halt degradation and restore impoverished soils, the government has initiated soil management practices in the affected areas. Still, there is little information on the impact of these practices in terms of improvement in soil fertility of cultivated lands under different soil and climatic conditions. Accordingly, the study was carried out to study the effect of soil management practices, viz, soil bund (SB), application of farm yard manure (FYM), soil bund integrated with FYM (SBFYM), and vis-a-vis no management practice (NM), on soil fertility under upper (20%–30%) and lower (2%–10%) slope ranges at Mawula watershed, Loma district, Southern Ethiopia. Twenty-four composite soil samples (4 practices × 2 slope ranges × 3 sites) drawn from the surface layer (0–20 cm) were analysed for different physical and chemical properties indicative of soil fertility. The data were analysed statistically in a randomized complete block design. All the soil management practices improved significantly the different aspects of physical and chemical fertility (soil texture, bulk density, total porosity, moisture content, organic carbon, and contents of macro and micronutrients, viz, N, P, K, Na, Ca, Mg, Fe, Mn, Zn, and Cu). The practice SBFYM was significantly superior to FYM and SB. The order of performance was SBFYM > FYM > SB > NM. The usefulness of soil management practices was further corroborated by the farmers’ response (based on semistructured questionnaires), as 83% of them perceived the practices well and opted for their adoption. As such, the soil management practices, notably SBFYM, merit their implementation on a large scale to improve fertility and productivity of degraded lands.
Highlights
Land degradation, implying deterioration of soil in terms of its quality and productivity due to improper use, is a major global issue and will remain high on the international agenda in the 21st century due to its effects on agronomic productivity, the environment, and food security [1]
It decreased progressively under soil bund (SB), farm yard manure (FYM), and soil bund integrated with FYM (SBFYM)
The clay fraction was significantly higher under SB, FYM, and SBFYM compared to no management practice (NM) by 7%, 14%, and NM SB FYM SBFYM
Summary
Land degradation, implying deterioration of soil in terms of its quality and productivity due to improper use, is a major global issue and will remain high on the international agenda in the 21st century due to its effects on agronomic productivity, the environment, and food security [1]. Land degradation is one of the major causes of low and declining agricultural productivity, continued food insecurity, and rural poverty in Ethiopia [4,5,6]. Monitoring and evaluation of soil management programs is essential to have their continuity, reinforcement, and corrections to make them compatible with socioeconomic environment imperatives It becomes all the most important in Ethiopia, as about 18% of the rainfed croplands have so far been treated with soil and water conservation measures, and 60%, i.e., nearly 12 million ha, still need to be treated [25]. This study was envisaged to evaluate the effect of three soil management practices under two slope ranges on the improvement of soil fertility (reflected in indicative soil properties) of cultivated lands in Mawula watershed, Loma district, Southern Ethiopia. This study was envisaged to evaluate the effect of three soil management practices under two slope ranges on the improvement of soil fertility (reflected in indicative soil properties) of cultivated lands in Mawula watershed, Loma district, Southern Ethiopia. e usefulness of the practices was assessed by conducting a questionnaire-based survey on perception and adoption of soil management practices by farmers in the watershed
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