Abstract
BackgroundSoil erosion and nutrient depletion threaten food security and the sustainability of agricultural production in sub-Saharan Africa. Estimating soil loss and identifying hotspot areas support combating soil degradation. The aim of this paper is to estimate the soil loss rate and identify hotspot areas using USLE model in the Agewmariam watershed, northern Ethiopia.MethodsRainfall erosivity factor was determined from annual rainfall, soil erodibility factor from soil data, slope length and gradient factor were generated from DEM, cover factor and conservation practice factor obtained from land use cover map. Finally, the parameters were integrated with ArcGIS tools to estimate soil loss rates of the study watershed.ResultsMean annual soil loss rates were estimated to be between 0 and 897 t ha−1 year−1 on flatter and steeper slopes, respectively. The total annual soil loss was 51,403.13 tons from the watershed and the annual soil loss rate of the study area was 25 t ha−1 year−1. More than 33% of the study areas were above tolerable soil loss rate (11 t ha−1 year−1). The spatial risk categorization rate was 67.2% severe (> 51 t ha−1 year−1), 5.4% very high (31–50 t ha−1 year−1), 5.8% high (19–30 t ha−1 year−1), 3.2% moderate (12–18 t ha−1 year−1) and 18.3% slight (0–11 t ha−1 year−1).ConclusionThe results showed that the severity of erosion occurred on the steep slope cultivation, absence of conservation measures, and sparse nature of the vegetation cover. This area required immediate action of soil and water conservation which accounts for about 33.5% of the total watershed.
Highlights
Soil erosion and nutrient depletion threaten food security and the sustainability of agricultural production in sub-Saharan Africa
The objective of the study was to assess soil loss rate and identify hot spot areas using Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) of Agewmariayam Watershed, in Northern Ethiopia
This study used the USLE equation with Geographical Information System (GIS) techniques to assess soil loss rate and identify the hotspot areas in Agewmairium watershed
Summary
Soil erosion and nutrient depletion threaten food security and the sustainability of agricultural production in sub-Saharan Africa. The worldwide annual rate of soil erosion from agricultural land ranges from 22 to 100 t ha−1 and declines in. In the form of soil erosion and nutrient depletion, threatens food security and the sustainability of agricultural production in sub-Saharan Africa [34]. The annual soil loss rate by water ranges from 16 to 300 t ha−1 year−1 in Ethiopia, mainly depending on the degree of slope gradient, intensity, and type of land cover and nature of rainfall intensities [30, 51]. Land degradation in Ethiopia is especially severe in the highlands where the annual soil loss from farmland is estimated to 100 to 300 t ha−1 year−1 [8, 54]. Loss of arable land due to soil erosion is a widespread phenomenon in the highlands which accounts for about 45% of Ethiopia’s total land [54]
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