INVESTIGATION OF FARMERS' PERCEPTION ON THE PROBLEM OF SOIL EROSION AND CONSERVATION KNOWLEDGE IN ANLEMO WOREDA, HADIYA ZONE, SNNPR

Abstract

Soil erosion which causes degradation of land is one of the major challenges of rural households which hinder the developments of agricultural sector. With regard to this, different conservation measures were proposed by government and non-governmental organizations. But, the problems persisted in different parts of the country including Anlemo woreda’s due to lack of an appropri-ate use of soil and water conservation practices by farmers that emanated from different socio-economic, physical, institutional and psychological factors. The study attempted to assess the perception of farmers on erosion problem and adoption of introduced soil and water conserva-tion measures and determinants of farmers’ use of soil and water conservation practices in the study area. The required data for the study were collected through questionnaire, interview, focus group discussion and field observation. The household survey questionnaire data have been tabulated and summarized by utilizing the statistical package for social science (SPSS). From the finding of this study, multidimensional factors of demographic and socio-economic characteristics were responsible for farmers’ differential perception to the problem of soil ero-sion. In order to effectively plan for soil conservation measures application and introduce new techniques there is a need of involve local farmers and modifying educational/training programs which were provided for farmers by considering the existing knowledge and practices.