Institutional Functionality in Participatory Integrated Watershed Development of Tana Sub-Basin, Ethiopia

Gebremedn Tesfaye,Asfaw Kebede,Tena Alamirew,Gete Zeleke

doi:10.3390/land7040130

Abstract

Sustaining watersheds that were developed through community mobilization are a major challenge in Ethiopia despite significant efforts to promote soil and water conservation technologies and approaches. This paper investigates the hypothesis that institutional rationality and functionality play an important role in developing enduring watersheds by comparing the good performing Model research watersheds and adjacent watersheds developed through extensively promoted community mobilization. A semi-qualitative research method was used by applying a multi-stage purposive sampling technique for selecting sample respondents. Based on the new institutional economic theory, twelve effective institutional indicators were devised for the evaluation. Questionnaires were designed and tested to solicit respondents’ perceptions on these indicators. Data were analyzed using the Mann-Whitney test. The results showed that significant differences were observed between the two watershed groups in relation to good interaction (p = 0.03) and technical rationality (p = 0.04). Most of the institutional characteristics and rationalities that led to better performance in the case of the Model research watershed were lacking in the community watersheds. In the Model watersheds, effective institutional characteristics and rationalities contributed to enhanced natural resource conservation, increased incomes, improved household food security, and provided additional social benefits. The most important lesson is that close follow-up and informed engagement leads to a speedy recovery and the sustainability of Community watersheds from implementing modest re-orientation of the existing institutional arrangements.

Highlights

Land degradation is one of the development challenges of humankind
The data household survey used questionnaire compare prepared in Amharic, focus group discussions (FGDs), and key informant interviews that were the performance of Model, the Water and Land Resource Center (WLRC) supported model watersheds and Community watersheds conducted in 2016 and 2017
The household survey used a structured questionnaire to compare the performance of Model, the WLRC supported model watersheds and Community watersheds developed through community mobilization on the selected set of indicators using a non–parametric

Summary

Introduction

Land degradation is one of the development challenges of humankind. Different sustainable land management technologies have been developed, but land degradation remains a growing problem, for developing nations as Ethiopia where the majority of the people are dependent on land cultivation for their livelihoods.Soil erosion by water is a major agent of land degradation in Ethiopia and in the Upper Blue Nile Basin, and it has significant impacts on ecosystem services [1]. Land degradation is one of the development challenges of humankind. Different sustainable land management technologies have been developed, but land degradation remains a growing problem, for developing nations as Ethiopia where the majority of the people are dependent on land cultivation for their livelihoods. Soil erosion by water is a major agent of land degradation in Ethiopia and in the Upper Blue Nile Basin, and it has significant impacts on ecosystem services [1]. Land degradation in Ethiopia has been affected by increasing human and livestock populations, climatic variations, recurring droughts, inappropriate land use practices, and top-down resource conservation approaches [2,3,4]. Less responsive policies have exacerbated land degradation and heightened poverty levels [5]. The result is a widespread degradation of the land base

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Results

Discussion

Conclusion